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PRIVACY POLICY — SPOTIBLOCK AD BLOCKER FOR SPOTIFY™
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Last Updated: October 2026
1. INTRODUCTION & CORE PRIVACY PRINCIPLE
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SpotiBlock ("we", "our", or "the extension") is dedicated to providing an ad-free music listening experience on the Spotify™ Web Player while treating user privacy with the highest level of respect.
Our core commitment is simple: We believe software that protects you from ads should never spy on you. SpotiBlock does not collect, track, sell, transmit, or monetize any of your personal information, browsing history, or Spotify account details.
2. WHAT DATA WE COLLECT (ZERO PERSONAL DATA)
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• No Personal Identification Information (PII): We do not collect your name, email, IP address, location, or credentials.
• No Account Access: We never request or touch your Spotify account username, password, tokens, playlists, or library.
• No External Tracking: We do not use third-party analytics trackers, diagnostic telemetry, or remote tracking beacons.
• No Remote Data Exfiltration: All logic runs locally inside your browser. No data leaves your machine.
3. DATA STORED LOCALLY ON YOUR COMPUTER
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SpotiBlock uses the browser's local storage API (`chrome.storage.local`) strictly to maintain your settings on your device:
• User Preference Toggles: Whether Master Protection, Auto-Mute, Fast-Forward Skip, and Banner Cleaner are enabled or disabled.
• Local Ad Counters: An anonymous integer counter representing the number of commercial ads blocked or muted today and in total.
This data never leaves your device and is automatically removed when you uninstall the extension.
4. EXPLANATION OF BROWSER PERMISSIONS
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To function correctly, Chrome extensions declare specific technical capabilities. We follow the strict Principle of Least Privilege:
• "storage":
Enables the extension to save your preferences (e.g. keeping Auto-Mute turned on) and the ad-block counter locally on your browser.
• "declarativeNetRequest":
Enables Chrome's native, privacy-preserving network engine to block incoming commercial ad network calls and tracking scripts before they load, saving CPU and battery.
• Host Permissions ("https://open.spotify.com/*", "*://*.spotify.com/*"):
Allows the extension's content script to run exclusively on the Spotify Web Player to detect commercial breaks in real-time, mute the audio element, and skip ad media.
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5. SECURITY & THIRD-PARTY DISCLOSURE
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We do not share, sell, rent, or transfer any data to third parties, advertising companies, or external brokers. The extension is completely self-contained.
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6. CONTACT & INQUIRIES
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If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please open an inquiry through our Chrome Web Store support portal.
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TECHNICAL AUDIT: ARE ALL THESE PERMISSIONS REALLY NEEDED?
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A frequent question when submitting to the Chrome Web Store is: "Are all these permissions strictly required, or can we reduce them?"
Here is the professional audit and comparison:
1. WHAT WE REMOVED AND WHY:
• REMOVED "tabs":
The standard `tabs` permission triggers Chrome's scary warning: "Read your browsing history".
In reality, `chrome.tabs.create()` does NOT require the `tabs` permission at all! Furthermore, accessing or focusing a tab on Spotify is already covered by host permissions for `open.spotify.com`. By removing `tabs`, this scary warning is 100% eliminated!
• REMOVED "activeTab":
Since the popup controls global local storage settings and does not need to inject ad-hoc scripts into arbitrary user tabs, removing `activeTab` ensures zero unnecessary privileges.
• REMOVED `<all_urls>` and `declarativeNetRequestFeedback`:
Older extensions like the original Blockify snapshot requested broad access to every website on the internet (`<all_urls>`) and deep request logging (`declarativeNetRequestFeedback`). This is heavily flagged by Google's automated reviewers, triggering manual audits or rejections.
We replaced this with strictly scoped host permissions for Spotify only (`open.spotify.com`).
2. WHAT REMAINS (THE ABSOLUTE MINIMAL SET):
Only two core permissions remain:
✓ `storage` — to keep your toggle settings and ad count on your machine.
✓ `declarativeNetRequest` — to instruct Chrome's network engine to drop ad scripts.
Plus host permissions scoped solely to Spotify.
3. SUMMARY FOR CHROME WEB STORE APPROVAL:
Every single permission remaining in this extension is:
• 100% essential for the core functionality.
• Generates ZERO alarming install warnings for users.
• Fully satisfies Google's "Single Purpose" and "Least Privilege" policies, guaranteeing the smoothest and fastest possible approval.