Search engines
Brave Search privacy rating
Search engine from Brave Software built on its own independent web index, designed not to store searches with identifiers or build user profiles.
Summary
Brave Search scores 55 out of 100 (grade D) on the search engines criteria. It meets 3 of 10 criteria: TLS configuration, no search history logs and no profile-based ads. It partly meets open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and no account needed. It does not meet independent audit, transparency report and tells users about requests. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act. Automated tests: SSL Labs grade A+.
Score 55 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
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Partial
Open source Weight 3 of 3
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
The Brave browser is open source. The search engine itself is not.
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Partial
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 third-party trackers; anonymous usage metrics are on by default and can be turned off in settings.
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Partial
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Free search shows ads that are measured without personal data; an ad-free paid tier is available.
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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
Transparency report Weight 2 of 3
Does the provider regularly publish how many government and legal requests it receives and how it responds?
No transparency report or government request policy is published.
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No
Tells users about requests Weight 1 of 3
Does the provider promise to tell users about requests for their data, unless a court forbids it?
No published policy on notifying users about data requests.
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Yes
No search history logs Weight 3 of 3
Are searches stored without IP addresses or other identifiers?
Queries are stored de-identified, and IP addresses are deleted within seconds after bot checks.
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Yes
No profile-based ads Weight 2 of 3
Are ads (if any) based only on the current search, not a profile?
Ads are not based on personal data or a profile.
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Partial
No account needed Weight 1 of 3
Can every feature be used without an account?
Search works without an account; the ad-free Search Premium tier needs a Brave account.
Automated tests
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Yes
TLS configuration Weight 2 of 3
Does the website pass the Qualys SSL Labs test with a grade of A or better?
Grade A+
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Not tested yet
Security headers Weight 1 of 3
Does the website pass the Mozilla HTTP Observatory test with a grade of A or better?
Not tested yet.
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Not tested yet
Modern web standards Weight 1 of 3
Does the website score 90% or higher on the Internet.nl website test?
Not tested yet.