Perplexity to launch browser that tracks users for ads

Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas has announced plans to launch a browser called Comet, targeting a release in May.

In a recent podcast, Srinivas explained that the browser will gather user data to enhance ad targeting and develop detailed user profiles.

He said that data from browsing habits, such as purchases, hotel visits, and restaurant preferences, would provide deeper insights compared to typical work-related prompts submitted to AI systems.

This information is intended to help the company deliver more personalized ads through its discover feed.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Perplexity faces significantly changed privacy landscape compared to Google’s early days

Perplexity’s browser tracking strategy faces a dramatically different regulatory and consumer environment than when Google built Chrome.

The average cost of a data breach in the US has soared to $9.44 million, creating substantial financial risk for companies collecting extensive user data 1.

Public attitudes have shifted dramatically, with 90% of US internet users now considering online privacy important, and 47% having severed relationships with companies over data practices they disagreed with 1.

This user concern is translating to regulatory action, with 11 new state privacy laws set to take effect in 2025 alone, creating a complex compliance landscape that didn’t exist when Google established its dominance 2.

The regulatory environment has grown increasingly hostile to data collection practices, with 72% of Americans supporting stricter privacy laws and federal agencies expected to intensify enforcement actions against privacy violations 3 2.

2️⃣ Competing against entrenched search habits requires more than technical innovation

Perplexity’s growing market position (reaching 340 million monthly queries) demonstrates appetite for new search experiences, but changing user behavior remains a massive challenge 4.

Despite user frustration with ad-cluttered search results, Google’s dominance stems largely from integration into daily routines and the difficulty of shifting established user habits 5.

Even with significant funding ($63 million raised, $1 billion valuation) and technological advantages in directly answering queries, Perplexity must overcome Google’s entrenched brand recognition as the default search engine 5.