Privacy Policy

Section 01

Overview

ClauseGuard is a Chrome browser extension that scans contracts for potentially problematic clauses using a built-in, locally-executed rule set. This Privacy Policy explains what data the extension handles, how it is used, and what guarantees we make about your privacy.

The core guarantee is simple: ClauseGuard has no backend server, makes no outbound network requests during scanning, and collects no information about you or your contracts. The extension is a self-contained tool that runs entirely inside your browser.

Section 02

Data We Do Not Collect

ClauseGuard does not collect, transmit, store externally, or share any of the following:

• Contract text or document contents — never read beyond your browser
• Personal information — no name, email, phone, or identity data
• Browsing history or URLs — we do not track which sites you visit
• Usage analytics or telemetry — no scan counts, click events, or feature usage
• Device information — no IP address, browser fingerprint, or OS data
• Crash reports — errors are not logged or sent anywhere
• Cookies or tracking pixels — none used anywhere in the extension

Section 03

Local Browser Storage

ClauseGuard uses Chrome's local storage APIs for one specific, temporary purpose: passing contract text from the popup window to the analysis results tab within the same scan session.

This data is stored only on your device, is never synced to Chrome's cloud sync, and is never accessible to any website or third party. You can manually clear all extension storage at any time via:

• Chrome menu → More Tools → Extensions → ClauseGuard → Details → Clear site data
• Or by uninstalling the extension, which removes all local data automatically

Section 04

Extension Permissions Explained

ClauseGuard requests the following Chrome permissions. Here is exactly why each is needed:

• activeTab — Allows the extension to access the currently active tab when you click the icon. Required to extract text from the page you are viewing. Access is granted only at the moment you click, not continuously.
• scripting — Allows injecting the text-extraction function into the active page. This is the primary mechanism for reading page text, replacing older and less reliable message-passing approaches.
• storage — Allows use of Chrome's local storage for temporary contract text transfer between the popup and results tab, as described in Section 03.
• tabs — Allows opening the analysis results in a new tab and querying the active tab's URL to detect document type (PDF, DOCX, etc.).
• host_permissions (*://*/*) — Required for the scripting.executeScript API to work on arbitrary pages and to fetch PDF/DOCX files from their source URL for text extraction.

Section 05

PDF and Document Handling

When you scan a PDF or Word document (.docx) opened in Chrome, ClauseGuard fetches the raw file bytes from the same URL your browser has already loaded — exactly as your browser itself has done. The file is processed entirely within your browser's JavaScript engine to extract text, and the raw bytes are discarded immediately after.

No copy of your PDF or document is stored, sent, or retained anywhere. The extraction happens in working memory and is not written to any persistent storage beyond the temporary scan session data described in Section 03.

Section 06

Third-Party Services

ClauseGuard does not integrate with, transmit data to, or depend on any third-party services during operation. Specifically:

• No analytics platforms (Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, etc.)
• No crash reporting services (Sentry, Bugsnag, etc.)
• No AI or machine learning APIs (no data is sent to any AI provider)
• No advertising networks
• No data brokers or aggregators

The extension uses Google Fonts to render typography on this website (not in the extension itself). Google Fonts may log the font request IP address per Google's own privacy policy. This does not involve any contract data.

Section 07

Children's Privacy

ClauseGuard is designed for adults reviewing legal contracts. We do not knowingly collect any information from anyone under the age of 13. Since we collect no information from anyone at all, this section is included for completeness only.

Section 08

Changes to This Policy

If this Privacy Policy is ever updated, the new version will be published at this URL with an updated "Last Updated" date. Significant changes will be announced via the GitHub repository's release notes.

Since ClauseGuard collects no data, the scope of this policy is unlikely to change materially. Any future version of the extension that introduces data collection would require a completely new, separate disclosure and would be a fundamentally different product.

Section 09

Legal Disclaimer

ClauseGuard is provided as-is for informational purposes only. The scan results, red flag detections, and suggested clause rewrites do not constitute legal advice. They are based on common pattern matching against known problematic clause structures and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional legal counsel.

Always consult a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction before signing any contract, especially for high-value, complex, or legally sensitive agreements.