The fact that some entries display the website icon next to the entry in the vault is one of the little features in Bitwarden that you may not even particularly notice. While this may seem like a totally innocuous feature, it does actually have a minor privacy implication.
To display these site icons, Bitwarden first checks that each entry in your vault has a URL that actually looks like a website (e.g., technipages.com). Entries that don’t have a URL or have a URL that doesn’t look like a website are skipped. For those entries that aren’t skipped, a request is made to https://icons.bitwarden.net that includes the website name (e.g., https://icons.bitwarden.net/technipages.com/icon.png). The problem here is that this request can be logged.
By default, as your entire vault is encrypted and your master password is hashed, Bitwarden has no way to determine anything about the content within your vault other than the amount of data stored. Because you’re requesting a Bitwarden server with a website URL, however, it would be possible for Bitwarden to track which websites you make icon requests for and from that determine at least some of the websites for which you have account details saved in your vault.
Bitwarden also runs caching servers via Cloudflare’s Content Delivery Network. Neither service logs this data, but you have to take Bitwarden at its word or review the open-source software to verify this.
If this potential privacy issue concerns you, you can choose to disable the website icons entirely. Doing so will not negatively impact you. or your password manager.
How to Disable Website Icons in the Bitwarden Browser Extension
To disable website icons in the Bitwarden browser extension, you first need to open the extension pane by clicking on the Bitwarden extension icon. Next, switch to the “Settings” tab, then scroll to the bottom and click “Options.”
Scroll to the bottom of the options list, then tick the “Disable website icons” checkbox. The change will instantly apply.
How to Disable Website Icons in the Bitwarden Web Vault
In the Bitwarden web vault, switch to the “Settings” tab, then click on “Options” in the left column. In the options, tick the checkbox labeled “Disable website icons,” then click “Save” to apply the change.
Website icons are a minor feature that is generally innocuous but actually cause a minor privacy issue. By following the steps in this guide, you can disable website icons.
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