- Urban VPN Proxy browser extension caught collecting users’ AI chats
- Security researchers estimate that more than 8 million users have been affected
- The incident is a clear reminder that only reputable VPN apps should be used.
The free Urban VPN Proxy Chrome extension has recently made headlines after being caught silently stealing all the AI messages its users enter into its chatbots.
This comes as security researchers at Koi Security analyzed the VPN extension and found a hidden script that captures the full text of each AI message, compresses it, and sends the data to two analytics endpoints owned by Urban VPN to then sell it to a data broker for advertising and profiling purposes.
While this surely comes as a shock to the estimated eight million Urban VPN Proxy users affected on Chrome and Edge, it is certainly not an isolated incident. In fact, quite the opposite: Malicious (often free) VPN apps are so widespread that even Google issued a security alert about this danger in its November fraud warning report. More than an unfortunate event, the case of Urban VPN Proxy is another clear reminder that it is necessary to download only the best VPN applications.
More than 8 million Urban VPN users at risk
Urban VPN Proxy has a hidden module that is activated every time the browser contacts any of the supported AI platforms: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, DeepSeek, xAI Grok and Meta AI.
As Koi researchers discovered, the data collection code was added in their July 9, 2025 update (version 5.5.0), and these activities occur regardless of whether the user is connected to the VPN.
Although the extension advertises an AI Protection feature that warns users about sharing sensitive data, the underlying collection routine runs regardless of that option. This means that disabling the warning does not prevent data from being deleted stealthily.
Once captured, the conversation payload is compressed and transmitted in real time to Analytics.urban-vpn.com and stats.urban-vpn.com, where it is aggregated and subsequently delivered to BiScience, a broker that sells behavioral and browsing data to advertising platforms such as AdClarity and Clickstream OS.
Because the extension updates silently through browsers’ auto-updating mechanism, users receive the invasive code without any notice or consent, effectively turning a privacy-focused tool into a data leak vector.
The scale of the breach is considerable: researchers estimate more than eight million users affected, with six million on Chrome alone and additional installations on related extensions (1ClickVPN Proxy, Urban Browser Guard, Urban Ad Blocker) that incorporate the same harvesting script.
The types of information captured range from mundane queries to highly sensitive content, including medical questions, financial details, proprietary code snippets, and personal dilemmas.
The exposure of such data opens avenues for identity theft, financial fraud, corporate espionage, and the creation of detailed user profiles that can be exploited for targeted advertising, contradicting the privacy guarantees that a VPN is supposed to provide.
The need for reputable VPN
Numerous free VPN extensions have been flagged for spying, bundling adware, or acting as a gateway for malware. TechRadar recently reported on a free VPN extension for Chrome that silently took screenshots of every web page a user visited, effectively turning the browser into a surveillance tool.
Another notorious case involved the “Free Unlimited VPN” extensions, which were removed in May 2025 after years of stealing user data, only to reappear later with even more aggressive behavior.
Aside from a handful of free, secure VPN apps that operate on a freemium basis, the vast majority of free services lack the revenue to fund rigorous security audits and transparent privacy policies. To recover costs, they can monetize user traffic by collecting undisclosed data, excessive permissions, or advertising.
In contrast, reputable VPN providers, like NordVPN, operate under clear privacy commitments, undergo independent audits, and enforce strict no-logging policies. Selecting a verified VPN service ensures that encryption is applied end-to-end rather than simply funneling traffic to a data-selling server farm. By avoiding free, unverified VPN extensions and opting for audited and reputable providers, users can better protect their AI interactions and online privacy.
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