Free Services - A Threat to Privacy: Ensuring a Safe Online Presence using Chrome Browser Extension

Internet users all across the world are concerned about the effects of free services on their privacy and security. The Internet is a vast collection of websites, the most of which are informative in nature while some are service-oriented. Paid services charge for their services, whereas others provide them for free. It may appear to be free, but there is always a catch. This paper discusses the fundamental differences between paid and free internet services, as well as the drawbacks of free services, how they can jeopardize a user's security/privacy (on occasion), and how a little bit of vigilance can shield users from prying eyes. Maintaining a balance between convenience and security goes a long way, it is understandable that removing some security walls and automating some tasks make everyday tasks easier but it is always a good habit to give preference to security. To tackle such threats, there must be a system that is looking out for user’s security and privacy all the time, the system designed in this paper is a chrome browser extension that fulfills some of these tasks and ensures a better browsing experience.