Is Earth safe?

Q: Is Earth safe?

Earth is high risk. Installing this extension replaces your default search engine with earthapp.net. Address-bar searches relay to Yahoo with a tracking parameter, confirmed via a canary query. The listing, framed as maps-and-wallpaper, doesn't disclose it.

High risk

Earth replaces your default search engine, routing every address-bar query and keystroke to earthapp.net.

Although Earth presents itself as a maps and wallpaper popup, its manifest sets earthapp.net as the default search provider. Every search you type in the address bar is sent to https://earthapp.net/admin/public/link with your raw query, and each keystroke triggers an autosuggest request to the same domain. The service worker also writes a long-lived 'selectedMap' cookie scoped to earthapp.net, giving those pages a persistent identifier to tie search traffic to your extension state.

Earthv1.0.0.1Chrome Web Store

75Risk

AI-generated. Findings may contain errors. Those marked Verified have been manually reviewed.

Publishers can request a review.

Findings

SeverityHIGH

ClassUNWANTED

TypeUnexpected

CWECWE-359

SourceAI SANDBOX

Search Engine Replaced: Every Query Routed Through earthapp.net to Yahoo

Installing this extension replaces your default search engine with earthapp.net.

Address-bar searches relay to Yahoo with a tracking parameter, confirmed via a canary query.

The listing, framed as maps-and-wallpaper, doesn't disclose it.

01EvidenceCAUSE EFFECT

What actually happens

You did this

You install the extension and type any search into the address bar.

The extension did this

Your query is sent to earthapp.net, which forwards it to Yahoo Search with tracking parameters attached.

The browser applies the search provider override from the extension manifest on install. Every subsequent address-bar query and partial-keystroke autosuggest request goes to earthapp.net before reaching any search engine.

02EvidenceNETWORK CAPTURE

Captured request

GEThttps://earthapp.net/admin/public/link?q=<planted-marker>

HTTP 302 redirect to https://uk.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?hspart=infospace&hsimp=yhs-earth&type=ud-c-gb--s-p-t4vs5676--exp-none--subid-none&param1=w16osb6ce37jfwlt8etw213s&p=<planted-marker>, query string preserved in Yahoo's p= parameter.

03EvidenceCODE COMPARE

The code that does this

The manifest declaration that triggers the search override on install.

What it actually does

Show shipped source

// From manifest.json — no runtime code needed.
// Chrome applies this on install, replacing the user's current default search engine.
// search_url: where each submitted query goes (q= parameter carries the search terms)
// suggest_url: where partial keystrokes go as you type (real-time autosuggest)
// is_default: true  ← forces this as the browser default, not an optional secondary engine

04EvidenceTHIRD PARTY LIST

Where search queries are sent:

earthapp.net
Receives every address-bar search and autosuggest keystroke, then redirects to Yahoo Search with affiliate tracking parameters (hspart=infospace, hsimp=yhs-earth).
uk.search.yahoo.com
Final search results destination. Receives the forwarded query with earthapp.net attribution parameters. Yahoo is the underlying search provider in this redirect chain.

05EvidenceARTIFACT

Check if you're affected

Checks whether the Earth extension has replaced your default search engine by inspecting the Chrome Preferences file.

RequiresmacOS or LinuxChrome closed before running

check-earth-search-override.sh · sh

#!/bin/sh
# check-earth-search-override.sh
# Checks Chrome's Preferences file for the earthapp.net search provider override.
# Run from any shell. Chrome must be closed or the file may be locked.

PREFS="$HOME/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Preferences"

# Linux path
if [ ! -f "$PREFS" ]; then
  PREFS="$HOME/.config/google-chrome/Default/Preferences"
fi

if [ ! -f "$PREFS" ]; then
  echo "Chrome Preferences file not found. Chrome may not be installed or path differs."
  exit 1
fi

if grep -q 'earthapp.net' "$PREFS"; then
  echo "FOUND: earthapp.net appears in Chrome Preferences — search override is active."
  grep -o '"search_url":"[^"]*earthapp[^"]*"' "$PREFS" | head -5
else
  echo "NOT FOUND: earthapp.net is not set as a search provider in this Chrome profile."
fi

How to run it

1
Close Chrome.
2
Run: sh check-earth-search-override.sh.
3
FOUND = the override is active; NOT FOUND = already removed or Chrome path differs.

Data recipients

earthapp.net