Chrome Remote Desktop makes its way onto Android

Need to access your Windows desktop while you’re sitting on a bus 3,000 miles away from work? Just launch Chrome, and you’re good to go! Earlier this week, Google released Chrome Remote Desktop for Android, and brought VNC to the masses. This tiny 2.1MB app allows your phone or tablet to connect seamlessly to Chrome on a PC, and completely control your desktop without having to bother setting up your own VNC server. Of course, having remote desktop software built into Google’s Chrome is more than enough to cause privacy advocates to raise an eyebrow, so think it through before you install. If you’d like to try this out for yourself, head on over to the Google Play store, and download the Chrome Remote Desktop app. As long as you’re running Android 4.0 or above, you should be able to run it on any device you have lying around. Next, simply install the Chrome Remote Desktop app inside of Chrome, and follow the on-screen configuration instructions. From then on, you can remotely access your desktop on your Android device without having to manually find and enter your network information. Remote Desktop Of course, Chrome Remote Desktop has been around for years now. The stable version was first released back in October 2012, and it has continually seen updates in Google’s Chrome Web Store. Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and even Chromebooks have been able to use this remote desktop functionality for a while now, but this week’s addition of Android phones and tablets makes this feature much more noteworthy. If you’re concerned even slightly about online privacy and security, you might want to think twice before installing this app, though. Your traffic is sent over SSL, and Google vehemently claims that “none of your session data is ever recorded,” but that’s no guarantee of your safety or privacy. Google is one of the biggest advertising companies in the world, so it obviously has a vested interest in knowing what you’re up to. I have no reason to believe that Google is actually doing anything illicit here, but you shouldn’t take the risk if you fundamentally distrust the company. In any case, even SSL isn’t immune from exploitation, so opening up yet another vector for government agencies and other ne’er-do-wells to get into your computer is inherently risky. If you’re a political dissident or a whistle blower, you should probably pass on this app completely.