Cybersecurity statistics | Jan 18,  2023

Comparing global trends in data breach statistics from 2021 and 2022.

Data breach statistics: 2021 vs. 2022

Cybersecurity statistics | Dec 20,  2021

Find out which countries had the most breached users online in 2021.

Global data breaches: regions most affected in 2021

Dystopian new tech | Jul 14, 2026

Deepfake fraud losses have surged to $3.7B with no signs of slowing. A Surfshark investigation into the origins of these scams reveals social media is the leading threat, accounting for 47% of recorded losses.

$3.7B lost to deepfakes, social media is the primary origin 

Cybersecurity statistics | Jun 30, 2026

114M national identification numbers have been leaked globally since 2004. The US, Brazil, Russia, China, and the UK are the most affected countries. 

Millions of national identity numbers leaked online

Artificial intelligence | Jun 30, 2026

Surfshark’s research analyzes the staggering energy consumption of AI chatbots. It shows that 10 ChatGPT queries could run your AC for more than a minute.

One ChatGPT query equals 7 sec of AC

Artificial intelligence | Jun 22, 2026

Tech companies have been hit with over $3.5B in AI-related fines and settlements. Anthropic's $1.5B book-piracy settlement and Meta's $1.4B biometric fine account for 81% of the total.

Tech companies hit by $3.5B AI-related fines

Cybersecurity statistics | Jun 16, 2026

Millions of apps vanished from Google Play and the App Store in 2025, translating to approximately 6,000 removals each day. Was it safety, spam, or something bigger? Here’s the reason.

Google and Apple removed over 2 million apps in 2025

Digital privacy | Jun 9, 2026

Surfshark’s study of top French banking and health apps shows they collect an average of 13 and 15 data types. Most track precise location, all health apps access photos, and some banking apps even collect private emails and texts.

How France’s most popular banking and health apps harvest your personal data 

Cybersecurity statistics | Jun 9, 2026

As ticket prices hit record highs, many fans are being scammed while searching for cheaper deals. New survey reveals how common ticket fraud is, risks of unofficial sellers, and the true cost of chasing a bargain. 

26% of people get scammed when buying tickets from unofficial sources

Digital privacy | May 26, 2026

Pregnancy and baby apps feed advertisers personal data, with 80% of analyzed apps sharing data with third parties. This includes sensitive data such as photos, videos, or health information.

Pregnancy and baby trackers collect more than milestones

Two of the 15 popular mobile browsers share your location data with third parties, while more than half collect it for different purposes. Check whether your browser is one of them.

8 out of 15 mobile browsers collect your location data

Dystopian new tech | May 12, 2026

Ever shared content on social media? Your posts likely helped train an AI — and it turns out that opting out and keeping your data private from AI development is not an easy process.

AI training on social media: can you really say no?

Digital privacy | May 5, 2026

Travelers may download an average of 21 apps for an Asia trip. An analysis of 65 essential travel apps found that 97% may collect user data and 72% may share it with third parties.

Back from Asia? Time to delete those data-hungry apps

Cybersecurity statistics | Apr 21, 2026

Cyberattacks threaten professional sports through data breaches, ransomware, and espionage. This research analyzes high-profile incidents to reveal evolving targets and tactics of cybercriminals.

Cyberattacks on sports teams have doubled, and 2026 is off to a bad start

Dystopian new tech | Apr 14, 2026

Surfshark's study reveals deepfake fraud has already cost $2.19B globally, with the US as the most targeted country. Most scams use fake celebrity or politician endorsements to push fraudulent investments

Global deepfake fraud reaches $2.19B — US leads in losses

Digital privacy | Apr 7, 2026

Personalized training and AI fitness apps are rising. However, this convenience carries a hidden cost: apps often link collected data to your identity, track you, and use it for AI training.

From tracking to training: AI adds privacy risks to workout apps

Cybersecurity statistics | Mar 31, 2026

According to Surfshark’s study of Tripadvisor forums, findings show that discussions of tourist scams in Mexico are nearly 40% more common than in France (Europe's highest) and exceed the average for the African continent.

Planning a vacation? Top countries to watch out for scams this travel season

Digital privacy | Mar 31, 2026

Surfshark’s study of popular messaging apps reveals how each platform commits to our privacy and security.

