A month after a US court ruled that Google illegally dominates the search engine space, a new report is adding fuel to the fire — this time, pointing fingers at Google Chrome for being the most data-hungry browser out there. While the court is still deciding whether Google should give rivals access to its search data or sell off Chrome entirely, a cybersecurity firm has dropped a bombshell that might sway opinions fast.
Chrome is basically a data magnet
According to cybersecurity firm Surfshark, Google Chrome isn’t just a browser — it’s a full-blown data collection machine. In fact, it collects more user data than any other browser on the market. We’re talking everything from your contacts and financial details to your exact location, browsing habits, photos, videos, audio recordings, and even your IP address.
The kicker? A lot of this data doesn’t just stay in Chrome. It gets piped into other Google services like Search, Gmail, and Maps — all of which are tightly integrated with the browser. So every click, search, or map pin you drop could be feeding into Google’s ecosystem.
Tomas Stamulis, Surfshark’s chief security officer, put it bluntly: the more data you give, the "smoother" your experience — but also the bigger the privacy trade-off. “Our study is a reminder to check your browser permissions,” he said.
Where Chrome stands against the rest
In Surfshark’s ranking of the top 10 most-used browsers, Chrome topped the list in data collection — pulling from 20 different kinds of personal information. That’s more than three times the average of the other nine browsers, which only pulled from around six categories.
Coming in second was Microsoft’s Bing app, which collects 12 kinds of data. Meanwhile, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, we’ve got Tor — a browser built for anonymity and secure browsing — that collects virtually nothing.
Other privacy-forward browsers like Brave keep data collection to a bare minimum (just two categories), while DuckDuckGo and Firefox strike a middle ground: not totally private, but not invasive either.
Safari gives Chrome competition — in a good way
While Chrome still dominates globally with nearly 70% market share, the situation looks different in countries where iPhones rule. In the US, for instance, Apple’s Safari makes up 50% of mobile browsing. And Safari, which came in fourth in Surfshark’s ranking, is significantly better at protecting user data.
So if you’ve ever thought your browser was watching your every move — well, if you’re using Chrome, you might be right. Surfshark’s report is a timely reminder to double-check your browser settings and think twice about what you’re really giving away.
