Cliqz

Cliqz

Cliqz browser start page
Developer(s) Cliqz GmbH
Initial release 2015 (2015)
Written in C, C++, JavaScript, XML User Interface Language, XML Binding Language, Rust[1]
Operating system Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, RISC OS, Android, iOS
License MPL/GPL/LGPL
Website www.cliqz.com

Cliqz is a web browser developed by Cliqz GmbH. It is a fork of the Firefox web browser with privacy-oriented changes, among which are a crowdsourced anti-tracking mechanism, and an in-house search engine embedded within the browser, utilizing its own index of web pages to produce suggestions within the address bar dropdown menu rather than on separate pages. The browser's developers argued that other privacy-focused search engines may still pass the user's IP address to third-party search providers.[2] Cliqz is available as a desktop and mobile web browser, as well as an extension for Firefox itself.[2][3]

Cliqz is majority-owned by Hubert Burda Media. In August 2016, Mozilla, developer of Firefox, made a strategic investment in Cliqz. Cliqz plans to eventually monetize the software through a program known as Cliqz Offers, which will deliver sponsored offers to users based on their interests and browsing history. However, these recommendations will be processed locally based on a remote repository of offers, with no personally identifiable data sent to remote servers.[3]

On 15 February 2017, Cliqz International GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cliqz GmbH, acquired the privacy-oriented browser extension Ghostery.[4][5]

Human Web

The Human Web is the open source and GDPR compliant data collecting mechanism developed by Cliqz GmbH used to gather data about trackers, websites and non-personal usage data.[6]

The Human Web builds the foundation of the built-in search functionality in the Cliqz Browser and the Cliqz (and Ghostery) plugins.

It has been built from the ground up based on privacy by design principles and consists of two core components:

The Human Web data collection framework strips all data points contributed by users that could be used to directly or indirectly identify the user. The Human Web client also filters out non-personal but potentially unsafe data (e.g. the path from a url www.twitter.com/{username}), before being sent to Cliqz, because the aggregation of data over time could be used to identify a single user (see also K-anonymity).[7][6]

The transmission to the Human Web Server is realized via a proxy network. The clients (either the Cliqz Plugin for Firefox or the Cliqz Browser for Desktop or Android) send data sets hourly and at fixed times to the proxy network. The proxies collect data sets from many different users and relay the batches to Cliqz. The IP used for the transmission from the client to the proxy network will not be collected.

This mechanism makes it impossible for Cliqz to aggregate personal user data on the server side, and thus makes it impossible to identify a user immediately or over time by fingerprinting particular user related surf patterns. In case of a security breach (ie. by a hacker) the mechanism guarantees that there are no personal data stored on the proxies or the servers of the Human Web.

Which data are currently sent to Cliqz can be viewed on the "about:transparency" tab of the Cliqz Browser. A complete set of potential data points sent can be viewed on the transparency web page.

The Human Web is now integrated into the anti-tracking tool Ghostery. The participation to contribute data remains voluntary for information about trackers and websites.

References

  1. ↑ Klabnik, Steve (23 February 2016). "Is it true that Mozilla wants to rewrite Firefox in Rust language for security reasons?". Quora. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  2. 1 2 Lomas, Natasha (15 February 2017). "Private search browser Cliqz buys Ghostery ad-tracker tool". TechCrunch. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 Lomas, Natasha (23 August 2016). "Mozilla invests in Germany’s Cliqz, a private search browser". TechCrunch. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  4. ↑ Vincent, James (15 February 2017). "Ghostery has been bought by the developer of a privacy-focused browser". The Verge. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Ghostery Team (15 February 2017). "Ghostery is Acquired by Cliqz! - Ghostery". Ghostery.com. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  6. 1 2 Yu, MacBeth, Modi, Zhonghao, Sam, Konark (April 11–15, 2016). "Tracking the Trackers" (PDF). IW3C2. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  7. ↑ "What is the Human Web and what data is collected through it?". Retrieved 23 February 2017.
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