## Privacy Policy for ChipChip
**Effective date:** 2026-05-28
**Last updated:** 2026-06-13
ChipChip is a Chrome extension that helps you schedule and send messages through WhatsApp Web. This policy describes what data the extension accesses, what stays on your device, and what is sent to our servers or third-party services when you use optional features.
**Related:** [Terms of Service / User Agreement](https://romsyn.com)
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### Summary
| Data | Where it stays | Sent externally? |
|------|----------------|------------------|
| Scheduled messages, tags, local settings | Your browser (IndexedDB / `chrome.storage`) | No (unless you use cloud features below) |
| License key + purchase email (subscription) | Cached locally in extension settings | Yes — both sent to `getSubscription` to verify they match your purchase; not shared with third parties |
| Google account email (optional) | Cached locally if Chrome provides it | No longer required for subscription; may still appear for legacy UI |
| Premium entitlement | Short-lived JWT in memory / storage | Yes — issued and verified via our backend |
| AliExpress / Shopee API keys (optional) | `chrome.storage` on your device (AES-GCM encrypted with a per-profile device key) | Yes — only to our Cloud Functions to call affiliate APIs on your behalf; never logged in full |
| **Gemini API key (BYOK)** | **`chrome.storage` on your device (AES-GCM encrypted with a per-profile device key)** | **Yes — directly from your browser to Google; not stored on our servers** |
| AI product copy prompts | Built in the extension | Yes — to our Cloud Functions (`generateProductDescription`), which calls OpenAI |
| PayPal subscription events | PayPal → our webhook | Processed on Google Cloud; updates subscription status in Firestore |
| Firebase App Check token | Generated in a hidden offscreen page; short-lived | Yes — sent to our Cloud Functions with premium / subscription API requests |
We do **not** sell your personal data. We do **not** use advertising or analytics SDKs inside the extension.
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### Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) — privacy-first AI
**This is a core privacy feature of ChipChip.**
- **You** may optionally provide your own **Google Gemini API key** for certain free-tier AI flows.
- The key is saved **only in your browser** (`chrome.storage` on your device), **encrypted on disk** with a random key created for your Chrome profile (no password to remember).
- Requests using BYOK are sent **directly from your browser to Google** (API key in the HTTP header, never in the URL).
- **ChipChip does not upload, store, or log your BYOK key on our servers.**
- You can delete the key at any time from the Integrations panel or by clearing extension data.
Premium product-copy generation that runs through our Cloud Functions uses **our** OpenAI integration and does not require your Gemini key.
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### Data we access locally
- Message text, schedules, attachments, and tags you create in the extension.
- Group and contact identifiers visible on WhatsApp Web while the extension runs (to let you pick recipients and send scheduled messages).
- Extension preferences (language, AI settings, integration toggles).
Most scheduling data is stored **only on your device** in IndexedDB and extension storage.
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### Data sent to ChipChip servers (Google Cloud / Firebase)
When you sign in or use premium / hot-products / AI features, the extension communicates with **Firebase** and **Cloud Functions** hosted on Google Cloud (`chipchip-a3d33` project), including:
- **Subscription:** Chrome profile email (read-only in Settings) plus license key you paste from your purchase email; verified server-side (email must match the key’s registered billing email); returns entitlement JWT when active. The extension does not fetch your license key from our servers—only you provide it.
- **Entitlement token:** a signed JWT proving premium access for AI and affiliate proxy endpoints.
- **Product description generation:** structured product context and language preferences are sent to `generateProductDescription`; our server calls **OpenAI** and returns marketing copy. Prompts are not written to public logs in full.
- **AliExpress / Shopee affiliate features:** product IDs, categories, and **your optional API credentials** (if you configure Integrations) are sent so our server can call official affiliate APIs. Secrets are redacted in server logs.
- **Hot product images:** image URLs or tokens may be proxied through our CDN/signing endpoint for display inside WhatsApp Web.
We use **HTTPS** for all such requests. Server logs are limited to metadata (status codes, lengths, redacted identifiers)—not full API bodies or API keys.
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### Third-party services you may enable
- **Google Gemini (BYOK):** See the [BYOK section](#bring-your-own-key-byok--privacy-first-ai) above — your key stays on your device and talks to Google directly.
- **Telegram / Facebook mirroring (optional):** If enabled, bot tokens, page tokens, and message text you choose to mirror may be sent from the extension to Telegram/Facebook APIs according to your settings. Tokens are stored locally unless you choose to persist them.
- **PayPal:** Subscription payments are handled by PayPal. PayPal sends webhook events to our backend; we update subscription records accordingly. We do not receive your full card details.
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### What we do not do
- We do not sell or rent your data to data brokers.
- We do not inject third-party advertising or tracking pixels in the extension UI.
- We do not request broad host permissions beyond **WhatsApp Web** (`https://web.whatsapp.com/*`).
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### Chrome extension permission: `offscreen`
ChipChip requests the Chrome **`offscreen`** permission to run a hidden extension page that is **never shown to you**.
- **Why:** To obtain a short-lived **Firebase App Check** token through our App Check helper at `https://chipchip-a3d33.web.app`. Google **reCAPTCHA Enterprise** may run as part of this process.
- **When:** Only when the extension calls ChipChip cloud services—for example subscription verification, premium AI features, or hot-products APIs.
- **What is sent:** A technical App Check token in the `X-Firebase-AppCheck` HTTP header to our Cloud Functions (`europe-west1-chipchip-a3d33.cloudfunctions.net`).
- **What is not collected:** The offscreen page does not read WhatsApp messages, browsing history on other websites, or screen content. It does not display a user interface.
Service workers cannot load the App Check helper iframe directly; Chrome’s offscreen documents are used for this background technical step only.
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### Security practices
- Production extension builds strip verbose `console` output; sensitive fields are redacted in client and server logs.
- PayPal webhooks are verified with PayPal’s signature API when verification is enabled in production.
- AI-generated HTML is sanitized before being inserted into the DOM (allowed tags only; scripts and event handlers removed).
- Optional integration secrets remain in your browser profile; protect your device and Chrome profile like any password manager.
**Limitation:** Data in the browser Network tab or DevTools may still show request bodies while you debug—that is expected browser behavior, not server logging.
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### Data retention
- Local scheduling data remains until you delete it or uninstall the extension.
- Server-side subscription and operational records are retained as needed for billing, support, and abuse prevention; webhook deduplication records expire per our backend configuration.
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### Your choices
- You can use scheduling features without enabling AliExpress, Shopee, Gemini BYOK, or social mirroring.
- You can remove integration keys from the Integrations panel and clear extension storage by uninstalling the extension.
- Premium features require sign-in and an active subscription.
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### Children
ChipChip is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect children’s data.
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### Changes
We may update this policy. The effective date at the top will change when we do. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.
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### Contact
Questions or privacy requests: **support@romsyn.com**
We respond to Chrome Web Store and user privacy inquiries at this address.
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### Disclaimer
ChipChip is an independent product and is **not** affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by WhatsApp, Meta, AliExpress, Google, OpenAI, PayPal, Telegram, or Facebook.
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### Terms of Service
Use of ChipChip is also subject to our **Terms of Service / User Agreement**: [https://romsyn.com](https://romsyn.com)