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Is Trusted Browse safe?

Medium risk

Trusted Browse overrides the default search engine and redirects Google and Bing searches to a Yahoo-affiliate proxy.

The extension replaces the default search engine with trustedbrowsesearch.com and adds declarativeNetRequest rules that intercept navigations to Google and Bing search results, redirecting them to the vendor's SERP before those pages load. Every intercepted search query is forwarded to trustedbrowsesearch.com with the affiliate parameter s=pzpr appended. A content script running on trustedbrowsesearch.com signals successful installation back to the vendor by injecting a CSS class into the page.

Martyn Bakerv3.0.4Chrome Web Store
48Risk
Who publishes it

Martyn Baker - no other listings under this identity

What this publisher told the store about itself, and the other listings that told it the same thing.

Publisher
Martyn Baker
Website
www.trustedbrowse.com/contact

AI-generated. Findings may contain errors. Those marked Verified have been manually reviewed.

Publishers can request a review.

Findings

Trusted Browse routes searches through its own search page

MediumunwantedCWE-506Dynamic sandbox

Trusted Browse sets trustedbrowsesearch.com as the default search provider.

What actually happens

You did this

You install Trusted Browse or open a matching Google or Bing search URL.

The redirect rules apply to top-level Google and Bing search-result navigations.

The extension did this

The extension sends the search to trustedbrowsesearch.com instead of leaving it on the original search page.

The target URL includes the searched phrase and the pzpr source parameter.

Fields visible in the vendor search URL

  • Search phrase
    hello

    This reveals what you typed into search when the rule or default provider handles the query.

  • Search page URL
    https://www.trustedbrowsesearch.com/search/?category=web&s=pzpr&vert=private&q=hello

    This shows the destination that receives your search instead of the search page you started from.

  • Source parameter
    s=pzpr

    This attaches the request to a specific extension distribution or affiliate source.

  • Search category
    category=web&vert=private

    This adds context about how the vendor search page should handle the query.

Captured request

GEThttps://www.trustedbrowsesearch.com/search/?category=web&s=pzpr&vert=private&q=hello

Redirect target for a Google search navigation; GET request has no body.

The code that does this

The manifest makes the vendor page the default search provider

Readable version

Search-provider override and enabled redirect rules

manifest.json
{  "chrome_settings_overrides": {    "search_provider": {      "encoding": "UTF-8",      "favicon_url": "https://www.trustedbrowsesearch.com/favicon.ico",      "is_default": true,      "name": "Trusted",      "keyword": "Trusted Browse",      "search_url": "https://www.trustedbrowsesearch.com/search/?category=web&s=pzpr&vert=private&q={searchTerms}",      "suggest_url": "https://sug.trustedbrowsesearch.com/v1/sug/?yid=pzpr&ssv=2&vert=private&q={searchTerms}"    }  },  "declarative_net_request": {    "rule_resources": [      {        "id": "rules",        "enabled": true,        "path": "rules.json"      }    ]  }}

The code that does this

Redirect rules copy Google and Bing search terms into the vendor URL

Readable version

Google and Bing main-frame redirect rules

rules.json
[  {    "id": 1,    "priority": 1,    "action": {      "type": "redirect",      "redirect": {        "regexSubstitution": "https://www.trustedbrowsesearch.com/search/?category=web&s=pzpr&vert=private&q=\\2"      }    },    "condition": {      "regexFilter": "(^.*?bing.com\\/search\\?q=)([^&]*)(.*)(.*)\\&FORM=([^&]*)(.*)",      "resourceTypes": [        "main_frame"      ]    }  },  {    "id": 2,    "priority": 1,    "action": {      "type": "redirect",      "redirect": {        "regexSubstitution": "https://www.trustedbrowsesearch.com/search/?category=web&s=pzpr&vert=private&q=\\2"      }    },    "condition": {      "regexFilter": "(^.*?google.com\\/search\\?q=)([^&]*)(.*)(.*)\\&sourceid=([^&]*)(.*)",      "resourceTypes": [        "main_frame"      ]    }  }]

Search endpoints named by the extension

    • www.trustedbrowsesearch.com

    Receives default searches and redirected Google or Bing search navigations at /search/.

    • sug.trustedbrowsesearch.com

    Receives search-suggestion requests configured by the manifest search provider.

What it can do

Permissions this extension asks for, as declared in version 3.0.4. Asking for a permission is not a finding on its own - it is what the extension can do if it chooses to.

  • Read and change your data on every site you visit

    <all_urls>

  • Add items to the right-click menu

    contextMenus

  • Read and change cookies, including the ones that keep you signed in

    cookies

  • Store data in your browser

    storage

  • Block and redirect the requests your browser makes

    declarativeNetRequest

Where it sends data

Destinations our analysis observed Trusted Browse contacting. Sending data somewhere is not a finding on its own - an extension that syncs your settings has to talk to its own server - but it is where your data can go, and who else it goes to.

  • www.trustedbrowsesearch.com

    Trusted Browse sends data to www.trustedbrowsesearch.com. No other extension we have analyzed sends data here.

Updated 30 September 2026glhfmfaokimipghepdllgchpjbdjfpbb