Google Chrome is on the brink of introducing a new privacy feature to bolster its users’ online security. As the browser already employs cutting-edge safeguards like site isolation, sandboxing, and predictive phishing protection, this new feature aims to obscure users’ IP addresses, making it much more difficult for prying eyes to track your online activities.

The first hint of this update was discovered by Bleeping Computer on GitHub. If this enhancement is implemented, it will route your internet traffic through a proxy server owned by Google. This clever maneuver will render your IP address, which can be used to trace your digital footprint across the web, invisible to certain domains, thereby significantly improving IP protection. According to reports, Google may even expand the number of proxy servers in the future, adding an extra layer of privacy.

According to a GitHub description, “Chrome is reintroducing a proposal to protect users against cross-site tracking via IP addresses. This proposal is a privacy proxy that anonymizes IP addresses for qualifying traffic as described above.“

However, it’s important to note that while IP protection is a crucial step towards online privacy, it may not be a one-size-fits-all solution. The traffic will be rerouted through Google’s proxy server, which means that if, hypothetically, Google’s servers were to be hacked, the hacker could potentially gain access to a substantial amount of your personal information.

The timeline for the rollout of this new feature remains uncertain, but initially, only a select group of users will have the opportunity to test it.