Privacy

# Privacy Policy — Scholar Self-Citation Finder

Last updated: May 11, 2025

## Overview

Scholar Self-Citation Finder is a Chrome browser extension that analyzes Google Scholar profile pages to identify and count self-citations. This policy explains what data the extension accesses, what it does with it, and what it does not do.

## Data Collection

This extension does not collect, transmit, or store any personal data on external servers.

The extension does not:

- Send any data to the developer or any third party

- Track users across websites

- Log browsing history

- Use analytics or telemetry services

- Require an account or login

## Local Storage

The extension saves scan results (paper titles, citation counts, and self-citation counts from public Google Scholar pages) to your browser's local storage (chrome.storage.local). This data:

- Never leaves your device

- Is only used to restore your last scan results when you revisit the same Scholar profile

- Can be deleted at any time by clicking the Clear button inside the extension panel

- Is automatically scoped to the Scholar profile you scanned — it is not shared across profiles or users

## Data Accessed During a Scan

During a scan, the extension reads:

- The author name displayed on the Google Scholar profile page

- The list of publications and their citation counts (public information visible on the page)

- The content of citation pages on scholar.google.com (also public) to identify whether the profile owner appears as an author

All of this information is public and available to anyone who visits Google Scholar. The extension only reads it locally — it is not transmitted anywhere.

## Permissions Used

- activeTab: To read the currently active Google Scholar profile page

- scripting: To inject the analysis dashboard into the Google Scholar page

- tabs: To open support links in a new tab

- storage: To save scan results locally in the browser

- Host permission (scholar.google.com): To fetch public citation pages for analysis

## Third-Party Services

This extension does not integrate with any third-party analytics, advertising, or data services.

The support buttons inside the extension panel link to Buy Me a Coffee and PayPal. These are opened in a new browser tab and are entirely separate from the extension. No data is passed to these services by the extension.

## Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes in a future version, the updated date at the top of this page will reflect the change.

## Contact

For questions about this privacy policy, contact:

sohailanwar.es@gmail.com