PRIVACY POLICY - POSTLIGHT READER
Effective Date: October 11, 2026
Last Updated: October 11, 2026
1. INTRODUCTION & CORE PRINCIPLE
Postlight Reader ("we", "our", or "the extension") is committed to total user privacy. Our core philosophy is simple: your reading habits, browsing activity, and web content belong exclusively to you.
The extension functions 100% locally on your device. We do NOT collect, monitor, track, sell, or transmit any user data or article content to external servers.
==================================================
2. DATA COLLECTION AND USAGE
==================================================
• No Personal Information Collected:
We do not collect names, email addresses, IP addresses, location data, or device identifiers.
• No Browsing History Logged:
We do not track which websites you visit or what articles you read.
• No Third-Party Tracking or Analytics:
The extension contains no third-party trackers, no advertising SDKs, no Google Analytics, and no telemetry scripts.
• 100% On-Device Parsing:
When you activate Reader Mode, the article text, headline, and images are parsed and formatted entirely within your browser's local sandbox memory. No page content is ever uploaded to any cloud server or API.
==================================================
3. EXPLANATION OF BROWSER PERMISSIONS
==================================================
To function as an article reader, the extension requests the following three permissions in the Chrome Web Store:
1. "activeTab"
• Purpose: Grants temporary access to the currently active web tab ONLY when you explicitly invoke the extension (e.g., by clicking the toolbar icon or pressing the keyboard shortcut Alt+R / Cmd+Shift+R).
• Why it is safe: It does not give the extension ongoing or background access to your tabs. The moment you navigate away or close the tab, access ceases.
2. "scripting"
• Purpose: Enables the extension to inject the clean reader overlay and its reader stylesheet into the active page when triggered.
• Why it is safe: It is strictly executed inside an isolated Shadow DOM container to render distraction-free typography and clean article text without modifying the website permanently.
3. "storage"
• Purpose: Stores your personal reading preferences locally in your browser's storage (e.g., whether you prefer Light, Sepia, or Dark mode; your chosen font size; and font family).
• Why it is safe: This data is stored strictly in your local browser profile and is never transmitted over the internet.
==================================================
4. PERMISSION NECESSITY ANALYSIS: ARE ALL PERMISSIONS REALLY NEEDED?
==================================================
YES — Every requested permission is strictly necessary for core functionality, and NO excess permissions are requested.
Why we DO NOT use broad host permissions ("<all_urls>" or "*://*/*"):
Many older or untrustworthy extensions request permanent access to "<all_urls>". This invasive permission allows extensions to monitor all websites you visit at all times, creating significant privacy and security risks (including the injection of malicious ads, as seen in illegitimate clones).
Postlight Reader deliberately rejects "<all_urls>". Instead, it strictly uses "activeTab", which guarantees:
• The extension can NEVER see or modify any website you visit until you intentionally click the extension or use the shortcut.
• The extension has zero background visibility into your browsing habits.
• Only the minimum viable permissions required by Google's Manifest V3 policy are utilized.
Summary:
• "activeTab" -> Indispensable to read the current article on demand.
• "scripting" -> Indispensable to display the distraction-free reading interface.
• "storage" -> Indispensable to remember your preferred font and color theme.
No additional permissions (such as cookies, webRequest, identity, or geolocation) are requested or needed.
==================================================
5. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES
==================================================
The extension operates completely standalone. It does not communicate with any external servers, APIs, or third parties.
==================================================
6. USER CONTROL & DATA DELETION
==================================================
Because all preferences are stored locally in your browser via Chrome's storage API, uninstalling the extension immediately and permanently removes all stored preferences from your machine.
==================================================
7. CONTACT & INQUIRIES
==================================================
If you have any questions or feedback regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact the developer via the official Chrome Web Store developer contact link.