Key findings:
- AI-powered browsers collect massive amounts of data: They track your browsing history, downloads, search queries, open tabs, and even sensitive information.
- They can use this data to train AI and advertise.: The data collected can help them train artificial intelligence models, create detailed user profiles and drive targeted advertising.
- You can still protect your privacy: Use “no account” modes when available, disable memory features, avoid data training, and avoid sharing sensitive data that you don't want exposed.
Artificial intelligence companies are coming to your browser.
Perplexity launched its browser with artificial intelligenceComet, this July with great fanfare. OpenAI also will soon launch its own AI browser. And Anthropic has already presented browser based agentClaude, in August 2025.
But behind the AI companies' rush to launch browsers, there may be a more serious motive: not user productivity, but user data.
According to a new study led by researchers from UCL, the University of California, Davis and the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria, Web browser assistants pose a serious privacy risk.
The researchers found that these assistants collected and shared sensitive user data, such as Social Security numbers and medical records, without adequate security measures.
Read on to learn about the privacy risks associated with AI-powered browsers and how to protect your data when using them.
What data do AI browsers collect?
After consideration Comet Privacy PolicyWe found that it collects and stores the following data:
- URLs of web pages you visit
- Text, images and other content from these pages.
- Permissions granted to websites (such as access to location data, camera, and microphone)
- Number of open tabs and windows
- Search terms you enter
- Records of files you download from websites
- Cookies stored by websites you visit
In addition, it may collect technical data, including your device's operating system, hardware characteristics, and your IP address.
If an AI browser collected that much data, I'd be worried. What are they doing with all this? What happens if the data is exposed in a data breach?
Perplexity's privacy notice notes that the company may share collected data with potential buyers, new owners or other parties during major business changes.
Perplexity CEO Srinivas has been quoted on reputable media platforms such as TechCrunch And Mashablesaying it aims to create a browser that tracks everything in order to sell hyper-personalized advertising.
This is one of the other reasons we wanted to create a browser: we want to get data even outside of the application, so we can better understand you. We plan to use all the context to create a better user profile and maybe, you know, through our search channel we might show some advertising there.
– Srinivas TBPN Podcast
Perplexity's CEO even made an offer of $34.5 billion. purchasing Google Chrome is a bold move on the company's part is estimated at $18 billion.almost half its target.
Why? The answer may be simple: user data. Chrome commands 63.6% of the global browser market. Imagine the amount of user behavior data that Chrome stores.
Another AI-powered browser, Microsoft, has launched its AI-powered co-pilot mode in the Edge browser, which collects user data to improve its product offerings.
Microsoft Privacy Policy clearly states that it collects your data to operate, update and protect its products, and offers support when needed.
The Company also uses your information to improve services, personalize services, advertise and provide personalized recommendations.
Microsoft is Microsoft, right?
Together, these examples show that AI browsers are more than just tools for browsing websites. They are also extremely effective data collection tools.
Why AI Companies Are Rushing to Ditch AI Browsers
AI companies are racing to launch AI-powered browsers primarily to gain control over user data. This is understandable, since AI companies are running out of training data.
According to The Wall Street Journal, artificial intelligence companies We are looking for alternative sources of user data. For example, OpenAI can use YouTube transcripts to train GPT-5.
AI-powered browsers allow these companies to directly collect data on user behavior, such as search queries, clicks and content consumption habits. They can then use this massive amount of data to train their AI models.
Additionally, AI companies can use behavioral data to create user profiles for targeted advertising. Creating and using AI models costs a lot of money, so it's no surprise that OpenAI remains unprofitable to this day.
As advertising remains one of the most profitable digital business models, AI browsers offer AI companies a strategic way to monetize their technology at scale.
Another reason why AI companies are looking to launch AI browsers is their strategic position in the market. Launching their own AI-powered browsers allows them to diversify their product lines and compete with industry leaders like Google.
However, such deep data comes at a real cost: your privacy. AI-powered browsers can easily become surveillance tools, quietly collecting detailed information about your online activities.
Researchers from UCL, UC Davis and the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria said:
Our results show that GenAI browser assistants collect and share personal and sensitive information for profiling and personalization, highlighting the need for security measures as they increasingly become intermediaries in web browsing.
Protecting your privacy when using artificial intelligence tools
Artificial intelligence tools, be they chatbots or browsers, collect massive amounts of user data to train the large language models on which they are based.
As AI companies reach their limit in data training, the next step in collecting behavioral data is to embed AI training in users' browsers.
For example, Comet Perplexity collects previous searches and stores memories of previous conversations to better answer your questions and provide a “better” experience.
But what if you don't want to train an AI on your data, or better yet, keep your online activities and preferences private as Mother Nature intended?
Here are a few steps you can take to protect your privacy when using AI-enabled browsers:
- Try using the account-free version where possible. This could limit the amount of personal information that AI tools can collect.
- Do not use the “Sign in with” feature of Facebook or Google. Consider using a fake email address to hide your real one. Proton Pass Email Hide Aliases are great for this (even though they are a premium feature).
- Delete your data regularly if the tool allows you to do so in the settings menu. Also, disable the memory function if available (Comet has it).
- Stop training AI when you can. Google allows you control the data Gemini AI has access to on your Android phone.
- Don't tell the AI anything you wouldn't want revealed in a data breach.
Protecting your privacy in the age of artificial intelligence is a big challenge. These AI tools speed up your workflow, research process, and give you a boost in your field, but often at the expense of your data, privacy, and possibly anonymity.
Popular browsers such as Edge already have a reputation for tracking users and creating profiles for targeted advertising. But AI-powered browsers take user tracking a few steps further…much further.
Take proactive steps to protect your privacy when using AI-enabled browsers and other AI tools. – your data should be yours alone and you can never have too much privacy.
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