Browsers
Iridium privacy rating
Chromium fork that disables or makes opt-in the transmission of queries, keywords and metrics to Google and other services. Distributed as source code tarballs only.
Summary
Iridium scores 45 out of 100 (grade D) on the browsers criteria. It meets 3 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales. It partly meets no calls to big-tech services. It does not meet independent audit, blocks trackers by default, fingerprinting protection and timely security updates. It is based in Germany: Fourteen Eyes member; EU member (GDPR).
Score 45 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
-
Yes
Open source Weight 3 of 3
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
Uses the same open-source licenses as Chromium. Source is published as tarballs and in a Git repository.
-
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?
Metrics and partial queries are only sent with the user's approval.
-
Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
No ads in the browser and no data sales.
-
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.
-
No
Blocks trackers by default Weight 3 of 3
Are third-party trackers blocked by default, without installing extensions?
No built-in tracker blocking.
-
No
Fingerprinting protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser defend against fingerprinting by default?
No fingerprinting protection beyond Chromium defaults.
-
Partial
No calls to big-tech services Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser work without background connections to Google, Microsoft or Apple services?
Google Safe Browsing is on by default and contacts Google servers, but can be turned off. Google sign-in and sync are not available.
-
No
Timely security updates Weight 3 of 3
Are security fixes from the upstream engine shipped quickly and automatically?
Only source tarballs are published, with no automatic updates, and releases trail current Chromium by several weeks.