Is your messaging app private and secure?

Digital privacy | Mar 24, 2026

Surfshark analyzed the data collection practices of popular AI chatbots available, from Meta AI to Google Gemini, DeepSeek, ChatGPT, and others. Study shows that 45% of AI chatbots collect user location.

Meta AI, Google Gemini, and ChatGPT are top data collectors

Artificial intelligence | Mar 17, 2026

Navigating tax season? AI chatbots might be a tempting choice for help. However, popular AI chatbots also collect your personal financial data in the process.

Harvesting or helping? Using AI to fill out your tax return forms

Cyberthreats | Mar 3, 2026

Facebook removes an average of 4.5 billion fake accounts annually, followed by TikTok at 1 billion, X at 671 million, and LinkedIn at 112 million.


Popular social media deletes 6.3B fake accounts and 11.1B spam content pieces annually

Cybersecurity statistics | Feb 24, 2026

Cheating in multiplayer online gaming threatens fair play despite advanced anti-cheat measures. New AI tactics bypass detection, posing serious cybersecurity risks and impacting communities.

Call of Duty tops cheat-related searches among online games

Artificial intelligence | Feb 17, 2026

AI chatbots have already faced government-ordered bans 14 times in 13 countries. DeepSeek is the most restricted chatbot worldwide, followed by Grok.

DeepSeek is the most frequently restricted chatbot worldwide

Dystopian new tech | Jan 27, 2026

Deepfake fraud losses hit $1.1billion in 2025, 83% of them originated on social media platforms. The most targeted social media platform for deepfake-related scams was Facebook.

Facebook led in deepfake-related fraud in 2025

Cyberthreats | Jan 19, 2026

Quantum computing threatens encryption and data security. We reviewed top apps in banking, messaging, social media, and shopping to see who's preparing for the post-quantum era with PQC.

Quantum-resistant or not: how secure are your favorite apps?

Digital privacy | Jan 13, 2026

Surfshark’s analysis of 16 popular fitness apps reveals that they collect an average of 12 different types of data, including sensitive information and precise location. Fitbit gathers up to 24 unique types of data, which is double the average.

Fitbit tops fitness apps in user data collection

Digital privacy | Dec 9, 2025

AI features in security cameras are now standard, but they also come with significant privacy concerns. Surfshark’s study of 8 smart camera ecosystems finds that most are collecting extra data beyond core functions.

AI security cameras are collecting data they don’t need

Cyberthreats | Dec 1, 2025

Platforms such as Box and WeTransfer do not scan for viruses on free plans. Dropbox does not offer this feature at all. The lack of virus scanning on file sharing platforms increases the risk of downloading or sharing malicious files.

Popular file-sharing platforms don’t detect harmful software

Cybersecurity statistics | Nov 20, 2025

Surfshark survey shows that 10% of respondents reported losing, on average, up to $150 to discount-code-related scams. Scaling these numbers to all online shoppers suggests that the total financial losses could reach billions of dollars.

Black Friday is the day shoppers are most likely to fall victim to a scam

Digital privacy | Nov 18, 2025

Surfshark’s study on popular shopping apps reveals that US-based apps collect more data than Chinese counterparts. The Amazon app collects the most data of all, surpassing Temu, Shein, AliExpress, and others. 

Which shopping app collects the most data about you?

Artificial intelligence | Nov 4, 2025

AI is transforming work, enhancing human potential while automating everyday tasks. Real-world examples reveal how these changes are affecting workers and reshaping the future of jobs.

AI impact on workers

Dystopian new tech | Oct 21, 2025

Deepfake-related losses exceed $1.56 billion in 2025 as cheap, widely available AI tools lower fraud costs and enable new scam variants.

AI drives deepfake losses to $1.56 billion

Cyberthreats | Sep 30, 2025

The FBI is offering substantial rewards for cybercriminals, a total of up to $274 million, for information leading to the arrest of 42 of the 133 individuals on its most wanted list. 

FBI offers millions in rewards for most wanted cybercriminals

Cybersecurity statistics | Sep 23, 2025

Gemini AI, which has just been integrated into the Chrome browser, collects the most user data among all browser-integrated AIs, including users’ contact information, content, and location.

