Free VPN in Chrome Collected AI Conversations

Israeli firm Koi found data collection via a Chrome extension.

Israeli security firm Koi uncovered a large-scale data collection operation through a free extension for the Google Chrome browser.

The VPN service Urban VPN Proxy had about six million users at the time of the investigation and even bore a “recommended” badge in the Chrome Web Store.

However, in addition to providing the standard service of creating an encrypted connection between a device and the internet, the extension collected data from conversations with leading AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Grok.

According to expert Idan Dardikman, the service sought to obtain any information, including “medical queries, financial details, proprietary code, personal dilemmas.”

Urban VPN Proxy collected data independently of the VPN’s operation—in real time. The script was enabled by default, meaning it started working as soon as the application was loaded.

Moreover, there was no button to disable the feature. The only way to stop the data collection was to remove the extension.

As of December 19, Urban VPN Proxy has been removed from the Google app store.

The company behind Urban VPN Proxy, Urban Cyber Security, did not hide the fact of data collection—this is stated in the privacy policy:

“We pass browsing data to our affiliated company, a data broker called BiScience, which uses it to create analytical reports for further commercial use and sharing with business partners.”

At the same time, the Urban VPN Proxy page in the Chrome Web Store claimed that “user data is not sold to third parties, except for approved use cases.” They also allegedly “were not used for purposes unrelated to the core functionality of the product.”

Other Products by Urban Cyber Security

Forbes found seven more applications from the same publisher with over two million users. Each has an identical data collection function using AI. Six of them are marked as “recommended” by Google.

Dardikman recommends removing extensions from the Chrome Web Store:

• 1ClickVPN Proxy;
• Urban Browser Guard;
• Urban Ad Blocker.

In Microsoft Edge Add-ons:

• Urban VPN Proxy;
• 1ClickVPN Proxy;
• Urban Browser Guard;
• Urban Ad Blocker.

If a user has at least one of these applications installed, all their conversations since July 2025 have been recorded and passed on to third parties, the expert noted.

Dardikman also recommended cultivating the habit of reading user agreements to detect such data collection permissions.

Back in November, security experts discovered a hacker extension for the Google Chrome browser called Crypto Copilot, which charges hidden fees during cryptocurrency trading.