Perplexity Comet Browser Tracks You for Personalized Ads

When I first heard whispers about the Perplexity Comet browser, I couldn’t help but recall the moment Google Chrome arrived on the scene years ago, changing the way we engage with the internet. But with Comet, things feel different—there’s a palpable mix of anticipation and apprehension in the air as we step into a new phase of what it means to browse online. If you, like me, have grown somewhat attached to your digital privacy, I suspect you’ll find this story both fascinating and a tad unsettling.

Where It All Began: The Rise of Perplexity Comet

Let’s set the stage clearly. In July 2025, Perplexity AI launched its own AI-driven web browser, dubbed Comet. Unlike anything we’ve really seen before, Comet is openly designed to be a near-omniscient assistant—one not just watching, but actively learning from every online move you make. Leading the charge is Aravind Srinivas, who’s articulated rather bluntly that yes, Comet is meant to track you across the deepest corners of the web. And why? To sell you what he calls “hyper-personalised” ads and content.

This is not a secret, nor is it hidden in the small print. The CEO himself has set out a vision—a world where browsing the web is not something you do alone, but rather with an ever-present digital partner, learning your habits, preferences, routines, and even your little quirks.

What Exactly Is Perplexity Comet?

Comet positions itself as a modern AI browser—and not just another skin on Chromium, though, under the hood, it does inherit that open-source robustness. From the go, the emerging comparisons weren’t to fringe browsers, but to heavyweights like Chrome and Microsoft Edge. In some online communities I visit, the talk was that Srinivas’s ambition is not just to rival Google search, but to overhaul the entire flow from question to task completion.

• Comet Assistant: At the core sits the Comet Assistant, a highly integrated AI agent. Rather than simply answering search queries, it dives deep—managing your calendar, summarising your emails, crawling through your online documents, and executing actions you authorise, from booking appointments to making purchases.
• Search Engine Independence: Notably, it doesn’t rely on Google but works off Perplexity’s own search engine, promising a fresh take on relevance and efficiency.
• Early Access Model: At launch, you can only use Comet if you’re a subscriber to Perplexity Max ($200/month). The plan, as stated, is for broader—and ultimately free—access later down the line.

If you ask me, the concept of a browser that becomes your thinking partner is rather mind-boggling. I’ve had a go with AI assistants before, but nothing approaching this tight-knit digital symbiosis.

Key Features of Comet: First-Hand Impressions

• Real-time Assistant:
  Open the side panel on any site, and your AI partner is immediately “watching” what you see. It provides on-the-spot summaries, answers questions about any chunk of content, or even outlines key points from a YouTube video right in the moment. I found myself enjoying the ease, though it did, at times, feel as though I was being shadowed by a perky personal coach.
• Task Management:
  Comet’s Assistant doesn’t just live in the browser. It integrates with your email, Google calendar, contacts and events, meaning you’ll never again overlook a meeting or misjudge the best time to head out the door.
• Automation Promise:
  Looking ahead, Comet could take over the practicalities—making purchases, reserving venues, and so forth. It’s honestly something I could use, as day-to-day admin sometimes feels like a battle with Hydra: for every email I clear, two more seem to appear.

Just How Much Does Comet Track?

Here’s where things get tricky. The entire premise rests on constant and granular tracking. Everything you browse—searches, site visits, app usage—is hoovered up by Comet. Srinivas hasn’t tip-toed around this: the system is built to deeply monitor you, targeting you with content and, most importantly from a business standpoint, those promised hyper-focused adverts.

On one hand, there’s a certain candour here that I respect. No hiding behind “improving your experience” platitudes. But even with Perplexity’s reassurance (they say user data is stored locally, and AI models aren’t trained directly on those personal records), it’s clear we’re crossing a meaningful threshold. This level of insight, especially if it becomes the new industry standard, will permanently change the nature of digital privacy.

The Price Tag: Who Gets to Try Comet?

As I sit typing this, access to Comet will set you back a rather cosmic sum: $200 per month. For most of us, that’s simply out of range. Only Perplexity Max subscribers or those who’ve snagged a spot on the waiting list can experiment. The roadmap points towards making Comet entirely free in the future, though it’s fair to say the “cost” in that world would likely be our data—or, to be blunt, our willingness to let ourselves be analysed in exchange for sophisticated AI help.

How Does It Compare to Chrome and Edge?

I’ve used both mainstream browsers extensively, and while they’ve crept further into the world of embedded AI in recent years, nothing rivals the intimacy (or scrutiny) that comes with Comet. Google offers personalisation; Chrome suggests content relevant to me. But Comet? It takes that to a new league: digesting my activity, learning minute preferences, and suggesting interventions almost before I know I need them.

