Privacy Policy

Overview

Search Like A Local is committed to protecting your privacy. We believe your data belongs to you, and we've built our extension with privacy as a core principle.

Data Collection and Storage

Search Like A Local takes a privacy-first approach to data handling:

• No Server-Side Data Collection: We do not collect, track, or store any user data, search queries, or browsing history on external servers
• Local Storage Only: All preferences and search history are stored locally on your device using Chrome's storage API and never leave your computer
• No Analytics or Tracking: We do not use any analytics, tracking, or telemetry services
• No Third-Party Sharing: Your data is never shared with, sold to, or transmitted to any third parties
• No User Accounts: The extension does not require account creation or login, ensuring complete anonymity

Translation Service

Search Like A Local uses Google Translate's publicly available translation service to translate your search queries. Here's how it works:

Translation Process

• Direct Communication: Your search query is sent directly from your browser to Google Translate's API for translation purposes only
• Browser-to-Google: This communication occurs directly between your browser and Google's servers without intermediaries
• No Interception: We do not intercept, store, or have access to this data at any point
• Google's Privacy Policy: Google's own privacy policy governs their handling of translation requests

Permissions Explained

The extension requires minimal permissions to function. Here's why each permission is needed:

• activeTab: Required to access the current tab for context menu functionality (right-click search feature)
• tabs: Required to open search results in new tabs when you perform a search
• storage: Required to save your preferences (selected location, search engine, language) and search history locally on your device
• contextMenus: Required to provide right-click search functionality for selected text

These permissions are the minimum required for the extension to function. We do not request access to any sensitive data such as passwords, payment information, or personal files.

Your Control Over Your Data

You have complete control over your data at all times:

Search History Management

• View your search history at any time within the extension
• Clear your search history using the "Clear History" button
• History is stored locally and can only be accessed by you

Preferences

• All preferences are stored locally on your device
• Change your preferences at any time in the extension settings
• Reset preferences by reinstalling the extension

Complete Data Removal

• Uninstalling the extension removes all locally stored data from your device
• No residual data remains on external servers (because none is collected)

Third-Party Services

The extension interacts with the following third-party services:

Google Translate

• Used for query translation
• Direct browser-to-Google communication
• No data interception by our extension
• Subject to Google's privacy policy

Search Engines

• Google, Baidu, Yandex, Naver, and other regional search engines
• You are redirected to these search engines to view results
• Each search engine's privacy policy applies when you visit their site
• We do not control or have access to data these search engines may collect

Children's Privacy

Search Like A Local does not knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of 13. The extension does not collect personal information from users of any age. If you believe a child has provided information through our extension, please contact us, though note that we do not collect such data.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this privacy policy periodically.

If we make material changes to how we handle user data, we will notify users through the extension or via email if we have contact information (though we currently do not collect email addresses).

Data Security

While we do not collect personal data on servers, we still take security seriously:

• All data stored locally uses Chrome's secure storage API
• Communication with translation services uses secure HTTPS connections
• The extension code is regularly reviewed for security vulnerabilities
• We follow Chrome Web Store security best practices

Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

For users in the European Economic Area (EEA), our legal basis for processing any data is:

• Legitimate Interest: To provide the translation and search functionality you requested
• Consent: By using the extension, you consent to the limited data processing described in this policy

You have the right to withdraw consent at any time by uninstalling the extension.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your data:

• Right to Access: You can view all locally stored data through the extension interface
• Right to Deletion: You can delete all data by clearing history or uninstalling the extension
• Right to Portability: Your search history is stored in a standard format and can be exported
• Right to Object: You can stop all data processing by uninstalling the extension

Since we don't collect personal data on servers, many traditional data rights are automatically satisfied by our privacy-first design.

Contact Information

Compliance

This privacy policy complies with:

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
• Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies
• Other applicable privacy laws and regulations