It seems that as of the latest update, not all chrome plugins can be disabled. (or possibly viewed) Specifically their DRM plugin (Widevine) has become the first user of this "feature":

http://boingboing.net/2017/01/30/google-quietly-makes-optiona.html

This is a particularly fun one because it's got a languishing security flaw, and now you can't turn it off.


Though this departs into another nasty can of worms itself, where security researchers are being prosecuted (rather than just persecuted) for publishing security vulnerabilities even when using "responsible disclosure" policies. So, can't talk about it, can't turn it off. Just "bend over and say 'aaaah'"

I just watched this IBM TED Talk on cybercrime. IBM is fully in favor of and has a corporate policy to immediately release information on successful hacks into the public domain. Their contention being if the information gets out quickly enough so others can and will immediately take advantage of the knowledge, it will take the profit out of the open market for hacks and thereby reduce the number and frequency of attacks.

Apparently IBM is not concerned about being sued or maybe they have enough lawyers on staff to make lawsuits unprofitable.

Or….pull out CleanApp and remove Chrome, which is what I've done. It's not much of a loss. I'm an almost exclusively Safari user but periodically run across a page that won't load. Then I'd open the page with either FireFox or Chrome….so I guess it'll only be FireFox from now on.