Manage your Google Chrome profiles

• Overview
• Prevent the profile pop-up from appearing
• Additional information
  • About the pop-up
  • Google at IU and your Chrome data

Overview

When you sign in to your Google at IU account using Google Chrome, you may see a pop-up that states (replacing [username] with your IU username):

Your organization will manage this profile.

This account ([username]@iu.edu) is managed by iu.edu

You're adding a managed profile to this browser. Your administrator has control over the profile and can access its data. Bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings can be synced to your account and managed by your administrator.

Although the language in the pop-up is somewhat misleading, it's intended to help clarify for you (as the user) that you are using Google Chrome with a Google account (your Google at IU account) managed by Indiana University. Indiana University does not manage your Chrome usage in any way.

For more about why and when pop-up appears, see the Additional information section below.

To keep the pop-up from appearing again, see the next section: Prevent the profile pop-up from appearing.

Prevent the profile pop-up from appearing

To prevent the pop-up notice from appearing in Google Chrome every time you log in to your Google at IU account, use one of the following options:

• If you want to sync your Chrome profile across multiple devices, turn on Sync.

  When Sync is turned on, and you are signed in to Chrome, the pop-up will not appear. For more, see Learn how to turn on Chrome profile Sync.

• If you don't want to sync your Chrome profile across multiple devices, turn off Sync.

  When Sync is off, and you are signed in to Chrome, the pop-up will not appear. For more, see Learn how to turn off Chrome profile Sync.

• If you don't want to sign in to a Chrome profile at all, use Guest mode.

  Using Guest mode, you will need to sign in every time you use Chrome. For more, see Learn how to use Guest mode in Google Chrome.

Additional information

About the pop-up

• The pop-up appears when you sign in to your Google at IU (Google My Drive, etc.) using the desktop Google Chrome browser, version 102 or newer, outside of an existing Google Chrome profile, Guest profile, or the profile creation flow. For more, see Learn more about Google Chrome profiles.
• The pop-up started appearing for Google at IU users in late May and early June of 2022, when Google Chrome version 102 was released. (The pop-up also may appear in other Chromium-based browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Opera.)
• According to Google's information about the update:

  Chrome 102 brings better separation between personal and enterprise-managed data. When the user signs into a managed account, they will have the option to either keep existing browsing data separate, or merge it with the managed account. By default, the data is kept separate, so a new profile will be created. Or, if they choose, they can merge the existing profile into the managed account. This prevents inadvertent sharing of personal data with work accounts. The ManagedAccountsSigninRestriction policy can be used to hide the checkbox altogether, allowing admins to force users to create a separate work profile.

• IU did not change Google at IU policies or configurations; Google, not IU, made this language change.
• The pop-up tries to make it clearer to you (as the user) that you are using Google Chrome via a Google account managed by Indiana University, and gives you the option to create a new profile for your Google at IU account to avoid merging bookmarks, history, and passwords.

Google at IU and your Chrome data

• Indiana University does not manage your Chrome usage in any way.
• Indiana University does not view or manage your bookmarks, browsing history, passwords, or any other information stored in your Chrome profile.
• The only information Indiana University receives when you sign in to a Chrome profile is your email address, your operating system (OS), OS version, and the date/time you first and last synced the profile. This information is not monitored.
• The only management control Indiana University has is the ability to sign you out of the profile on that specific device; this is used only in the event of a security breach (such as a lost or stolen device).
• If you choose to sync your profile (turn sync on), you will have the same bookmarks, history, and passwords available to you when you sign in to Chrome on any device. (Keep in mind that data is accessible to anyone who may log in as you.)
• This is one of many reasons why using a strong password and Two-Step Login (Duo) is critical to protecting your privacy.
• To learn more about the policies that govern the university's access to your data, see Privacy policies at Indiana University.