Browsers
Falkon privacy rating
KDE web browser built on QtWebEngine, with a built-in ad blocker, session management, and integration with the Plasma desktop.
Summary
Falkon scores 57 out of 100 (grade D) on the browsers criteria. It meets 4 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and no calls to big-tech services. It partly meets blocks trackers by default. It does not meet independent audit, fingerprinting protection and timely security updates.
Score 57 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
- Yes
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Yes
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
No telemetry or analytics in the source code.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Developed by the KDE community and funded by donations. No ads.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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Partial
Blocks trackers by default Weight 3 of 3
Are third-party trackers blocked by default, without installing extensions?
The built-in ad blocker is on by default with EasyList and NoCoin, but tracker lists such as EasyPrivacy must be added by hand.
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No
Fingerprinting protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser defend against fingerprinting by default?
No fingerprinting protection is documented.
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Yes
No calls to big-tech services Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser work without background connections to Google, Microsoft or Apple services?
QtWebEngine has no Google Safe Browsing or other Google services, and no such connections are in the source code.
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No
Timely security updates Weight 3 of 3
Are security fixes from the upstream engine shipped quickly and automatically?
QtWebEngine is based on an older Chromium branch, and backported security fixes arrive with Qt releases, often weeks after Chrome.