This other research points to this type of pattern (sending all URLs to a server to allegedly provide functionality) being used under false pretenses: https://palant.info/2025/01/13/biscience-collecting-browsing...

In particular, look for the diagram provided by a data vendor showing this in action.

As with safebrowsing and adblocking extensions, there is no need to send data to servers.

Many groups of smart people have developed client-side and/or privacy-preserving implementations that have worked with high effectiveness for decades.

Unfortunately, many other groups have also financial incentives to not care about user privacy, so they go the route shown in the research.

> being used under false pretenses

Yes, obviously is that possible, but the least that one should do then is looking up what's really happening. These are browser addons, the source code is available. But instead they are looking from the outside and calling alarm on something they don't understand. That's just poor behaviour and harmful in today's climate.