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Brave\u2019s privacy-centric browser<\/a> has been downloading VPN services to some customers\u2019 computers without their consent. Noted by Ghacks<\/em><\/a>, starting in 2022, downloading Brave to a Windows PC meant you were also downloading the company\u2019s VPN service<\/a>, regardless of whether you wanted it. The Firewall + VPN service is an extra paid subscription and would remain dormant unless the user subscribed to it. Still, that\u2019s not the most transparent move from a company based on transparency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The behavior is limited to the Windows version of Brave, and a post on GitHub<\/a> from the company\u2019s VP of engineering details the current behavior and a plan to change it. You can check for the VPN services on your machine in the services manager on Windows \u2014 they\u2019re labeled as Brave VPN and Brave Wireguard. The GitHub post states that the ideal new behavior would be to download the services after<\/em> someone has engaged with and paid for them, which, yes, it would be.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n What\u2019s not clear is whether the services will be removed from versions of Brave already downloaded. It\u2019s possible to remove them manually, but until Brave changes the installation behavior, an update would probably reinstate them. One option \u2014 also detailed on GitHub<\/a> \u2014 is to uninstall Brave and reinstall it without admin rights so that the program can\u2019t install additional services. Guess it pays to be vigilant \u2014 even when it comes to privacy-conscious software.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n