If you have Web of Trust installed, you should consider uninstalling it right now. Why? Because Web of Trust, also known as WOT, is not what it claims to be.

Web of Trust (WOT) is a tool that claims to help you browse the web safely. Users rate websites based on different metrics, and websites are then assigned a safety rating. Anyone with WOT installed on their web browser can then instantly get an idea of which websites are safe to visit.

The problem, as discovered by German broadcaster NDR, is that WOT collects data about its users, and then sells it to third parties. This part is all openly admitted in the Web of Trust Privacy Policy. However, this states that the data is “non-identifiable,” and that appears to not be the case.

NDR investigators were able to link the so-called anonymized data to individual users. The data included browsing histories, travel plans, health issues, and ongoing police investigations. None of which is information most of us would like being shared with anyone, let alone companies with a potentially vested interest.

Details may be found at https://goo.gl/Py4vHX.