Gemini in Chrome: collects the most user data among all browser-integrated AIs

Cybersecurity statistics | Sep 16, 2025

Since 2005, fashion companies have leaked data on approximately 362 million people, affecting customers of such brands as Dior, Marks & Spencer, Adidas, and more. Surfshark’s study provides more insights about those breaches and leaked data points.

Dior, Adidas, M&S, and others face escalating data breaches

Cyberthreats | Sep 2, 2025

In 2025, Surfshark’s antivirus recorded 479K malware cases. Of these, 87% (419K) were on Windows and the remaining 13% (60K) on macOS.

Windows users, beware: 7× more malware than macOS

Cybersecurity statistics | Aug 26, 2025

Four million apps vanished from Google Play and the App Store in 2024. Was it safety, spam, or something bigger? Here’s the reason.

Google and Apple delete up to 11,000 apps every day

Digital privacy | Aug 19, 2025

All top social media apps may collect data related to user location. X stands out by collecting both coarse and precise location data for all listed purposes in the App Store.

X: the most location-hungry social media app

Cybersecurity statistics | Aug 12, 2025

Social media platforms account for 52% of concert ticket fraud cases, while fraudulent websites contribute 38%, and other platforms like eBay and Craigslist make up the remaining 10%.

Beware of concert ticket fraud online

Artificial intelligence | Jul 29, 2025

Deepfake incidents have already infiltrated elections around the globe. Analyzing media reports, Surfshark found that 38 countries, with a combined population of 3.8 billion, have been affected.

Global map: election-related deepfakes reached 3.8B people

Artificial intelligence | Jul 8, 2025

Deepfake incidents are on the rise, with the first half of 2025 already exceeding the total number since 2017 by 171%. Losses from deepfake fraud are also surging, reaching $897M, with $410M occurring in the first half of 2025.

Deepfake fraud caused financial losses nearing $900 million

Digital privacy | Jul 1, 2025

Analysis uncovered what data 10 major car brand apps collect, with Mercedes-Benz’s app leading by gathering 17 different types of user and vehicle data.

Car apps: the hidden data exchange

Digital privacy | Jun 19, 2025

All analyzed popular dating apps collect your location, name, phone number, photos or videos, user and device IDs, purchase history, and other sensitive information.

Grindr and Bumble top the list of the most data-hungry dating apps

Digital privacy | Jun 10, 2025

Google Maps is the most data-hungry navigation app, collecting 24 types of data, such as user identity, contacts,  photos, audio data, and more. Waze and Maps.me have similar practices, gathering almost as much data.


Navigation apps track more than your route

Digital privacy | May 27, 2025

The most popular social media platforms fined nearly €4 billion for GDPR breaches, out of which more than €1 billion was for inadequate protection of children’s data.

GDPR fines for mishandling children’s data exceed €1 billion

Digital privacy | May 20, 2025

Surfshark's study shows half of the analyzed astrology apps track users' data. Nebula is the most data-hungry astrology app.

Do astrology apps know where your data goes?

Digital privacy | May 6, 2025

Chrome mobile browser collects 20 data types across numerous categories, such as contact info, financial details, location, browsing history, and more. The Bing app is the second most data-hungry mobile browser, collecting 12 data types.

Data-hungry browsers: the choice of 90% of users worldwide?

Digital freedom | Apr 29, 2025

Trust in the media is lowest in countries where media freedom is the highest. Public trust in media stands at 39% in free media countries, compared to 41% in partly free countries and 45% in not free countries.

Media freedom vs. trust: a global paradox

Cybersecurity statistics | Apr 22, 2025

Big Tech used over 41 million cubic meters of water in 2023, or about 112,500 cubic meters per day — enough to fill 45 Olympic pools daily. That’s an over 60% increase from 2020.


Big Tech's water usage has risen by 60% since 2020

Cybersecurity statistics | Apr 8, 2025

Email emerged as the leading contact method for Australian scams in 2024. Since 2020, nearly 300 million dollars have been reported lost to scams where email was the contact method.

