- Surfshark has stopped collecting your malware-related data
- All malware statistics collected will be fully anonymized
- The change follows an investigation by TechRadar
Surfshark just got even more private. As of today, the company has stopped collecting malware-related data from users of its antivirus software.
This change in data retention is a response to a TechRadar investigation that questioned the need for a detailed antivirus “paper trail” linked to users.
A Surfshark spokesperson confirmed to TechRadar that all malware statistics collected will now be fully anonymized. This is a significant privacy win for users of one of the best VPNs on the market.
Article continues below
How TechRadar pushed Surfshark to rethink its antivirus approach
We recently conducted a “Right to Access” test, asking 10 of the most popular VPNs for the data they held on us.
While most vendors failed to meet our expectations, Surfshark excelled by providing a complete PDF report in just a few hours.
However, the increased transparency has revealed a surprising irony. The report was extremely accurate, detailing payment histories, account credentials, and a specific log of malware blocked by Surfshark’s antivirus tool.
The antivirus logs were particularly striking. The data included names of specific malware detected on a user’s machine, the device ID, and the user’s national location at the time of detection.
While this retention is consistent with Surfshark’s existing privacy policy, we questioned whether a centralized database was truly compatible with a privacy-focused model.
When we presented these concerns to Surfshark, the team initially defended this practice as a useful feature for families monitoring multiple devices.
However, within 48 hours, the company changed its position. Surfshark has now committed to removing all personal identifiers from antivirus logs.
Why it matters
Data minimization is the cornerstone of modern privacy regulation and should be a priority for businesses built on digital anonymity.
As large-scale data breaches become more and more common, the best defense is simply not to hold identifiable data.
By removing these logs, Surfshark has raised the bar for the industry, proving that privacy practices should drive policy change. We are pleased that our investigative work can facilitate a tangible improvement in user security.
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
