Is News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds Safe? — Extension Safety Profile
Quick verdict: News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds earns a safety grade A, 84.4 out of 100, based on 5 of 5 dimensions.
84.4/100
Grade A · 5 of 5 checks
What we found
Automated safety profile from public signals (the extension's manifest & permissions, store listing, publisher, privacy policy). A full review hasn't been published yet.
What this safety grade means
News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds earns a safety grade of A (84.4/100), measured across 5 of 5 dimensions. Its strongest area is Permissions & Access (95%). The weakest is Publisher & Identity (60%) — what holds its grade back the most.
On the public records we can check, News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds comes through cleanly. 80,000 active users/installs reported on the store. Store rating 4.9/5 from 20 user ratings. Last updated on the store 2026-02-26. This is an automated profile, not a hands-on review — so treat the grade as a starting point: open News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds's own store listing and privacy policy before installing, and weigh it against the other browser extensions we track below.
Safety Signals
Based on 5 of 5 safety dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Bar | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher & Identity | 60% · 4.8/8 pts 2 of 5 checks verified | Automated signals | |
| Permissions & Access | 95% · 23.7/25 pts 3 of 3 checks verified | Automated signals | |
| Data & Privacy | 93% · 14.8/16 pts 4 of 5 checks verified | Automated signals | |
| Maintenance & Ownership | 60% · 4.5/7.5 pts 1 of 2 checks verified | Automated signals | |
| Community Reputation | 83% · 8.3/10 pts 2 of 4 checks verified | Automated signals |
In-depth safety analysis
This extension requests only the storage API and access to one specific domain, api.news-headlines.co. That means it can save local settings and contact that single service to fetch headlines or background images. It cannot read or modify content on other websites, access bookmarks, or view browsing history. For a new tab and search extension, this is a minimal and reasonable permission scope.
New tab and search tools often involve collecting location or search-related data to deliver relevant content, even when permissions are narrow. Any information sent to the extension's server, including the declared Location data type, is handled according to the developer's self-declared privacy practices, which are not independently verified. A careful user should review the privacy policy and note that a small number of ratings relative to a large user base is common in this category and not by itself evidence of harm.
The strongest dimension is Permissions & Access (95), reflecting the limited host access and low-risk API permission. The weakest dimension is Publisher & Identity (60), meaning there is less established public information about the developer, which can make independent verification of practices harder but does not indicate a specific security issue.
AI-assisted analysis of the documented signals above (permissions, store data, privacy practices) — explains what they mean and the risks typical for this category. Not a hands-on test.
What the store listing shows
Who's Behind News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds?
- Publisher Brein Apps LTD
Public records identify the publisher, but no individual founders or a separate registered company are named — which is what holds the Publisher & Identity score back. Less public information about who operates an extension means less you can verify about their long-term accountability.
How it compares
Among the 838 browser extensions we track, News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds scores higher on safety than 79% of them.
Computed from our own database of assessed browser extensions — updated as we track more.
Evidence on File (12)
News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds FAQ
- Is News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds safe?
- News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds earns a safety grade of A (84.4/100) on our evidence-based assessment, based on 5 of 5 safety dimensions we could verify from public records. This is an automated profile built from public records, not a hands-on review.
- Who is behind News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds?
- News New Tab + Search - City Backgrounds is operated by Brein Apps LTD.
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