Email scams boom in Australia: $300M lost this decade

Cybersecurity statistics | Mar 25, 2025

What cybersecurity threats might you face when traveling? Cybersecurity expert Miguel Fornés reviewed the travel and tourism sector and discussed cybersecurity threats that may occur during your holidays.

Traveling soon? Protect your data from cybersecurity threats

Cybersecurity statistics | Mar 18, 2025

Surfshark's analysis shows that in 2024, over 80% of U.S. healthcare data breaches were due to hacking/IT incidents. These breaches disrupt care, endanger patient safety, and highlight the urgent need for stronger cybersecurity.


Healthcare cybersecurity challenges

Cyberthreats | Mar 12, 2025

In January 2025, the number of attacks reached 590, nearly 5 times more than January 2022 and 34% higher than the 2024 monthly average of 440.

Record number of ransomware attacks in January 2025

Digital privacy | Mar 4, 2025

Surfshark’s analysis of the 10 most popular cleaner apps on the Apple App Store shows all of them share data with third parties, such as location, purchase history, product interaction, and other.


Do phone cleaner apps help declutter your digital space?

Digital privacy | Feb 24, 2025

Oversharing online exposes personal details to permanent risk, as once-shared information can be hard to erase. The "right to be forgotten" offers a way to delist personal data from search engines.

Overshared online? How the “right to be forgotten” can help

Digital privacy | Feb 11, 2025

As AI grows, digital companions help with loneliness but raise questions about user data privacy. Many seek virtual relationships, but it's important to remember they are business-driven, not personal bonds.

AI companion apps “love” your personal data

Digital privacy | Jan 14, 2025

Surfshark’s analysis of 15 popular weight control apps reveals that 33% of them surpass averages in both data collection and user tracking practices.

Over 90% of analyzed weight control apps track their users

Digital privacy | Dec 16, 2024

Discover if you're truly private in your own bedroom. Surfshark explores the privacy policies of apps for smart bedroom devices, ranging from smart pillows to window shades and blinds.

Sleep well! Can you do that in your smart bedroom?

Digital privacy | Dec 9, 2024

How much data do holiday season mobile games collect?

Cybersecurity statistics | Nov 26, 2024

The collected data reveals approximately 5.7 million payment card data points compromised worldwide since 2004. The US has the highest breached payment card details rate among major economies.

Stay safe: guard your payment cards this holiday season

Cybersecurity statistics | Oct 29, 2024

Alaska tops the US in cybercrime complaints per 100,000 internet users, with 500+ complaints — over twice the national average

Alaska leads US states in the rate of cybercrime complaints

Digital privacy | Sep 10, 2024

The GDPR was expected to change invasive data collection practices because of the high fines. Since May 2018, 2,433 fines have been registered on the GDPR Enforcement Tracker, amounting to over 4.6 billion euros in total.

GDPR fines: can they shift data collection practices?

Cyberthreats | Sep 3, 2024

L'European Repository of Cyber Incidents suit les principales cyberattaques en Europe et au-delà. Dans ce graphique de la semaine, le Research Hub de Surfshark examine les cyberincidents qui ont ciblé la France depuis 2023.

La plupart des cyber incidents en France ont des origines non identifiées

The European Repository of Cyber Incidents tracks major cyber incidents across Europe and beyond. In this week’s chart, Surfshark’s research hub looks at cyber incidents targeted at France since 2023.

Most cyber incidents in France have unidentified origins

Digital privacy | Aug 27, 2024

Surfshark’s study reveals that outdoor security camera apps are major data collectors, highlighting the risks of hacking and data leaks.

Is privacy an illusion under a security camera’s watch?

Digital freedom | Jul 23, 2024

In the first half of 2024, 9 countries witnessed internet restrictions, according to Surfshark’s Internet Shutdown Tracker. India took the lead, followed by Pakistan and Senegal.

21 internet restrictions recorded in the first half of 2024

Artificial intelligence | Jun 17, 2024

Surfshark’s research shows that over a fifth of all AI incidents are related to elections. Over the last year, Donald Trump was involved in 3x more AI incidents than Joe Biden.

One in five AI incidents relates to elections

Digital divide | May 13, 2024

To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day, our research hub explores the staggering 17% internet usage gap among EU residents with limited accessibility and the implications of the digital divide.

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