The browser that spies on you all day
25 Jun 2026 · 2 min read · Comments
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The world's most popular browser is built by the world's largest advertising company. Every site you visit in it, every search you run through it, every tab you open — this is data the browser was designed to collect.
This isn't a conspiracy theory. It's the business model, stated openly. The browser most people use by default is free because the company that makes it earns more than enough from the data it learns about you — your interests, your habits, your searches, the sites you visit most.
The product you're using and the product you are are the same thing. You get a fast, well-supported browser. They get a detailed behavioural profile that funds one of the most profitable advertising systems ever built.
What the browser collects by default
None of this is hidden. It's in the privacy policy. The problem is that the privacy policy is forty pages long and the browser defaults to all of this being on. Most people never change it.
A browser built for the other side of this
Brave is built on the same underlying engine but ships with the opposite defaults. Ads and trackers are blocked before the page loads. Your browsing history doesn't leave your device. Search suggestions don't phone home. There is no account to sync to an advertising profile.
- Ad and tracker blocking built in — no extension needed
- Pages load faster without tracking scripts making dozens of additional requests
- No telemetry, no profile, no sync to an ad network
- Same extensions, same sites, nothing breaks
The switch takes about two minutes. Your bookmarks import automatically. You use the web exactly the same way — you just stop being the product while you do it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Brave really more private than Chrome?+
Yes. Brave blocks third-party ads and trackers by default, without extensions. Chrome's business model depends on targeted advertising, so tracking protection is limited. Independent audits confirm Brave makes significantly fewer third-party data requests per page.
What does incognito mode actually do?+
Incognito mode prevents your browser from saving your history, cookies, and form data locally. It does not hide your activity from your ISP, employer network, or the websites you visit — all of whom can still see every page you load.
Which browser is fastest?+
Brave consistently scores at or near the top of independent browser speed benchmarks, partly because blocking ads and trackers reduces the number of network requests per page load. Chrome and Edge are close behind in raw JavaScript performance.
