# Privacy Policy for Shield - Smart Web Protection

**Last updated:** September 3, 2026

Shield - Smart Web Protection ("Shield", "we", "our", or "the extension") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains our practices regarding user data, permissions, and security.

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### 1. Summary (Privacy First)

- **Zero Data Collection:** Shield does **not** collect, record, log, track, or transmit any personally identifiable information (PII), browsing history, keystrokes, IP addresses, or network traffic.
- **Local-Only Processing:** All filtering rules, redirect detection, popup analysis, and settings are evaluated and stored entirely on your local device.
- **No Third-Party Analytics:** We do not use Google Analytics, telemetry SDKs, or third-party trackers inside the extension.
- **No Remote Code:** Shield contains no remote scripts or dynamic executable code. All code is bundled inside the extension package.

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### 2. Information We Do NOT Collect

When you use Shield, we do **not** collect:
- Your name, email address, physical address, or phone number.
- Your browsing history or visited URLs.
- Content of web pages you visit.
- Form inputs, passwords, or payment information.
- Device identifiers or IP addresses.
- Analytical data regarding how often you browse or which sites you visit.

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### 3. Permissions Used and Why

Shield requests only the permissions necessary to provide web protection and ad blocking functionality:

| Permission | Purpose & Usage |
| :--- | :--- |
| **`declarativeNetRequest`** | Used to block network requests to known ad servers, tracking scripts, and malicious redirects at the browser network layer. This is handled by Chrome's native engine—no URL data is collected or read by the extension. |
| **`storage`** | Used exclusively to save your personal preferences (such as Balanced vs. Aggressive mode), your custom allowlist and blocklist, and local blocked counter numbers via `chrome.storage.local`. This data never leaves your device. |
| **`tabs`** | Used solely to determine the hostname of the active tab when you click the extension icon, allowing you to see site-specific protection status and toggle protection on or off for that site. |
| **`webNavigation`** | Used in real time to monitor navigation transitions to detect and intercept rapid multi-domain redirect chains and bounce tracking before scam pages load. This analysis occurs strictly in memory on your device. |
| **Host Permissions (`<all_urls>`)** | Required to inject content scripts for cosmetic ad element hiding, popunder interception, and click-hijacking protection across websites you browse. |

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### 4. Data Storage and Security

All user settings, customized domain rules (allowlist/blocklist), and local protection statistics are stored strictly on your local browser profile using Chrome's built-in `chrome.storage.local` API. We do not operate external databases, cloud servers, or remote logging systems. Uninstalling the extension automatically removes all locally stored data.

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### 5. Third-Party Sharing and Sale of Data

Because we collect zero user data, Shield:
- **Never sells** user data to third parties, data brokers, or advertisers.
- **Never transfers** user data to external servers or marketing partners.
- **Never uses** user data for creditworthiness or personalized lending purposes.

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### 6. Compliance with Google Chrome Web Store Policies

Shield complies fully with the **Google Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies**, including the **Limited Use** requirements:
- The use of permissions is strictly limited to providing user-facing ad blocking, popup prevention, and navigation protection features.
- We do not allow any third-party access to browser information or user activity.

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### 7. Children's Privacy

Shield does not knowingly collect or solicit any personal information from anyone, including children under the age of 13.

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### 8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in legal requirements or extension capabilities. Any revisions will be reflected with an updated "Last updated" date at the top of this document.

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### 9. Contact Us

If you have any questions or feedback regarding this Privacy Policy, please open an issue on our GitHub repository or contact the extension developer directly.