Privacy Policy

R-Searcher is now distributed as an open-source browser extension and self-hosted worker project. This Privacy Policy covers this website, our public project materials, and the general browser-side behavior of the extension. It does not replace the privacy terms of whatever infrastructure or AI services you choose for your own deployment.

1. Scope

This page applies to:

• the public R-Searcher website and onboarding pages
• feedback and bug-report forms linked from this site
• the documented browser-side behavior of the extension when you use it in a self-hosted setup

R-Searcher no longer depends on a default shared hosted backend for normal operation. You connect the extension to a worker URL that you control.

2. Data Used by the Extension

When you trigger an action in the extension, the browser-side code may access or store:

• Selected text or extracted article content — read locally in your browser so the extension can prepare an explain or analyze request
• Page URL — used as context for the request and for local result caching
• Local settings — such as interface toggles and your saved Worker / API base URL, stored in chrome.storage.local
• Local install identifier — generated by the extension and stored locally so your deployment can distinguish one browser install from another if your worker uses it

When you use the self-hosted flow, the selected text or extracted article content is sent to the backend origin you configured in Settings. What that backend stores, logs, or forwards depends on your own deployment choices.

3. Data Collected by This Website

This website collects limited data only when you choose to submit it:

• Email address — if you include it in a feedback or bug-report form
• Form content — the feedback, bug details, URLs, browser info, and other details you voluntarily submit

4. Data We Do Not Intentionally Collect Through the Site

• We do not require an account to read the site or the setup guide
• We do not ask the site visitor for browsing history, bookmarks, or unrelated sensitive browser data
• We do not receive your analyzed article text by default just because you visit the site
• We do not sell personal data or share it for advertising

5. Third-Party Services

The public site uses a small number of third-party services:

• Formspree — handles feedback and bug-report form delivery from this site
• GitHub — hosts the public repository, source code, and additional project materials we link to from this site

If you self-host R-Searcher, your own deployment may rely on additional providers and infrastructure selected by you. Review the policies and logging behavior of those services before using them with sensitive material.

6. Data Retention

Website form submissions are retained only as long as needed to review, respond, or track product issues. Browser-side extension settings remain in your browser unless you clear them. Any retention beyond that is controlled by the backend and services you configured for your own deployment.

7. Chrome Permissions

R-Searcher requests permissions needed for its reading workflow, including:

• activeTab — to read the current page when you explicitly trigger an action
• storage — to save settings and local result data
• clipboardWrite — to copy output when you choose to do so
• optional backend origin access — requested when you save your worker base URL in Settings

8. Open-Source and Self-Hosted Responsibility

Because the project now supports self-hosted operation, you are responsible for the privacy posture of the worker, AI provider, storage layer, logs, and other services you configure. Review the public repository and self-hosting docs before deploying the project with real data.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the website, docs, or extension workflow evolves. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

10. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy? Reach us through the feedback form on the website or through the public repository linked from the homepage.

R-Searcher — AI-powered reading assistant