# 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+.

- Website: https://search.brave.com
- Source code: https://github.com/brave/brave-browser
- License: MPL-2.0
- Jurisdiction: United States. Five Eyes member. Subject to the US CLOUD Act.
- Home page trackers: none found
- Category: [Search engines](https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/)
- Also rated: [Brave Browser](https://privacyratings.com/browsers/brave-browser/) (Browsers), [Brave Talk](https://privacyratings.com/video-calls/brave-talk/) (Video calls), [Brave Leo](https://privacyratings.com/ai-assistants/brave-leo/) (AI assistants)
- Grade: D (55/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Partial | The Brave browser is open source. The search engine itself is not. | https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/blob/master/LICENSE |
| No trackers or telemetry | Partial | No third-party trackers; anonymous usage metrics are on by default and can be turned off in settings. | https://search.brave.com/help/usage-metrics |
| No ads or data sales | Partial | Free search shows ads that are measured without personal data; an ad-free paid tier is available. | https://search.brave.com/help/privacy-policy |
| Independent audit | No | No independent audit is published. |  |
| Transparency report | No | No transparency report or government request policy is published. |  |
| Tells users about requests | No | No published policy on notifying users about data requests. |  |
| TLS configuration | Yes | Grade A+ | https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=search.brave.com&hideResults=on |
| Security headers | Not tested yet | Not tested yet. |  |
| Modern web standards | Not tested yet | Not tested yet. |  |
| No search history logs | Yes | Queries are stored de-identified, and IP addresses are deleted within seconds after bot checks. | https://search.brave.com/help/privacy-policy |
| No profile-based ads | Yes | Ads are not based on personal data or a profile. | https://search.brave.com/help/privacy-policy |
| No account needed | Partial | Search works without an account; the ad-free Search Premium tier needs a Brave account. | https://search.brave.com/help/premium |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/brave-search/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/search-engines/brave-search.md