UC Browser has become the second most used mobile browser worldwide, with 17.42% market share, according to StatCounter. The browser overtook Safari last month, which currently has a slightly lower 16.38% market share. Android’s default browser and Opera follow with 13% and 12.5% market share each, while Chrome leads the roost with a solid 35.8% market share. In India, UC Browser leads with a 54.4% market share followed by Opera at 20.2% and Chrome at 13.5%. Note that in September, UCWeb updated its Android browser to version 10.7 with a UI overhaul, personalisation of discovery and content access. It started employing a card system, in the form of widgets like headlines, top sites, jokes, top free apps, shopping etc. As of now, the browser claims to have 100 million daily active users, stating that it is available on over 3,000 different models of mobile devices from over 200 manufacturers and in 11 languages. In December 2012, it had claimed to have 40 million users in India and globally and it claimed to have surpassed 500 million quarterly active users in March last year. Personal data leaks In May, the browser came under some fire after it was reported that it was leaking sensitive user information, making it a privacy risk according to a Canadian technology research group Citizen Lab. The research was prompted by a document leaked by Edward Snowden, mentioning that the Chinese and English editions of the Android version of the browser made user data like location, search details, network operator and even mobile…
