# Helium privacy rating

Chromium-based desktop browser from imput built on ungoogled-chromium, with uBlock Origin built in, Google services removed and no telemetry.

## Summary

Helium scores 90 out of 100 (grade A) on the browsers criteria. It meets 7 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, blocks trackers by default, fingerprinting protection, no calls to big-tech services and timely security updates. It does not meet independent audit.

- Website: https://helium.computer
- Source code: https://github.com/imputnet/helium
- License: GPL-3.0
- Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
- Home page trackers: Cloudflare Web Analytics (cookieless analytics)
- Category: [Browsers](https://privacyratings.com/browsers/)
- Grade: A (90/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes | GPL-3.0. | https://github.com/imputnet/helium/blob/main/LICENSE |
| No trackers or telemetry | Yes | No third-party trackers. The browser collects no data, and the website's Plausible analytics are cookieless and aggregate-only. | https://helium.computer/ |
| No ads or data sales | Yes | Crowdfunded by users. No browser ads and no data collection. | https://helium.computer/ |
| Independent audit | No | No independent audit is published. |  |
| Blocks trackers by default | Yes | Blocks ads, trackers, cookie banners and third-party cookies by default. | https://helium.computer/ |
| Fingerprinting protection | Yes | Adds noise to certain web APIs by default to resist fingerprinting. | https://helium.computer/ |
| No calls to big-tech services | Yes | All Google service dependencies are removed, and no background requests are made without consent. | https://helium.computer/ |
| Timely security updates | Yes | Releases follow Chromium stable updates within days and install automatically on macOS and Windows. | https://helium.computer/ |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/browsers/helium/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/browsers/helium.md