Maxthon, a Chromium-based browser, got caught doing the exact thing you would fear a browser might do. Security researchers found it was quietly collecting people's browsing history, searches, and even the list of apps on their computer, then sending it all to a server in Beijing. Worse, it did this even for users who had switched the data collection off.
That catch happened back in 2016, and Maxthon says it fixed the bug. But it's worth pulling that story back up, because the same browser is still handed out in 2026 as a privacy tool. Its homepage now sells "Anti-tracking," "Anti-IP tracking," and "Data cleaning." A browser that was once caught sending your data to a server in Beijing now markets itself on protecting it. So should anyone install Maxthon today? Here's what the evidence really shows.
What the researchers found
In July 2016, two security firms, Fidelis Cybersecurity in the US and Exatel in Poland, reported that Maxthon was regularly uploading a file named ueipdata.zip to a server in China. Inside sat your operating system, your processor, whether you ran an ad blocker, your home page, the websites you visited, your searches, and every app installed with its version number.
Two things made it bad. The data went out over plain HTTP, so anyone on the same network could grab it in transit. And the researchers said it kept sending the sensitive stuff even when you opted out of the program that was supposed to control it. Fidelis security chief Justin Harvey wrote that the haul was close to everything an attacker would want to plan a break-in.
Maxthon called it a bug and said it fixed the problem once it was told. But Exatel said it warned the company and got no reply, and even the newest version it tested at the time was still sending the file. Take the "we fixed it" line for what it is, the company's own word, with no outside audit to back it up.
Exatel technical advisory, Maxthon data-to-Beijing report, Maxthon's response
It's not malware or a scam
Search around and you'll see Maxthon called spyware or a virus. Most of that does not hold up, and it's only fair to say so. A scan of the Maxthon Windows installer on the download site LO4D came back clean, flagged by zero of 24 antivirus tools, including big names like ESET and Malwarebytes. None of them called it malware.
Those "virus" and "unwanted program" labels you'll find come from removal-guide websites, while the antivirus scan itself shows no detections. And the wilder rumors fall apart under a closer look. No reliable evidence backs the botnet or financial-scam labels. Calling Maxthon those things would be making stuff up. The real problem is narrower, and better documented, than the rumors.
Maxthon antivirus scan results, a removal-guide "virus" page
What Maxthon collects today
Here's the part that still matters. Maxthon's own privacy policy says its default search engine, MaxAsk, collects your search queries, your IP address, and your browser details, and runs searches through Google. Its Smart Address Bar, on by default, stores your search and browsing history. The company says that history is encrypted, but it never says how.
Your data can also travel wherever the company keeps its servers. In its own words, your information "might end up on one of those computers in another country," and by handing it over "you consent to this kind of transfer." The same document brags that in 10 years "there has NEVER been one privacy leak incident, not once." The 2016 finding sits awkwardly next to that boast.
Maxthon privacy policy, Maxthon anti-tracking marketing
Small browser, big red flags
Maxthon is a small browser with Chinese roots, built by founder Jeff Chen. Today the company runs offices in the US, Hong Kong, and Beijing. In 2020 it claimed to be the default browser for over 670 million users, but that's its own figure, and today it does not even appear on StatCounter's main browser chart. On Reddit, a 2025 r/browsers thread asked whether Maxthon still sends sensitive data to China.
Then there's the tell that sums it up. Open the "About us" menu on Maxthon's site right now and the heading over its User Terms and Privacy Policy is misspelled "Leagal." A browser asking you to trust it with your passwords and your whole browsing life cannot spell "Legal" on its own legal menu.
So, should you install it? No. Not because it's a virus or a scam, but because better-known browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Brave give you privacy controls and data-cleaning tools without Maxthon's documented 2016 history of shipping user data to Beijing. Skip it.
Maxthon office locations, Maxthon 670 million user claim, StatCounter browser share
