How a TechRadar investigation pushed Surfshark to overhaul its data collection

Date:
Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:39:12 +0000

Description:
Surfshark has stopped logging your malware-related data. That's a major win for people's privacy here's how TechRadar helped make it happen.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
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your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Surfshark has stopped collecting your malware-related data Any malware statistics collected will be fully anonymized The change follows a
TechRadar's investigation Surfshark has just become even more private. As of today, the company has ceased collecting malware-related data from users of its antivirus software.

This shift in data retention is a response to a TechRadar investigation that questioned the necessity of a detailed antivirus "paper trail" linked to users. A Surfshark spokesperson confirmed to TechRadar that any malware statistics collected will now be fully anonymized. This marks a significant privacy victory for users of one of the best VPNs on the market. Article continues below You may like The price of transparency: What Surfshark's data request reveals about its collection policies Independent auditors confirm Surfsharks VPN infrastructure as secure Surfshark VPN review a fully-featured, low cost privacy solution How TechRadar pushed Surfshark to rethink its antivirus approach We recently conducted a "Right of Access"
test, asking 10 of the most well-known VPNs for the data they held on us .

While most providers failed to meet our expectation, Surfshark excelled, delivering a comprehensive PDF report in just a few hours.

However, the increased transparency revealed a surprising irony. The report was extremely granular, detailing payment histories, account IDs, and a specific log of malware blocked by Surfsharks antivirus tool. (Image credit: Surfshark) The antivirus logs were particularly striking. The data included specific malware names detected on a user's machine, the device ID, and the user's country-level location at the time of detection.

While this retention complied with Surfshark's existing privacy policy, we questioned whether a centralized database was truly compatible with a privacy-first model.

When we presented these concerns to Surfshark, the team initially defended
the practice as a useful feature for families monitoring multiple devices.

However, within 48 hours, the company reversed its stance. Surfshark has now committed to stripping all personal identifiers from antivirus logs. What to read next Surfshark partners with Internews to protect journalists and activists with free VPN access Surfshark boosts its ultimate security bundle with $1 million identity theft protection Surfshark's new browser tool warns you about dangerous sites before you click Why it matters Data minimization
is a cornerstone of modern privacy regulation and should be the north star
for companies built on digital anonymity.

As large-scale data breaches become increasingly common, the best defense is simply not to hold identifiable data in the first place.

By removing these logs, Surfshark has raised the bar for the industry,
proving that privacy practices should be evolving strategies. We are pleased that our investigative work could facilitate a tangible improvement for user security. Today's best VPN deals +3 months free Surfshark 24 Months 1.49 /mth View at Surfshark Surfshark 12 Months 2.59 /mth View at Surfshark Surfshark 1 Month 12.29 /mth View at Surfshark Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/how-a-techradar-investigati on-pushed-surfshark-to-overhaul-its-data-collection


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