ClickShield Privacy Policy

01 What ClickShield looks at

ClickShield reads the destination URL of a link on a page you're viewing: when you hover it, and separately if you click a link it has already flagged unsafe during that page's session. That URL is the only piece of information it acts on. It does not read page content, form fields, cookies, or anything else on the page.

02 What gets sent, and to whom

When a check runs, the URL travels through the following path:

The install identifier (a randomly generated value stored on your device) exists only so our proxy can apply a fair-use rate limit. It is not a user account, is not linked to your name or email, and is never sent anywhere except that proxy.

03 What we don't do

• No browsing history is recorded, stored, or transmitted, only the single URL under review at the moment it's reviewed.
• No advertising identifiers, analytics SDKs, or tracking pixels are included in the extension.
• Nothing is ever sold, rented, or shared with data brokers.
• No account or sign-in is required, and none is offered.

04 What's stored, and for how long

Everything below is stored locally in your browser (chrome.storage.local), never on our servers:

• Safety-check results, cached for up to 6 hours per URL, so re-hovering the same link doesn't repeat the check.
• Resolved shortener destinations, cached for up to 24 hours.
• Your four preference toggles (covered below) and the random install identifier.

A daily cleanup removes anything past its cache lifetime. Uninstalling the extension removes all of it immediately.

05 Your controls

Available from the toolbar popup, all on by default:

• Warn on unsafe links and Show details on safe links control what's shown on hover.
• Ask before opening unsafe links controls whether opening a known-unsafe link asks for confirmation first.
• Always reveal real destination controls whether a shortened link's real destination is revealed.
• Pause ClickShield is a single button that stops everything above at once, no hover checks, no tooltips, no click-confirm gate, until pressed again.

Turning the four toggles off stops ClickShield from displaying anything, though hover checks still run in the background so the click-confirm feature stays reliable. Pausing goes further and stops those background checks too. Uninstalling the extension stops everything entirely.

06 Accuracy of results, and our liability

ClickShield's results come entirely from three independent, third-party threat databases (Google Safe Browsing, URLhaus, and PhishTank). Those lists are maintained by others, aren't exhaustive, and can be wrong in either direction: a link marked "no known threats" is not a guarantee it's safe, only that it wasn't on those lists at the moment it was checked, and a link that's actually safe can occasionally be flagged incorrectly.

ClickShield only displays what these providers report, it doesn't independently verify a link's safety. When "Ask before opening unsafe links" is on, it shows a warning and asks you to confirm before a known-unsafe link opens, it never silently blocks, filters, or removes anything.

ClickShield is provided as-is, without warranty of any kind. We aren't responsible for any loss or harm arising from a missed threat, an incorrect flag, or any decision made based on a result it shows.

07 Third-party services involved

Each has its own privacy practices, outside ClickShield's control:

• Google Safe Browsing, see Google's Privacy Policy
• URLhaus (run by abuse.ch)
• PhishTank
• Our own proxy's hosting infrastructure: Google Cloud Run and Cloudflare Workers

08 Children's privacy

ClickShield does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone, including children, and isn't directed at children specifically. Its only input is a hovered or clicked link's URL.

09 Changes to this policy

If ClickShield's data practices change, this page will be updated and the date at the top revised accordingly. Material changes will also be noted in the extension's release notes.

10 Contact