• Chrome: Personalises search, syncs settings, and tracks to some extent—but often gives the sense you can keep control if you want to.
• Edge: Strong AI tools, especially Copilot—but it feels one step removed from the user’s entire digital life.
• Comet: Immerses itself in your workflow, becoming the “glue” that holds together browsing, communication, planning, and even payment and reservations. Powerful? Yes. Potentially invasive? Absolutely.

AI-Powered Browsing: Convenience Meets Privacy Head-On

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the cycle: new technology offers shortcuts, makes our lives easier, then asks us to surrender something in return. The earliest phase of Google was about simply “finding stuff faster.” Now? We’re discussing digital partners who might know I like to order pizza during Champions League matches before I’ve even thought about dinner.

The Dilemma in Black and White

• Pros:
  • Lightning-fast answers, curated to what matters to you.
  • Admin made easy: emails, events, and reminders all in sync.
  • Potentially, hands-off automation of tedious chores.
• Cons:
  • Your every move online logged, analysed, and used for commercial ends.
  • Potential chilling effect on how freely you explore the web.
  • If misused or abused by third parties—well, you don’t need to read Orwell to know how messy that could get.

As for me, I believe the world is entering a new contract, quietly but inexorably. The convenience is genuine, but so is the price.

Who Is Perplexity Targeting—and Why Now?

It’s no accident that Comet appears now, amid a surge in digital productivity tools, AI search engines, and a general hunger for “smarter” online experiences. The target market initially? Early adopters, tech enthusiasts, professionals who juggle multiple platforms, deal with dozens of tasks, and genuinely value saving time even at the cost of some privacy.

But don’t be fooled. If history repeats itself, features like those seen in Comet will become more accessible—both financially and technologically—and, over time, normal users will be drawn into the fold. Much like the way facial recognition once seemed distant and now unlocks my phone in seconds, invasive AI integration could rapidly move from the cutting edge to the everyday without much resistance.

Looking Under the Hood: AI, Automation, and Integration

From a technical perspective, the sheer ambition baked into Comet deserves attention. Backed by heavyweight partners—NVIDIA among them—it’s being positioned as a testbed for true machine-assistant partnerships.

• Natural Language Understanding: Comet’s AI ingests every webpage, email, video, and piece of content to provide near-instant summaries and insights.
• Action-Oriented Design: This isn’t just about reading and recommending; it’s about directly executing user-authorised tasks, such as placing orders or coordinating bookings across different services.
• Unified Search: Using its own engine, untethered from Google, Comet attempts to redefine what “search” even means—in effect, predicting needs before they’re articulated.

Having played around with AI automation tools like Make.com and n8n in my professional life, I can spot their distant cousins here: seamless task orchestration, context-aware recommendations, and ambitious attempts at “learning” recurring user workflows. More than once, though, I did ask myself if perhaps we’re stepping a bit too eagerly into the shoes of Big Brother. Or, if you prefer British flair, perhaps it’s all getting “a tad too cozy for comfort.”

How Perplexity Comet Differs from Classic Automation

Let’s be clear: most business automation relies on structured triggers—emails received, calendar events, or sales numbers. Comet, however, goes further: it aims to substitute human intent at the browsing level. The AI doesn’t just respond to what you do, it anticipates what you will want to do. It’s a bit like having Jeeves—if Jeeves were a data-mining superbrain, capable of doing your shopping while offering just the right nudge to remind you about Mum’s birthday.

The core distinction? You no longer need to build explicit workflows. The browser itself becomes the workflow, observing and intervening continually. Honestly, as someone used to fiddling with flows and scenarios in n8n, that’s equal parts delightful and disconcerting.

Privacy Promises—And the Fine Print

Here’s one for the legal eagles and digital rights advocates among you. Perplexity claims that user data is stored locally and that AI models aren’t actively trained on individual records. Fine on paper, but even local storage is hardly impregnable, especially when you consider the temptation for commercial exploitation and potential legal requests. Plus, there’s the classic British saying, “Locks are for honest folk.” Bad actors will find a way.

We’ve been told before: “This is for your benefit.” And, in many cases, it was—right up until the point it wasn’t. Not to sound too jaded, but I’ve seen enough privacy pivots from Silicon Valley types to know that corporate convenience often trumps user agency.

The Broader Picture: Data Monetisation and User Consent

Perplexity’s primary revenue vision is clear—turn user insights into profit via ultra-targeted advertising. For the company, it’s a goldmine. For advertisers, it’s the Holy Grail: the ability to influence, anticipate, and (whisper it) perhaps even manipulate user decision-making at the most granular level. But where does that leave the rest of us?

