Privacy Policy
Effective Date: October 12, 2026 • Product: BrowsearchAI: Tab Searcher Pro (Chrome Extension ID: jnffijklcefcdfglddckinenpgadpkhn)
BrowsearchAI is engineered under a strict Privacy-First Architecture. This Privacy Policy comprehensively details how we collect, handle, store, and share user data in strict accordance with the Google Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies, the User Data FAQ, and the Limited Use of User Data requirements.
Policy Sections & Table of Contents
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9. Children's Privacy (COPPA)
10. Policy Updates & Contact Information
100% On-Device Indexing
All page titles, headings, and tab URLs are indexed exclusively inside chrome.storage.local on your device.
Zero Tracking / Zero Sale
Zero analytics trackers, zero data brokers, zero advertising payloads, and zero sale or transfer of user browsing data.
On-Device Local AI
AI tab summarization and tag extraction run locally via Chrome's built-in window.ai Gemini Nano without sending page content off-device.
Single Purpose Statement
BrowsearchAI: Tab Searcher Pro has one clear, single purpose: To provide instant, zero-latency search, switching, and management across all open and recently closed browser tabs across all open windows.
All permissions requested and all data handled are strictly and directly necessary to fulfill this single purpose. In accordance with Google Chrome Web Store policies, BrowsearchAI does not perform any unrelated secondary functions.
User Data Collection
BrowsearchAI adheres to the principle of strict data minimization. We only access or collect information that is strictly required to provide instant tab searching and switching. Below is an exhaustive breakdown of all categories of user data handled:
2.1 Web Browsing Activity & Page Content (Tabs & Origins)
To enable searching across open background tabs before you switch to them, BrowsearchAI processes:
- Tab Metadata: Tab identification numbers (
tabId), tab titles, current page URLs, favicon image URLs, and browser window IDs. - Page Heading & Metadata Structures: Meta description tags (
<meta name="description">) and structural headings (<h1>through<h3>) extracted by the content script to allow searching tabs by their headings. - Closed Tab Timestamps: Closed tab titles, URLs, and close timestamps retained temporarily (up to 24 hours) to allow finding recently closed tabs.
2.2 Personally Identifiable Information & Authentication Data (Optional)
Guest Mode by Default: BrowsearchAI requires NO account creation, NO login, and NO personal identity to use. 100% of core search features operate in Guest Mode out of the box without collecting any personal information.
If and only if you voluntarily choose to sign in (via Google OAuth using the identity API or email/password), we process:
- Email Address: Used solely as your account identifier.
- Display Name & Avatar URL: Provided by Google OAuth to render your profile icon in the settings menu.
- Unique User ID (UID): An encrypted identifier generated by Google Firebase Authentication to associate your preferences.
* Note: Your browsing activity and tab search index are NEVER linked to your user account profile or transmitted to authentication servers.
2.3 Technical Preferences & Local Storage Data
We store UI preferences locally on your machine, including: theme preference (dark mode vs. light mode), custom keyboard shortcut overrides, and local search cache timestamps.
2.4 Data We Strictly DO NOT Collect
BrowsearchAI does NOT collect, read, or record:
- No form inputs or keystrokes
- No passwords or credentials
- No payment or banking details
- No cookies or session tokens
- No IP address or location logs
- No history prior to installation
User Data Handling and Use
All data handled by BrowsearchAI is processed strictly in direct support of the single purpose of the extension:
Sub-Millisecond Search Execution
Tab titles, headings, and URLs are parsed by an in-memory fuzzy search engine (fuzzySearch.ts) directly inside the extension popup process to provide instant results as you type.
On-Device AI Summaries
When AI summarization is requested, the text snippet is passed strictly to Chrome's built-in window.ai Gemini Nano model running locally on your hardware. Zero text is sent to cloud AI APIs.
24-Hour Tab Recovery
When a tab is closed, its title and URL are held in a local temporary cache for up to 24 hours so you can search for and re-open accidentally closed tabs.
Authentication & Sync
If you voluntarily log in, your email and authentication tokens are handled solely to verify your session and store preference settings securely in Google Firebase Authentication.
User Data Storage, Retention, and Security
We implement industry-standard technical safeguards to ensure that user data is stored safely, retained only as long as necessary, and protected against unauthorized access:
4.1 Storage Location: 100% On-Device Local Sandbox
All tab index data, page titles, headings, and URLs are stored exclusively in Chrome's sandboxed chrome.storage.local on the user's physical machine. No tab index, search query, or browsing record is ever transmitted to or stored on external cloud databases.
4.2 Data Retention & Automatic Expiration Periods
- Active Tabs: Retained in memory and local storage only while the browser tab remains open. When you close a tab, it transitions to the closed cache.
- Closed Tabs (24-Hour Expiration): Closed tab entries automatically expire and are permanently wiped after 24 hours. A background alarm routine (
cleanup_stale_tabs) runs every 60 minutes via the Chrome Alarms API to enforce this deletion. - Search Queries: Queries typed into the search bar are evaluated in real time in browser RAM and are never persisted to disk.
- Account Data (Optional): If you create an account, authentication credentials remain in Firebase Authentication until you request account deletion.
4.3 Cryptographic Security & Transmission Protection
- Local Storage Isolation: Chrome restricts
chrome.storage.localstrictly to the BrowsearchAI extension environment. Other extensions and websites cannot access this storage. - Encrypted Transmission (TLS 1.3 / HTTPS): All network requests for optional authentication with Google Firebase use modern cryptographic protocols (TLS 1.3 over HTTPS) with cipher suites approved by the IETF. Browsing and tab data are never transmitted over the network.
