Privacy at Neo
Privacy isn’t a feature. It’s how Neo is built.
Norton Neo is a private browser designed to keep your browsing on your device, collect only what a feature needs, and never sell what it collects. Protection is on from the first launch, and we’re clear about everything else.
Free on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Our commitments to you
- We don’t sell your personal data.
- Your browsing history stays on your device.
- AI providers can’t keep your chats or train on them.
- Tracker and fingerprinting protection is on by default.
Three principles behind every decision.
Every feature in Neo is built against the same three rules. They’re why the browser works the way it does.
Local first.
Your device does as much of the work as it can. Neo only reaches the cloud when a feature you use can’t work without it.
Only what’s needed.
We collect the minimum each feature requires. If a feature doesn’t need a piece of data, we don’t collect it.
Never for sale.
We don’t sell your personal data, share it for targeted advertising, or buy data about you from data brokers.
Where your data lives
On your device, unless a feature needs the cloud.
Most of what you do in Neo never leaves your computer or phone. When a feature does need our servers, it sends only the part it needs, over an encrypted connection, to return a result to you.
Stays on your device
- Your browsing history
- The pages you read
- Saved passwords and form data
- Cookies and site data
- Your AI chat history, by default
Sent only when a feature needs it
A site’s address
When Norton Web Shield checks a site it doesn’t already know is safe.
Your question and the relevant text
When you ask Neo’s AI. Providers don’t receive your IP address or location.
Gmail or Calendar content
Only if you connect them, and never stored on our servers.
What we collect, and what we don’t.
A browser can’t run without some data. Here’s what Neo may collect to work and improve, and the lines we don’t cross.
What Neo may collect
Device and technical details
Device type, operating system and browser version, and an installation ID, so Neo works properly on your system.
Crash, performance and usage data
To fix problems and improve features. We use aggregated or de-identified data wherever we can.
Approximate location
Your city or country, inferred from your IP address, for language settings and security.
Details you give us
Your email address, if you create an account, sign up for early access or contact support.
What we don’t do
- Sell your personal data
- Share your data for targeted advertising
- Buy data about you from data brokers
- Let AI providers keep your queries or train on them
- Store your Gmail or Calendar content on our servers
- Track your precise location
Protection that’s on before you look for it.
Principles only count if they reach the browser. Every protection below is built in and on from the first launch, with nothing to install.
Tracker and ad blocking.
Trackers and ads are blocked before they load, so companies can’t follow you from site to site.
Fingerprinting protection.
Neo masks the details sites use to recognize your device, even after you clear your cookies.
A free, built-in VPN.
Encrypt your connection and keep your real IP address private, without a separate app.
Private AI.
Chats are stored on your device, and providers are contractually barred from keeping or training on them.
Phishing protection.
Norton Web Shield can block phishing and malicious sites before you land on them.
Cookie pop-up blocking.
Cookie banners and pop-ups are blocked on every site, so you aren’t pushed into accepting tracking to read a page.
Backed by Norton
Norton’s security practices, behind every tab.
Neo is built by Gen, the company behind Norton, on technology trusted for 30+ years. The data we do hold is protected the way you’d expect from a security company.
Encrypted in transit and at rest.
Data travels from Neo over an encrypted connection, and anything we store is encrypted on our servers.
Strict access controls.
Only authorized staff with a real need can reach personal data, and they’re bound by confidentiality.
Regularly tested.
Our infrastructure is tested for vulnerabilities, and every partner that handles data must meet our security standards.
An audited no-logs VPN.
VerSprite, an independent cybersecurity firm, audited Norton’s VPN no-logs policy. Read the audit summary
Your rights, wherever you live.
We honor the rights GDPR gives people in the EU and CCPA gives Californians, and we don’t treat you differently for using them.
- See the data we hold about you
- Correct it
- Delete it
- Take a copy with you
- Object to how we use it
- Withdraw your consent
Questions about your data? Write to our privacy team at dpo@GenDigital.com.
GDPR
Our lead EU authority is the Czech Data Protection Office, and we have an independent EU Data Protection Officer.
CCPA / CPRA
We haven’t sold personal information in the last 12 months, and we don’t sell it.
EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework
Transfers within Gen from the EU, UK and Switzerland to the U.S. are covered by the Framework.
Gen’s Framework notice
Private by default. Yours to adjust.
Every protection is on from your first launch. Open the shield in the address bar to change it for one site or for all of them.
Make an exception
Turn protection off for one site while keeping it on everywhere else.
Forget a site when you close it
Clear a site’s cookies and data as soon as you close it.
Know exactly what was blocked
Your protection report shows every tracking attempt, who tried it and where, stored on your device.
37 ads & trackers blocked
Fingerprinting attempt blocked
Privacy shouldn’t be an extension. It should be the browser.
Download Norton Neo and browse with protection that’s on from the start, from a company that’s clear about your data.
Free on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Your privacy, explained.
Straight answers about what Neo does with your data.
Does Norton Neo sell my data?
No. We don’t sell your personal data, and we don’t share it with ad networks or social media companies for targeted advertising. We also don’t buy data about you from data brokers.
What data does Neo collect?
Neo may collect device and technical details such as your device type, operating system and an installation ID, crash and performance data, feature-usage events, and your approximate location inferred from your IP address. If you create an account or contact support, we keep the details you give us. The Privacy Notice lists everything, and why.
Where is my browsing history stored?
On your device. Your history, the contents of the pages you visit, saved passwords, cookies and site data are stored locally. A site’s address may be sent to Norton’s cloud when Web Shield needs to check whether a site it doesn’t know is safe.
Does Neo’s AI train on my chats?
No. Your chats are stored on your device by default. When you ask Neo’s AI something, your question and the relevant content are sent to an AI provider to answer it, and providers are contractually barred from keeping it or using it to train their models. They don’t receive your IP address or location.
Who makes Norton Neo?
Neo is made by Gen Digital, the company behind Norton. The same company is responsible for your data, and the same security practices protect it.
Is Neo compliant with GDPR and CCPA?
We honor the rights GDPR gives people in the EU and CCPA gives Californians, including the right to see, correct and delete your data. Transfers of data within Gen from the EU to the U.S. are covered by the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.
How do I delete my data?
Your browsing data is on your device, so you can clear it in Neo’s settings at any time, or have Neo forget a site as soon as you close it. To ask us to delete data we hold about you, write to dpo@GenDigital.com.
Is Neo more private than Incognito mode?
Yes. Incognito forgets your history when you close the window, but it doesn’t stop trackers, fingerprinting or your network from seeing what you do. Neo blocks trackers and masks your fingerprint on every site, in every window, and its built-in VPN keeps your IP address private.
Will Neo make me anonymous online?
No browser can make you completely anonymous, and it’s worth being wary of any that claims to. Neo makes you much harder to track, but if you sign in to a site, that site still knows it’s you.