Technology news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Google’s Pac-Man doodle exposed a Firefox extension’s hidden browsing behaviour
Marcin Wichary has recounted how Google’s 2010 Pac-Man Doodle unexpectedly made computers used by some Firefox users play sounds in the background. The incident showed how a design decision that seemed harmless on Google’s homepage could affect people through the way browser extensions opened pages invisibly.
For Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary, Wichary built a playable logo maze shaped around the letters in GOOGLE, with music and sound effects. Google set it to start after ten seconds of inactivity, but Firefox’s CoolPreviews extension quietly opened Google’s homepage when the browser launched. Wichary added a mute button and required a click to start the game, stopping the extension from triggering the sounds; he says few ordinary visitors were affected.
In short
- Google’s Pac-Man Doodle unexpectedly played sounds for some Firefox users.
- CoolPreviews secretly opened Google’s homepage in the background.
- A mute button and click requirement fixed the problem.
Explained simply
A browser extension is an add-on that changes how a web browser works. CoolPreviews could open web pages in the background, without the user seeing them. A page loaded this way could still run parts of its content, including sounds.
Google’s 2010 Pac-Man Doodle was a playable game built into the search homepage to mark the arcade game’s 30th anniversary. It included music and sound effects, and was designed to begin after a period of inactivity. The incident matters because it showed that choices made for a webpage could have unexpected effects when extensions opened it unseen.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by The Register as “Chap who coded Google’s Pac-Man clone reveals how the game freaked out Firefox”.