The idea of another person controlling our web browser might seem a bit disturbing. Usually that's a sign that something very bad is happening on the computer, but the people behind the Shove extension for Google Chrome turn that intervention into a very novel way of sharing content. Want to show a page to your friend? Why not open it directly in their browser?
It is said that on the Web there can be no such thing as a leap of faith. At best we end up exposed to a classic meme or the ever-present dose of rickrolling, while at worst we have to put the computer back together with a spoon. The general absence of trust and the latent anarchy of the Web forces us to adopt multiple security measures, and still it often isn't enough. How many identity thefts happen every day? How many virtual ransoms are paid due to ransomware attacks? Users have several mechanisms at their disposal to get in touch with others, but the logical thing is to seek that their Web session be as anonymous and private as possible, unless...
... that you use something like Shove. In simple terms, Shove is an extension compatible with Google Chrome that allows you to open a tab in a friend's browser to share content with them. Needless to say, that same tab opening also works in the other direction, so if your friend concludes that you need to see a site no matter what, all they have to do is select your name from their contact list. At first, the creators designed Shove as a kind of joke, typical trolling taken to a different scale. Today, they propose it as a fast and simple collaborative tool.
The security aspect of Shove is certainly complicated, since it begins and ends with the user. The presence of the extension does not make your browser public, and only contacts within your personal circle can open tabs in it. At the same time, the browser will show a warning if it detects malicious content, and the user must manually specify whether they authorize a new page to have access to resources like the camera and microphone. Want to try it? Install the extension and add the bot 'shovebot'. Every time you share something with it, it will send you a page back.
