Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for FocusCutter

1. Overview & Core Commitment

FocusCutter ("the Extension", "we", "us", or "our") is a Chrome browser extension designed to help students, knowledge workers, and readers digest web articles in a clean, distraction-free environment using Bionic Reading typography, focus timer aids, and study tools.

We are committed to a strict 100% Client-Side, Privacy-First Architecture:

• We do NOT sell, rent, monetize, or trade your personal data.

• We do NOT track, record, or profile your browsing history or reading activity.

• We do NOT use your data for advertising, creditworthiness, or data broker services.

• All article formatting, readability extraction, bionic typography, and site-blocking checks execute entirely on your local machine.

2. Information We Collect, Access & Handle

FocusCutter accesses and processes only the minimum data strictly required to deliver its core reading and focus features:

A. Webpage Content & Text

• What is accessed: The text and structure of the web page where you activate Reader Mode.

• How it is handled: The content is processed ephemerally in browser memory by our client-side readability parser to remove ads, sidebars, and popups, and to format text with Bionic Reading fixation points.

• Storage: Processed in temporary volatile memory only. Webpage content is never transmitted to external developer servers.

B. Active Tab URLs (Distraction Shield)

• What is accessed: URLs of active tabs only while you have an active "Hardcore Focus Shield" session running.

• How it is handled: URLs are compared in memory against a local list of distracting domains (e.g., social media or video streaming sites) to redirect you back to your active reading session.

• Storage: Evaluated locally on your device. We never log, store, or transmit your browsing history.

C. Local Preferences & Reading State

• What is stored: Selected theme (Light, Dark, Sepia, Nordic), font family, font size, bionic fixation preferences, reading streak counter, and user-saved highlights.

• Storage: Saved locally on your device via Chrome's built-in local storage API (chrome.storage.local). This data remains strictly inside your browser.

D. User-Provided API Keys (Optional Features)

• What is stored: If you optionally choose to integrate Notion Sync or OpenAI Text-to-Speech narration, your personal API keys are saved locally on your device in chrome.storage.local. They are used solely to communicate directly with those respective third-party APIs upon your explicit action.

E. Pro License Verification (Optional)

• What is accessed: When you enter a license key to activate FocusCutter Pro, the key is transmitted over secure HTTPS to Gumroad (https://api.gumroad.com/v2/licenses/verify) solely to confirm license validity.

3. Chrome Extension Permissions Justification

In compliance with the Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies, here is why each requested permission is necessary:

• storage: Required to save your preferred reader themes, font settings, reading streaks, and focus timer status locally on your device.

• activeTab & scripting: Required to inject and render the distraction-free reader overlay on your active tab when you click the extension icon or use the keyboard shortcut (Alt+Shift+F / Opt+Shift+F).

• tabs: Required by the Focus Shield to detect if a distracting website is opened during an active focus block and gently redirect you back to your reading task.

• <all_urls> (Host Permissions): Required to allow the reader mode and bionic reading typography to run across any article, news site, or blog on the web. No personal data, passwords, or browsing histories are collected.

4. Data Sharing & Third-Party Disclosures

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third parties. We do not share any data with advertising networks, analytics trackers, or data brokers.

FocusCutter communicates with external endpoints only under specific, user-initiated circumstances:

• Gumroad API (api.gumroad.com): For Pro license verification when a user activates Pro.

• Free Dictionary API (api.dictionaryapi.dev): For in-text word definitions when a user looks up a word.

• Notion API (api.notion.com): To export highlights only if the user configures their personal Notion key.

• OpenAI API (api.openai.com): For text-to-speech audio only if the user configures their personal OpenAI key.

No personal browsing data is shared with any third party outside these explicit, user-initiated features.

5. Data Storage, Retention & Security

• Local Storage: All preferences and highlights reside solely in your local browser instance via chrome.storage.local.

• No Developer Servers: We do not operate developer backend databases that collect, log, or track your reading habits.

• Retention: Data remains stored locally on your machine until you manually clear it or uninstall the extension.

6. User Control & Data Deletion Rights

You retain full control over your data:

• Clear Settings & Highlights: You can delete your saved highlights and reset preferences at any time from the extension popup or by clearing extension storage in Chrome (chrome://settings/content/all).

• Complete Erasure: Uninstalling the FocusCutter extension immediately and permanently deletes all locally stored data from your device.

7. Children's Privacy Protection

FocusCutter does not knowingly collect, store, or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or your data privacy while using FocusCutter, please contact us at:

• Product: FocusCutter Chrome Extension

• Support Email: Buildflowhq@gmail.com