🛡️ Privacy Policy - Safety Button

Last updated: January 20, 2026

Overview

Safety Button ("we", "our", or "the extension") is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your information.

What Data We Collect

Safety Button collects minimal data to provide security scanning functionality:

• URLs you actively scan: When you click "Scan This Site", the current page URL is sent to our backend for security analysis.
• Scan results cache: Results are cached locally in your browser for 5 minutes to improve performance. This data never leaves your device.
• No browsing history: We do NOT track, record, or store your general browsing activity.
• No personal information: We do not collect names, email addresses, or any personally identifiable information.

How We Use Your Data

The URLs you scan are used exclusively for:

• Checking against Google Web Risk API for known threats
• Performing domain age verification via WHOIS lookup
• Analyzing SSL/HTTPS security status
• Generating a Trust Score (0-100) to inform you of website safety

Data Storage and Retention

• Local caching: Scan results are stored locally in your browser for 5 minutes only, then automatically deleted.
• Backend logs: URLs sent to our backend may appear in server logs for up to 7 days for debugging purposes, then are automatically deleted.
• No long-term storage: We do not maintain a database of scanned URLs or user activities.

Third-Party Services

Safety Button uses the following third-party services:

• Google Web Risk API: URLs are checked against Google's threat database. See Google Web Risk Privacy Policy.
• WHOIS Services: Domain age information is retrieved from public WHOIS databases.

We do not share your data with any other third parties for marketing, advertising, or any other purposes.

Data Security

• All communication between the extension and our backend uses HTTPS encryption
• Our backend is hosted on Render.com with industry-standard security measures
• We implement rate limiting to prevent abuse
• We do not store passwords, credit card information, or any financial data

Your Rights

You have complete control over your data:

• Control what to scan: You decide which websites to check - scans only happen when you click "Scan This Site"
• Clear cache: You can clear the extension's local cache by removing and reinstalling the extension
• Uninstall anytime: Simply remove the extension from your browser to stop all data collection

Cookies and Tracking

Safety Button does NOT use:

• Cookies
• Analytics or tracking scripts
• Advertising networks
• User fingerprinting

Children's Privacy

Safety Button does not knowingly collect data from children under 13 years of age. The extension is designed for general audiences and does not target children.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Permissions Explained

Safety Button requests the following browser permissions:

• activeTab: To read the URL of the current tab when you click "Scan This Site"
• storage: To cache scan results locally in your browser for 5 minutes

We only request the minimum permissions necessary for functionality.

Open Source

Safety Button's code is transparent. The backend logic is available for review to ensure we follow the privacy practices described here.

Safety Button - Website Security Scanner
Making the web safer, one scan at a time 🛡️