# Brave Browser privacy rating

Chromium-based browser with built-in ad, tracker and fingerprinting protection through Brave Shields.

## Summary

Brave Browser scores 73 out of 100 (grade C) on the browsers criteria. It meets 4 of 8 criteria: open source, blocks trackers by default, fingerprinting protection and timely security updates. It partly meets no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and no calls to big-tech services. It does not meet independent audit. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.

- Website: https://brave.com
- Source code: https://github.com/brave/brave-browser
- License: MPL-2.0
- Jurisdiction: United States. Five Eyes member. Subject to the US CLOUD Act.
- Home page trackers: none found
- Category: [Browsers](https://privacyratings.com/browsers/)
- Also rated: [Brave Search](https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/brave-search/) (Search engines), [Brave Talk](https://privacyratings.com/video-calls/brave-talk/) (Video calls), [Brave Leo](https://privacyratings.com/ai-assistants/brave-leo/) (AI assistants)
- Grade: C (73/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes | MPL-2.0. | https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/blob/master/LICENSE |
| No trackers or telemetry | Partial | Privacy-Preserving Product Analytics are on by default and can be turned off. No third-party analytics. | https://brave.com/privacy/browser/ |
| No ads or data sales | Partial | Brave Ads, including New Tab Page ads, can appear by default and can be turned off. Ad matching happens on the device. | https://brave.com/privacy/browser/ |
| Independent audit | No | No independent audit is published. |  |
| Blocks trackers by default | Yes | Brave Shields blocks trackers and ads by default. | https://brave.com/shields/ |
| Fingerprinting protection | Yes | Randomizes fingerprinting data by default. | https://brave.com/shields/ |
| No calls to big-tech services | Partial | Google Safe Browsing is proxied on desktop, but on Android requests reach Google directly. It can be turned off. | https://brave.com/privacy/browser/ |
| Timely security updates | Yes | Chromium security fixes ship within days and install automatically. | https://brave.com/latest/ |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/browsers/brave-browser/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/browsers/brave-browser.md