Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 27, 2026

This policy describes how the ctrlQuery Chrome extension ("ctrlQuery", "we") handles data. In short: we don't collect, transmit, or store your browsing data on any server we control. The extension is designed to operate locally by default.

What the extension accesses

ctrlQuery is granted the following Chrome permissions:

• activeTab — Read the content of the tab you're currently on, but only when you actively invoke a search. The extension cannot see tabs you haven't searched.
• scripting — Inject the search logic into the active tab.
• storage — Save your preferences (theme, search options) and cached search indexes in your browser's local storage.
• offscreen — Run the local embedding model in a background document.

How searches work

When you run a search on a page:

• The page's visible text is extracted in your browser.
• For smart search, the text is embedded using an on-device model (bge-small-en-v1.5 via transformers.js). The embedding runs entirely in your browser — no network requests are made.
• The embeddings and search index are stored in your browser's IndexedDB, scoped to the page URL.
• Search results are computed locally and displayed in the extension popup.

Keyword search uses standard in-page text matching and does not perform any embedding or network activity.

Payments

Smart Search is a paid feature. Purchases are processed by ExtensionPay and Stripe. ctrlQuery itself never sees, stores, or transmits your card details.

• Stripe hosts the payment form and processes the charge. Card data is sent directly to Stripe and handled under their PCI-DSS Level 1 certification. See Stripe's privacy policy.
• ExtensionPay stores your email address and a record of your purchase so the extension can verify your unlock and let you restore it on a different machine. See ExtensionPay's privacy policy.
• Keyword search and all other features remain free and require no payment, account, or email.

What we do NOT do

• We do not collect analytics or telemetry.
• We do not track which pages you visit or search.
• We do not sell, share, or transmit your search or browsing data to any third party.
• We do not place cookies.
• We do not maintain user accounts or servers that store your search activity. (Smart Search payment status is held by ExtensionPay — see Payments above.)

Data retention and deletion

All data stored by ctrlQuery lives in your browser's local storage (IndexedDB and chrome.storage). You can clear it at any time by:

• Uninstalling the extension — Chrome automatically removes all extension storage.
• Using Chrome's "Clear browsing data" for site data.
• Clearing IndexedDB for pages where you've searched.

Children's privacy

ctrlQuery is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect information from anyone, regardless of age.

Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Significant changes will be noted in the extension's release notes.

Contact

Questions about this policy or about ctrlQuery's privacy practices? Email ctrlquery1@gmail.com.