Key Takeaways:
- A Google Chrome extension, Urban VPN Proxy, with 6 million users, has been found to be silently collecting user data from AI-powered chatbots.
- The extension, which has a 4.7 rating on the Google Chrome Web Store, claims to provide VPN access and protect user identity, but has been updated to collect user prompts, chatbot responses, and other data.
- The collected data is sent to two remote servers and shared with third-party companies, including an ad intelligence and brand monitoring firm.
- The extension’s developer, Urban Cyber Security Inc., has been accused of collecting user browsing history and clickstream data under misleading privacy policy disclosures.
- The findings highlight the potential for abuse of trust in extension marketplaces and the need for users to be cautious when installing extensions.
Introduction to the Issue
A recent discovery has revealed that a popular Google Chrome extension, Urban VPN Proxy, has been secretly collecting user data from AI-powered chatbots. The extension, which has a 4.7 rating on the Google Chrome Web Store and over 6 million users, claims to provide VPN access and protect user identity. However, an investigation has found that the extension has been updated to collect user prompts, chatbot responses, and other data, which is then sent to two remote servers. This data is also shared with third-party companies, including an ad intelligence and brand monitoring firm.
The Extension’s Data Collection Methods
The Urban VPN Proxy extension uses a tailored JavaScript code to intercept and gather conversations from AI chatbots, including OpenAI ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, and Microsoft Copilot. The code overrides the browser APIs used to handle network requests, allowing the extension to capture conversation data, including user prompts and chatbot responses. The collected data includes prompts entered by the user, chatbot responses, conversation identifiers and timestamps, session metadata, and AI platform and model used. This data is then exfiltrated to two remote servers, "analytics.urban-vpn[.]com" and "stats.urban-vpn[.]com".
The Extension’s Updated Privacy Policy
The Urban VPN Proxy extension’s updated privacy policy, as of June 25, 2025, mentions that it collects user data to enhance Safe Browsing and for marketing analytics purposes. The policy states that the extension collects prompts and outputs from AI chat providers, as well as browsing data, which may include sensitive personal information. However, the policy claims that the purpose of this processing is not to collect personal or identifiable data, and that measures are implemented to filter out or eliminate any identifiers or personal data. Despite this, the extension’s developer, Urban Cyber Security Inc., has been accused of collecting user browsing history and clickstream data under misleading privacy policy disclosures.
The Extension’s Developer and Third-Party Involvement
The Urban VPN Proxy extension’s developer, Urban Cyber Security Inc., is a Delaware-based company that has been accused of collecting user browsing history and clickstream data under misleading privacy policy disclosures. The company is also affiliated with an ad intelligence and brand monitoring firm, BIScience, which uses the collected data to create insights that are commercially used and shared with business partners. BIScience has been called out by an anonymous researcher for collecting users’ browsing history and clickstream data under misleading privacy policy disclosures.
Other Extensions with Similar Functionality
Koi Security, the company that discovered the Urban VPN Proxy extension’s data collection, has also found identical AI harvesting functionality in three other unique extensions from the same publisher across Chrome and Microsoft Edge. These extensions, including 1ClickVPN Proxy, Urban Browser Guard, and Urban Ad Blocker, have a total install base of over 8 million users. All of these extensions, with the exception of Urban Ad Blocker for Edge, carry the "Featured" badge, which gives users an impression that they follow the platform’s best practices and meet a high standard of user experience and design.
Implications and Concerns
The findings highlight the potential for abuse of trust in extension marketplaces and the need for users to be cautious when installing extensions. The fact that the Urban VPN Proxy extension has been able to collect sensitive user data without users’ knowledge or consent raises concerns about the security and privacy of user data. The use of "Featured" badges by extension marketplaces can also be misleading, as it implies that the extensions have been reviewed and meet platform quality standards. As users increasingly share deeply personal information with AI chatbots, it is essential to ensure that their data is protected and not exploited by malicious actors.