What your browser knows about you, from contacts to card numbers

Chrome and Safari are the most popular browser apps, accounting for 90% of the mobile browsers market share, according to Surfshark. They also collect the most data.

browser data collection

Chrome: the most data-hungry browser (Source: Surfshark)

The most data-hungry browsers

Chrome collects 20 different types of data, including contact information, financial details, location, browsing and search history, user content, identifiers, usage data, diagnostics, and more. It is also the only browser app that collects financial information, such as payment methods, card numbers, or bank account details, as well as the user’s contact list from their phone, address book, or social connections.

Bing ranks second and collects 12 types of data. Most other browser apps collect six types or fewer.

Moderate data collection

DuckDuckGo and Firefox avoid the most sensitive data collection practices, collecting only contact information (such as name and email address), identifiers (like user ID), usage data, and diagnostics.

Minimal data collection

Brave and TOR are the most privacy-focused browser apps. Brave collects only identifiers and usage data, while TOR does not collect any data at all.

Location information

Safari, Chrome, Bing, and Opera collect users’ location data, but Bing is the only one that gathers precise location information. 60% of apps do not collect location data, suggesting that a browser app can function without needing to access a user’s location.

Third-party advertising

Opera, Bing, and Pi Browser collect data specifically for third-party advertising purposes, such as displaying ads within the app or sharing data with advertising partners.

Data collection for tracking purposes

Pi Browser, Edge, and Bing also collect data that can be used to track users. Alarmingly, this information could be sold to data brokers or used to serve targeted ads. Pi Browser collects five such data types: browsing history, search history, device ID, product interaction, and advertisement data. Meanwhile, Edge collects data generated by the user during a customer support request, while Bing collects user ID.

“It’s important to differentiate between data collected automatically and data users provide voluntarily. For example, browsers like Chrome collect some data by default, while users may choose to save financial details for convenience. In the context of data collection, it’s crucial to recognize that much of the data gathered when using Chrome is also due to Google services, such as Google Search, Gmail, and Google Maps. These services are deeply integrated with Chrome and also collect user data,” Surfshark explained.

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