Privacy Policy

HonestSiteAudit exists to help you clean up your own marketing copy — so it's built to keep your data on your device. Here is exactly what the extension does, what (if anything) ever leaves your browser, and only when you choose it.

Last updated: July 12, 2026

1. What HonestSiteAudit does

HonestSiteAudit is a browser extension. When you click Scan this page, it reads the visible text, links, and buttons of the page you're on and runs a rule set — entirely inside your browser — to flag marketing claims and patterns that regulators such as the FTC and state attorneys general commonly scrutinize, and to suggest more honest wording. It flags patterns to review; it does not tell you a site is compliant, safe, or in the clear.

2. What we do not do

• We do not sell, rent, or share your data with anyone.
• We run no third-party analytics and no advertising trackers in the extension.
• We do not read pages you didn't ask us to. The extension acts only on the tab you invoke it on (or the sites you explicitly schedule).
• We never see your payment-card details — those go to our payment processor, not to us.

3. What leaves your device — and only when you choose it

A plain scan sends nothing. Detection runs locally; the page's content stays in your browser. Data only leaves your device in the specific, opt-in cases below.

(a) AI review — optional, on your own Anthropic key

If you add your own Anthropic API key in Settings and run a full scan (or turn on "read text in images"), the page's marketing text — together with the page's URL and title for context, and, for image reading, the marketing images — are sent to Anthropic to analyze, using your key. That request goes from your browser directly to Anthropic and is governed by Anthropic's terms and privacy policy; we never receive it, and your key is stored only on your device. Use "Quick scan," or don't add a key, and nothing is sent.

(b) License activation and validation — paid plans

When you activate a license, the extension sends your license key, a random device identifier, and your browser's user-agent string to our licensing server to validate it, count your seat, and guard against abuse; periodic re-validation sends the same. At checkout, the email you enter is sent so we can process payment and deliver your key. We do not receive the pages you scan through this path.

(c) Forensic anchoring — Pro, only when you seal a record

When you choose to seal a scan into a tamper-evident record, the extension sends the record's cryptographic hash, the page URL, and the capture time to our server. The page's content itself never leaves your device — only its hash. Our server then obtains an independent RFC-3161 trusted timestamp from a timestamp authority (such as FreeTSA) and adds a server signature, and returns a signed receipt proving the record existed at that time. The record and the page content stay on your device.

4. What is stored on your device

Your settings (including your Anthropic key, if you add one), your license status, your most recent scan result, and any records you seal are stored in your browser's local storage (chrome.storage.local). They remain on your device unless you export or download them yourself.

5. Permissions, and why the extension asks for them

activeTab + scripting

To read the page you click "Scan" on, and to highlight flagged phrases back on it. Runs only when you invoke the extension.

host access (all sites)

So you can scan whatever site you're reviewing, and the whole-site scan can fetch other pages of that same site. It never runs on its own — only on your action, or your own scheduled checks.

storage

To save your settings, license status, and records on your device.

alarms

To run the optional scheduled re-checks you set up.

downloads

To save a report or sealed record as a file when you ask.

notifications

To alert you when a scheduled check finds new flagged patterns.

6. Data we receive through our services

When your extension validates a license, our server records the license identifier, a coarse validation result, and a hashed (not raw) IP address for rate-limiting and abuse prevention. Forensic anchoring stores the record's hash, the page URL, and its timestamp — not the page's contents. If you email us for support, we receive what you send.

7. Payments

Purchases are handled by Stripe. Your card details go to Stripe, not to us; we receive a confirmation and the email you provided so we can issue your license. Stripe's handling of your payment information is governed by Stripe's privacy policy.

8. Children

HonestSiteAudit is a tool for website and business owners. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we'll change the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the extension after a change means you accept the updated policy.

10. Contact

Questions about privacy? Email cliff@locustware.com.