| Developer(s) | Cheetah Mobile（Browser） Rigo Design（Exterior） |
|---|---|
| Initial release | May 2, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-05-02)（1.0.0.2096） |
| Stable release(s) | |
| Written in | C++、Assembly language、JavaScript |
| Engine | WebKit/Trident |
| Operating system | Windows 7、Android4.0、iOS 5.0 |
| Size | 5-6MB |
| Available in | Simplified Chinese |
| Type | Web browser |
| License | Freeware |
| Website |
|
CM Browser (Chinese:猎豹安全浏览器) is aweb browser developed byCheetah Mobile. The browser is based onChromium and supports both theWebKit andTridentbrowser engines. Jinshan Network claims that CM Browser is the first secure dual-engine browser with a "browserintrusion prevention system".[4]
On June 3, 2013, CM Browser was released onAndroid andiOS.[5]
Version 1 of CM Browser used version 17 ofChromium, which was much lower than the official version of Chromium. This prevented the use of theChrome Web Store on CM Browser.[citation needed]
On September 21, 2014, Jinshan was ordered to payYouku ¥300,000 for violating Chinesecompetition laws by allowing CM Browser tofilter video ads onYouku's website. In the preceding trial, Youku claimed to suffer aneconomic loss as a result of CM Browser's ad filtering, as the company earned revenue from ads and premium subscriptions that allowed users to skip ads. Jinshan stated that CM Browser's ad filtering feature was vendor-neutral and that users must opt-in to activate the feature.[6]
In November 2018, theShanghai Consumer Protection Committee commissioned an evaluation of theapplication permissions of 18 popularmobile apps, including CM Browser. The study found that CM Browser requested sensitive phone- andSMS-related permissions that allowed the browser to monitor the phone's outbound calls. A representative for CM Browser responded that the browser needed to determine whether a phone call is active in order to prevent interference when the browser is playing audio. The representative indicated that CM Browser would be updated to address the privacy concerns.[7][8]
In February 2020 all of Cheetah's applications have been pulled from the Play Store. Following that, Forbes exposed the company's practices of spying on its users based on a report published by Gabriel Cirlig, a security researcher. The report detailed how CM Browser was sending encrypted data to its Chinese servers exfiltrating the URLs visited by all its users and selling them to various third parties.[9]
In June 2020, theGovernment of India banned CM Browser along with 58 other Chinese origin apps, citing data and privacy concerns. The border tensions in 2020 between India and China might have also played a role in the ban.[10][11]