Featured Chrome Extension Caught Harvesting AI Chat Data
A recent revelation has exposed a popular Google Chrome extension, Urban VPN Proxy, as a silent collector of sensitive AI chat data from millions of users. With over six million installations, this extension, which claims to provide secure VPN access, has been found to intercept and gather prompts and responses from various AI chatbots, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. This alarming breach of user trust highlights the potential risks associated with seemingly benign browser extensions.
The extension’s privacy policy, updated in July 2025, attempts to justify this data collection as a means to enhance user experience and improve marketing analytics. However, the reality is that users who installed Urban VPN for its intended purpose are unknowingly sharing their private conversations with remote servers. This situation raises critical questions about the transparency of browser extensions and the ethical implications of data harvesting in the age of AI.
As users increasingly turn to AI chatbots for personal advice and emotional support, it is crucial to remain vigilant about the tools we use. Are we sacrificing our privacy for convenience?
Original source: https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/featured-chrome-browser-extension.html