Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 2026

Thank you for using Before You Click.

Your privacy and trust are paramount. Before You Click is an independent decision assistant designed to provide a second pair of eyes before you buy, book, subscribe, or agree online. It scans visible webpage terms, cancellation policies, hidden fees, and recurring commitments to present clear, evidence-backed summaries before you complete a transaction.

This policy explains what information the extension handles, how it is processed, and our commitment to radical data minimization and zero passive surveillance.

Information We Handle

Before You Click operates strictly on-demand when you interact with the extension on an active webpage. We do not require you to create an account, log in, or provide any personal identification.

• Visible Webpage Text (On-Demand): When you open the extension or request an analysis, visible textual content (such as pricing tables, refund clauses, renewal terms, and fine print) from your currently active tab is extracted to perform the analysis.
• Page Context: The current tab's domain and page title are read to identify the merchant or service being analyzed and to display the website's favicon in the side panel header.
• UI Preferences: Non-sensitive settings (such as your default intent category and panel layout preferences) stored locally on your device.

What We Never Collect:

• We never collect personally identifiable information (such as your name, email, phone number, or address).
• We never access or collect passwords, authentication credentials, payment details, or credit card numbers. All form inputs and checkout entry fields are filtered out and ignored client-side.
• We never collect, log, or track your browsing history or track your activity across unrelated tabs.

How Your Data Is Processed & Stored

Before You Click is built on an ephemeral, zero-storage model:

• On-Device Filtering: Before any text leaves your browser, a client-side parser removes scripts, styles, hidden elements, and input fields. Only sanitized, visible semantic blocks are prepared for analysis.
• Ephemeral Transmission: The sanitized text is sent over encrypted connections (HTTPS) to our secure edge gateway (powered by Supabase Edge Functions) to interface with Google's Gemini API for analysis.
• Zero Server Retention: Analysis requests are processed ephemerally in server memory. Neither extracted webpage text nor generated findings are written to a database or stored on our servers.
• Local In-Memory Display: Results are displayed within your side panel during your active browsing session and are discarded when you navigate away or close the tab.

AI-Powered Analysis

The core intelligence of Before You Click utilizes Google's Gemini API via a secure backend gateway to detect fine print, recurring billing traps, and cancellation rules.

• Only the sanitized, public text snippets necessary to answer your analysis request are transmitted.
• AI queries are processed statelessly under zero-retention parameters and are not used to train AI models or profile individual users.
• The AI only surfaces facts and quotes directly evidenced by the text on the active page.

Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, monetize, or trade user data or webpage content. Period.

Data is shared only in the following minimal, strictly technical ways:

• With Infrastructure Providers: Encrypted text chunks are routed through Supabase Edge Functions and processed via Google's Gemini API strictly to perform the real-time contract analysis you request. These providers process data on our behalf under strict confidentiality and security terms.
• For Legal Compliance: Only if explicitly required by applicable law, regulation, or legal process.

Analytics and Advertising

• Before You Click is 100% ad-free. We do not integrate with third-party ad networks.
• We do not sell user data, track users across the web, or use your content for behavioral targeting or commercial profiling.

Permissions Used & Justification

activeTab & scripting

Used solely upon your explicit user action to read visible webpage text for analysis and to enable the "Show me" feature, which temporarily highlights the source clause on the page for visual verification.

sidePanel

Provides a persistent side-by-side view so you can review findings and verify highlighted clauses directly on the page without popup windows closing automatically.

tabs

Used to detect when you navigate to a new page or switch tabs, ensuring the panel resets immediately and never displays stale findings from a previous website.

favicon

Displays the official icon of the active website in the side panel header so you can visually confirm which site is currently being analyzed.

storage

Used strictly on your local device (chrome.storage.local) to remember your personal UI preferences, such as default intent categories.

Data Security

All network communications between the extension, our backend gateway, and the AI service use industry-standard HTTPS encryption (TLS 1.3). No API keys or backend credentials are exposed in the client-side code. While we implement strict data minimization and encryption safeguards, please remember that no method of transmission over the internet is completely infallible.

Data Retention and Deletion

Because Before You Click does not maintain user accounts, databases, or persistent server logs of webpage content, there is no server-side user data to retain or delete. All analysis results exist ephemerally in browser memory and are wiped when the side panel is closed or the tab navigates away. Any local UI preferences can be cleared at any time by removing the extension or clearing extension data in your browser settings.

Children's Privacy

Before You Click is designed for general audiences and does not knowingly collect or target personal information from children under 13 (or under 16 in certain jurisdictions).

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any revisions will be published on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or feedback regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please reach out to us at:

support@beforeyouclick.app

This document is provided for informational purposes regarding extension functionality and data practices. Please replace the contact email placeholder with your actual support address before hosting.