Browsers
SeaMonkey privacy rating
Internet suite with a browser, mail and news client, IRC chat and HTML editor, continuing the Mozilla Application Suite. Built on an older Mozilla platform with backported fixes.
Summary
SeaMonkey 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
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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 analytics. Crash reports are only sent when the user chooses to.
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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?
No ads. Supported by donations to the SeaMonkey association.
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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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No
Blocks trackers by default Weight 3 of 3
Are third-party trackers blocked by default, without installing extensions?
Third-party trackers are not blocked by default.
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No
Fingerprinting protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser defend against fingerprinting by default?
No fingerprinting protection is enabled by default.
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Partial
No calls to big-tech services Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser work without background connections to Google, Microsoft or Apple services?
Uses Google Geolocation when a site requests location, which can be turned off.
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No
Timely security updates Weight 3 of 3
Are security fixes from the upstream engine shipped quickly and automatically?
Releases on the older 2.53 platform come every few months with backported fixes, so security fixes lag upstream by weeks or more.