• Explicit Tracking: There’s refreshingly little obfuscation; many tech companies might do the same but with vaguer T&Cs. Here, it’s not buried on page 47 of a privacy agreement.
• Opt-In—or Opt-Out? At the moment, early users must willingly pay and accept the tracking paradigm. In future, when “free” use arrives, there’s a very real risk that data consent will become a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.

Cultural Reflections: Are We Sleepwalking into Surveillance?

The British have a knack for understatement, but it’s hard not to think out loud here. I don’t want to sound like a character from a John le Carré novel, but being constantly watched—even if you’ve agreed to it—can quickly become draining. It reminds me of the days when folk trusted neighbourhood bobbies—and then installed CCTVs on every block “for their own security.” Much as I appreciate the innovation, there’s always an echo of the Panopticon lurking in the background.

The Tension Between Innovation and Ethics

I’ll admit: browsing as guided by Comet feels wonderfully clever—at least for now. You get used to being nudged towards healthy breaks, reminded about important tasks, and gently prodded towards decisions you might otherwise forget. But after a week or so, something in me started to resist—this gentle, constant “presence” simply never looks away.

It’s a bit like living with an ultra-attentive flatmate who never moves out, always eager to chat but never quite giving you a moment’s peace. Of course, it’s digital, and mostly invisible. Still, privacy is not just a preference—it’s a basic right, and one that’s becoming tangled up in the contract we sign with convenience.

Looking Ahead: Will Comet Become the New Standard?

I’m too seasoned to confidently predict the next web revolution, but here’s what’s likely: as AI assistants get smarter and companies find new ways to slip into your digital life, user boundaries will keep shifting. At some point, the “line” between intelligent service and intrusive surveillance will move so subtly that we hardly notice—as with many innovations, it’s only with hindsight we see how much we handed away.

• Short-Term: Comet will remain a luxury for power-users and the curious. For many, the fee alone will give pause—so the very notion of data-for-service isn’t as fraught.
• Long-Term: If the Comet experiment succeeds, expect mainstream browsers to adopt similar AI-driven approaches—perhaps making privacy the chargeable luxury in future, not the other way around.

Is the Trade-Off Worthwhile?

Here’s a personal reflection: I crave efficiency, adore automation, and like to stay ahead of the digital curve. But do I want to hand over a full dossier of my cyber-life to an algorithm just to save a bit of admin time? Sometimes, yes. Other times, the old-fashioned joy of not being observed feels precious beyond measure. Like taking the long way home for no particular reason.

What Businesses Can Learn from Comet’s Approach

For those of us in the marketing and automation fields, Comet offers an unfiltered case study in the future of data-enabled experience. If you run digital campaigns or build sales support workflows, the potential to engage in “living” conversations with users—adapting, responding, and even predicting—will become a core advantage. But heed this: build with respect for the real person on the other end. No one likes to feel like a marionette, jerked along by invisible strings.

• Transparency: Make your data policy clear and accessible.
• Value Exchange: Offer genuine benefits for the data you request—and let users take control of their own boundaries.
• Security: Storing data locally? Good, but back it up with credible security practices and a readiness to respond fast to breaches.

Final Thoughts from a Marketer’s Perspective

In my experience, nothing packs more punch than trust. If you lose it, no algorithm will win it back. Use AI to empower, not just to profit. Let your users know you’ve got their backs, not just their browsing histories.

How Should You Respond? Some Practical Steps

If you’re reading this as a consumer—or just the everyday digital citizen—here’s what I’d recommend:

• Review how and where you share data online, even with “savvy” browsers like Comet.
• Stay updated on data privacy law. The rules shift faster than you’d think.
• Experiment and experience new tech mindfully. Convenience is great, but not always at every cost.
• Advocate for opt-out choices. You should be able to decide how close your digital assistant really gets.
• Don’t be afraid to challenge companies—especially those who make “all for your benefit” claims. Ask questions. Demand clear answers.

Will I Keep Using Comet?

Reality check: I’m the sort who will always test new technology. There’s a special thrill in being on the bleeding edge—even if only for a short while. But, like many of you, what I truly want is balance. Let the AI help, yes. Let it see enough to be useful, but not so much it becomes the digital shadow I can never quite outrun.

I’m sure opinions will vary, but in this chapter of the internet’s story, Comet is both a wonder and a warning. If you stay curious and cautious, you’ll find your own way—perhaps with Comet whispering in your ear, or perhaps, sometimes, in blissful silence.