Browser based tools...trustworthy or not?

[Ethiopia]

RenderHub has released these for free.
https://www.renderhub.com/forum/15088/introducing-the-renderhub-3d-toolbox-11-free-tools-for-3d-artists
They say that they're browser based. Does that mean that it's possible for them to see what you're working on when you use them?

Further on that, their 'Mad Librarian'...
( https://www.renderhub.com/forum/15076/mad-librarian-every-daz-product-you-own-in-one-window-updates-and-support )
also requires a monthly online check. I don't trust either of these and together they make me suspicious. Not to the point of thinking about ridiculous conspiracies, just suspicious.

[Grouchy Old Fart]

Web-based anything is visible to the owners, full-stop. I mean, some things you have to trust - Proton VPN (they don't keep logs and the paid version is real fast), your Internet provider, things like that. Anything else and it's VPN + separate browser + pseudonyms for, and I'm very picky about what I do w/ that browser.

Think of it this way - at work, I use a wide variety of SaaS products (which is what that first thing is), and most of them have the ability for their support people to impersonate you for troubleshooting purposes - they can see what you see, and do what you do on that service. However, those pro-level products are bound by NDAs and SLAs, and their very existence as a company depends on discretion and confidentiality. By contrast, that fly-by-night 3d artist tool thing is under no such restriction, and they likely even have a user agreement that says they can see and do whatever they want with any data you upload to it. For all we know it's an LLM feeder.

The other one, meh. It's like Poser's online-checking all over again - irritating, and it could break at any time.

[Ethiopia]

Thanks @pooper, That's an excellent and in depth look that mirror's my first thought. After the great fiasco several months ago they banned so many artists and their items without mentioning why at first, and never really coming clean about it, I don't trust them.

[jorgen74]

@Ethiopia:
The browser based tools require you to upload (drag-drop) the model you want to use, so sure, you actually upload it to their server. The Browser UI is just a client that interacts with the server on their end to perform various actions on the model, then the server updates your browser UI. They don't just 'see' what you're working on, they actually 'have' it.

The 'Mad Librarian' looks like a Postgre database client. A really good idea, if it works as intended. These days, odds are good there was some 'vibe coding' involved somewhere along the line, so probably 'Claude' or it's ilk had a hand in this, which is cool, if it works...

[Ethiopia]

A thought about anything 'browser based' is that they now have the ability to use mine/your models and work for training AI or even selling it for AI training. Isn't that what Adobe was doing before they where caught?

[Keab]

Hello everyone. Like pooper says, I do not trust anything web based, especially when dealing with some not-so-legitimately acquired assets. Not even my ISP (but I just can't renounce to one of them). Trustworthyness issues aside, the more we depend on those services, the more power they have over us and, sooner or later, the more everything enshittifies as shareholders keep pushing unrealistically for an ever increasing quarterly bottom line.

Best regards,

[Author]

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