Inside Comet: Why Perplexity’s AI Browser Is a Privacy Nightmare

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The Rise of “AI Browsers” — and the Death of Common Sense

Would you pay $2,400 a year for a web browser that spies on you?

That’s not satire — it’s essentially what Perplexity AI is offering with its new “AI browser,” called Comet. What started as a free and open web experience is being transformed into a paid surveillance model, disguised as innovation.

The premise sounds like a bad joke:

“Pay us $200 a month for the privilege of being monitored — and we’ll sell your data, too.”

🚨 Perplexity’s “Comet”: Clownware, Not Innovation

Perplexity recently launched Comet, an “AI-powered browser” designed to integrate artificial intelligence directly into your browsing experience. But beneath the marketing buzzwords lies a darker truth.

In a podcast, Perplexity’s CEO openly admitted:

“We’re able to know what users are doing inside of Perplexity... that was the key reason to build Comet.”

That’s not innovation — that’s surveillance capitalism, rebranded for the AI era.

Essentially, users pay premium prices for Chrome-style data mining. Unlike Google Chrome or Meta’s free tools (which already profit from your data), Perplexity charges a subscription on top of selling your behavior. You’re the product — and now you’re paying to be one.

🕵️‍♂️ Damage Control, Empty Privacy Promises

After the backlash, Perplexity claimed its CEO’s comments were “taken out of context” and rushed to introduce so-called “privacy controls.”

But their own Terms of Service tell a different story:

  • “We may monitor your use to ensure quality.” → They track everything you do.
  • “We may modify these terms at any time.” → They can change the rules whenever they want.
  • “Provisions that should survive, will survive.” → They keep your data even after you leave.

In other words, “privacy mode” is just a PR stunt — a digital pillow in a torture chamber.

💡 The Real Agenda: Surveillance Capitalism 2.0

The tech industry has found a new way to monetize you.

AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Perplexity all offer eerily similar $200/month “pro” subscriptions. These plans promise smarter assistants, but the real goal is data capture at scale.

This timing is no coincidence. With Google facing antitrust action over Chrome’s browser dominance, companies are scrambling to position their own “AI browsers” as the next big data funnel. Whoever controls your browser — controls your digital life.

A browser is the most powerful surveillance device ever built. Every search, click, and purchase passes through it. Controlling it means controlling the flow of data — and therefore, the revenue.

🧠 The Free, Private Alternative: Brave + Ollama

Here’s the good news: you don’t need to buy into this surveillance model.

You can create your own AI-powered, privacy-first browser today using two open-source tools:

  1. Brave Browser — a secure, ad-blocking browser that supports local AI.
  2. Ollama — a free app that runs AI models locally on your computer.

Using these together, you can run lightweight models like Qwen, connect them to Brave via the “Bring Your Own Model” feature, and enjoy fast, private AI without sending a single byte of data to corporate servers.

No subscriptions. No trackers. No middlemen. Even old hardware can handle it.

It’s proof that AI doesn’t require surveillance — it just requires intention.

🧭 Voting With Your Dollars

Every time someone subscribes to a surveillance-based product, they’re casting a vote — for a future where privacy becomes a luxury and convenience becomes control.

These companies are betting that people will trade autonomy for comfort. That they’ll pay for the privilege of being watched. But the open-source community is proving there’s another path — one that puts users, not corporations, in control.

“When you pick surveillance software over private alternatives, you’re voting for a future where your life becomes a product on someone else’s balance sheet.”

You have the power to vote differently. Support open-source projects. Choose privacy-first tools. Refuse to fund your own exploitation.

🔒 The Takeaway

  • Comet and other “AI browsers” are paid spyware in disguise.
  • Open-source tools like Brave + Ollama deliver private AI for free.
  • Privacy isn’t gone — it’s just being sold back to you.

If there’s one lesson here, it’s this: Stop paying to be spied on. Build and support the web that serves you, not the one that surveils you.

Last updated 2025-10-15 10:11:41.896187 IST

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