#1022: WebSearch: detect usage of Google Translate on restricted records and
warn
user
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Reporter: jcaffaro | Owner:
Type: task | Status: new
Priority: minor | Component: WebSearch
Version: | Keywords: WebStyle
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Google Translate is a popular browser extension (or native feature) that
can leak confidential information to an external service: the content of
the page is sent by the browser/extension to the translation service and
is returned translated. It would be useful to detect when it is used on
restricted records, and warn users.
Ideally the implementation would prevent sending the confidential
information to the external service. It does not seem possible to do so
(the use of {{{<meta name="google" value="notranslate">}}} would
apparently still send the page) so that in the end it has to be the
responsibility of the user to not disclose such information. The system
can help by making the user aware of the "leak" (in the same way as the
"Restricted" flag does not prevent screenshots, etc.).
One way to detect the use of Google Translate on a page is the addition of
the global window.google variable, as discussed in
[http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4887156/detecting-google-chrome-
translation StackOverflow: Detecting Google Chrome Translation]
{{{
document.addEventListener('DOMSubtreeModified', function (e) {
if(e.target.tagName === 'HTML' && window.google) {
if(e.target.className.match('translated')) {
// page has been translated
} else {
// page has been translated and translation was canceled
}
}
}, true);
}}}
It should be investigated if this solution appears to be valid in the long
term, and if there is a way to not impact too much the display speed on
the user side (the above looks for any change of the DOM tree).
If the use of Google Translate is detected, a transient popover (balloon)
pointing to the top of the window (similarly to such popovers suggesting
to [http://cubiq.org/add-to-home-screen add website to homescreen] on iOS)
with such a message:
{{{
You seem to be using Google Translate. For this service to work the
content
of this restricted page had to be sent to an external company, which can
be
a violation of conditions of use of %(CFG_SITE_NAME_INTL)s.
It is your responsibility to not send restricted content to unauthorized
persons and services.
}}}
(Google Translate should maybe be referred to as "''Google Translate™
translation service''", or be anonymized as a "''translation service''",
or simply "''service''" in order to match later other similar services)
The check should only be run on restricted content: detailed pages of
restricted records, and possibly browsing/searching restricted
collections.
Other browser features/extensions can also leak information to external
services: Google Translate would only appear to be one of the most
popular. Other extensions/services such as Pocket (Formerly Read It
Later), Google Reader (when restricted RSS becomes accessible, with API
keys) could also be investigated (if disabling/detecting is possible,
etc.)
--
Ticket URL: <http://invenio-software.org/ticket/1022>
Invenio <http://invenio-software.org>
