Urban VPN Proxy Accused of Harvesting AI Chat Conversations
The browser extension Urban VPN Proxy has been reportedly collecting users’ AI chat conversations
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Background for this topic.
Browser extensions are small software add-ons that enhance or modify web browser functionality, such as blocking ads, managing passwords, or customizing page content. They operate within the browser environment and often require explicit permissions to access user data, browsing activity, or webpage content. Extensions are typically installed from official browser stores or third-party sources.
From a security perspective, extensions can pose risks if granted excessive permissions or sourced from untrusted developers. Malicious or compromised extensions may intercept sensitive information, inject harmful scripts into web pages, or enable tracking beyond normal browser capabilities. Security practitioners should carefully evaluate extension permissions, restrict installations to trusted sources, and ensure timely updates to mitigate risks related to data leakage, unauthorized access, or persistent browser compromise.
The browser extension Urban VPN Proxy has been reportedly collecting users’ AI chat conversations
Urban VPN Proxy, which claims to protect users' privacy, collects data from conversations with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and other AI assistants.
A Google Chrome extension with a "Featured" badge and six million users has been observed silently gathering every prompt entered by users into artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots like OpenAI ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek, Google Gemini, xAI Grok, Meta AI, and Perplexity
In early December 2025, security researchers exposed a cybercrime campaign that had quietly hijacked popular Chrome and Edge browser extensions on a massive scale