- Zero Remote Database of Browsing Activity: We do not operate any server or database that stores, logs, or tracks your tabs or browsing habits.
User Data Sharing, Disclosure, and Third-Party Transfers
BrowsearchAI maintains an uncompromising policy regarding user data sharing and monetization:
5.1 We Do NOT Sell User Data
BrowsearchAI does NOT sell, license, rent, monetize, or trade any user browsing activity, tab metadata, personal information, or user identifiers to third parties, advertising networks, data brokers, or market research organizations under any circumstances.
5.2 Third Parties and Service Providers Disclosed
In accordance with Chrome Web Store disclosure requirements, below are all third parties with whom data may be shared:
| Third Party | Data Shared | Purpose & Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Google Firebase Authentication (Google LLC) | Email address, UID, display name (only if the user voluntarily signs in) | User account verification and token validation. Zero tab or browsing data is shared. |
| Advertising Networks / Data Brokers | NONE | Strictly Zero Sharing |
| Analytics / Telemetry Services | NONE | Strictly Zero Tracking |
5.3 Chrome Web Store Limited Use Policy Certification
BrowsearchAI's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adhere to the Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies, including the Limited Use requirements:
- Allowed Use: We only use data to provide or improve single-purpose user-facing features (instant tab search and switching).
- Allowed Transfer: We do not transfer user data to third parties, except as strictly necessary to provide the user-facing authentication feature or to comply with applicable laws.
- Prohibited Advertising: We do not use or transfer user data for serving advertisements, including personalized, re-targeted, or interest-based advertising.
- Prohibited Credit Decisions: We do not use or transfer user data to determine creditworthiness or for lending purposes.
- Prohibited Human Interaction: We do not allow humans to read user data, except where we have obtained the user's explicit affirmative consent for technical troubleshooting, when necessary for security investigations, or when required by law.
In-Product Prominent Disclosure & User Consent (Purple Nickel Compliance)
To fulfill the Chrome Web Store Prominent Disclosure Requirement (Notification Reference ID: Purple Nickel), BrowsearchAI guarantees prominent disclosure and user consent mechanisms:
In-Product Prominent Disclosures & Controls
1. Direct Extension UI Disclosures: The extension popup features a dedicated "Data & Privacy" section accessible in the Settings panel and a direct Privacy Policy link in the footer, clearly notifying users that tab metadata is indexed locally on their device.
2. Affirmative User Consent: By installing and launching BrowsearchAI, users give informed consent for the extension to read open browser tab titles and URLs to construct the local search index. For optional features (such as Google Sign-In), consent is requested explicitly through Chrome's native OAuth approval dialog.
3. Offline / Guest Mode Guarantee: Users who do not consent to cloud authentication can freely use 100% of the core tab search features indefinitely in Guest Mode with zero network transmission.
User Rights, Controls, and Data Deletion
You have complete authority over your data. In compliance with global privacy regulations (including GDPR, CCPA, and CalOPPA), you can inspect, clear, and delete your data at any time:
chrome.storage.local.
Manifest Permissions & Justifications
Below is the explicit justification for every permission declared in manifest.json:
Technical Justification for Host Permission: <all_urls>
The Chrome activeTab permission only grants temporary access to the single tab that is currently active when the user opens the extension. However, BrowsearchAI's core single purpose is searching across 150+ background open tabs across all windows before the user switches to them.
Without <all_urls>, the content script cannot extract page titles, meta descriptions, and structural headings from background tabs upon page load. Restricting the extension to activeTab would break background tab indexing completely, rendering instant tab search impossible.
| Permission | Type | Technical Justification |
|---|---|---|
| <all_urls> | Host Permission | Enables content script injection across open tabs to parse heading structures and meta tags for background tab indexing. |
| tabs | API Permission | Queries open tab IDs, titles, URLs, favicons, window IDs, and handles keyboard-driven tab switching/closing. |
| storage | API Permission | Persists local search index, 24-hour closed tab cache, and theme preferences locally in chrome.storage.local. |
| unlimitedStorage | API Permission | Prevents browser quota exceptions when caching metadata for 150+ open tabs with full-text indexing. |
| alarms | API Permission | Schedules periodic 60-minute background cleanup tasks to purge closed tab records older than 24 hours. |
| activeTab | API Permission | Grants instant execution access to active tab DOM when manual AI summarization is requested. |
| scripting | API Permission | Executes minimal article text extraction scripts on demand for summarization requests. |
| identity | API Permission | Enables optional Google Sign-In via Chrome OAuth 2.0 API for users who choose to create an account. |
| offscreen | API Permission | Provides an offscreen DOM context for Firebase authentication state handling in Manifest V3. |
Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)
BrowsearchAI is a general utility productivity tool designed for the general public. We do not knowingly collect, solicit, or maintain personal information from children under the age of 13 in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If we learn that personal information from a child under 13 has been collected, we will take immediate steps to delete such data.
Policy Updates & Contact Information
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our technical practices or legal obligations. When changes are made, the "Effective Date" at the top will be updated. We encourage users to periodically review this page.
Compliance & Privacy Inquiries
For any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, user data handling, or compliance inquiries under Chrome Web Store policies, please contact our team: