Website Auto Refresh Privacy Policy
Effective Date: June 29, 2026
Applies to Website Auto Refresh version 1.0.0 and later versions unless this page is updated.
Plain English Summary
Website Auto Refresh is designed to run locally in your browser. It helps you refresh selected tabs, monitor page changes or keywords, and optionally click a user-selected point on a page. The Extension does not require an account, does not run ads, does not include analytics tracking, and does not send your page content, browsing activity, settings, or click coordinates to an external server.
Some information is processed because the requested features cannot work without it. For example, page change detection reads the text of a page locally so it can compare one refresh with another, and auto-click stores the viewport coordinate you choose. This policy explains those details.
1. Privacy Policy
1.1 Purpose of This Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to the browser extension Website Auto Refresh (the "Extension"). It explains what information the Extension handles, why that handling is needed, where the information is stored, how long it is kept, and what controls you have.
1.2 Product Function
The Extension lets you select one or more normal browser tabs and configure automatic refreshing on a schedule. It can also monitor page text for meaningful changes, pause refreshing when a keyword appears, and dispatch click events at a viewport coordinate that you choose. The popup interface supports multiple languages, including English and Traditional Chinese.
1.3 Scope
This policy covers only the Extension itself. It does not cover the privacy practices of websites you choose to refresh, browser stores, browser vendors, GitHub, or any other third-party website or service.
2. Types of Data Collected, Used, and Retained
2.1 No Account Registration or Direct Personal Profile
The Extension does not ask you to create an account and does not request your name, email address, phone number, physical address, government ID, payment card details, passwords, authentication codes, health information, financial records, personal communications, or precise location.
2.2 Local Extension Settings
The Extension stores settings in chrome.storage.local so that selected features can keep working after the popup closes. These settings can include:
- Whether auto refresh is enabled for a selected tab.
- The refresh interval you enter.
- Whether page monitoring is enabled.
- The keyword you enter for keyword-based pausing.
- The local change-detection threshold used by the Extension.
- Whether auto-click is enabled.
- The auto-click interval you enter.
- The viewport X and Y coordinates you select for auto-click.
- The Extension popup language you choose.
These values are stored locally in your browser profile. They are not uploaded by the Extension.
2.3 Local Tab and Page Status
The Extension keeps local runtime status for selected tabs so the popup can show whether a page was checked, whether a major change was detected, whether a keyword matched, when the last check occurred, and when the last detected change occurred. This status may include the selected tab's browser tab ID and local status records associated with that tab.
2.4 Website Content Processed Locally
If page monitoring is enabled, the Extension reads page text locally inside the tab to create a comparison snapshot. The snapshot is based on the page title, current page URL, and visible body text. The visible body text is limited before processing. The Extension then calculates local comparison data such as a hash, text length, a reduced token signature, and whether the configured keyword appears.
The Extension does not transmit the original page text, page snapshot, keyword result, hash, token signature, or page URL to the developer or to an external server. The processing exists only to provide page change detection and keyword pause behavior requested by the user.
2.5 User Activity Processed Locally
The Extension processes user activity related to its own controls, including which open tabs you select in the popup, whether you enable or disable features, the intervals you enter, and the click point you choose. This information is used to run the Extension's features locally and to show current status in the popup.
2.6 Browser Tab Titles and URLs
The popup lists refreshable open tabs so you can choose which tabs the Extension should control. To make that list understandable, the Extension reads tab titles and URLs from your browser. It uses this information only inside the local popup UI and local feature logic.
3. Chrome Web Store Data Category Disclosure
The Extension's Chrome Web Store privacy disclosure may identify the following categories because the Extension processes them locally to provide the requested features:
| Category | What it means for this Extension | External transfer |
|---|---|---|
| User activity | Feature choices made in the popup, selected refresh tabs, refresh intervals, monitoring settings, click interval, and selected click coordinates. | No. This is handled locally by the Extension. |
| Website content | Page title, current URL, and visible page text processed locally for change detection and keyword matching when the user enables monitoring. | No. This is handled locally by the Extension. |
The Extension does not collect or process the following categories for the developer: personally identifiable information, health information, financial and payment information, authentication information, personal communications, location, or browsing history as a user profile.
4. Purpose of Use and Legal Basis
4.1 Purposes of Use
The Extension uses locally handled information only to:
- Display refreshable tabs in the popup.
- Save and apply your selected refresh, monitor, keyword, language, and auto-click settings.
- Reload selected tabs on the interval you choose.
- Compare page text before and after refreshes when monitoring is enabled.
- Pause refresh when your configured keyword appears.
- Dispatch click events at the viewport coordinate you select.
- Show local status such as last checked time and detected change state.
- Clean up tab-specific records when a tab is closed.
4.2 Legal Basis Where Applicable
Where privacy laws require a legal basis, processing is based on providing the functionality you request when you install and operate the Extension, and on the legitimate interest of maintaining local product operation. The Extension does not use the handled information for advertising, profiling, sale, or unrelated analytics.
5. Permission Use Disclosure
5.1 activeTab
Used to identify the currently active tab when the popup opens and to apply settings to the tab or tabs selected by the user.
5.2 tabs
Used to list refreshable open tabs, show tab titles and URLs in the popup, reload selected tabs, and remove per-tab records when a tab closes.
5.3 storage
Used to store local settings and local runtime status in chrome.storage.local. Stored values include selected language, per-tab feature settings, intervals, keyword, click coordinate, and monitoring status.
5.4 scripting
Used to inject the Extension's packaged content scripts into supported user-selected pages when monitoring, point picking, or auto-click behavior needs content-script access.
5.5 Website Access / Content Scripts
The Extension declares content-script access for web pages so it can run on pages where the user enables its features. This access is needed for page text comparison, keyword matching, click point picking, and auto-clicking. Browser internal pages, browser store pages, extension pages, restricted PDF viewers, and some browser-managed pages may block this access.
6. Data Transfer, Sharing, and Disclosure
6.1 No Sale or Broker Sharing
The Extension does not sell, rent, trade, or broker personal data.
6.2 No Analytics, Ads, or Telemetry Upload
The Extension does not include advertising code, analytics tracking, telemetry upload, remote logging, or behavioral profiling. It does not send Extension settings, page text, tab URLs, tab titles, click coordinates, or monitoring results to the developer.
6.3 No Remote Code
The Extension does not load remote JavaScript, remote WebAssembly, or externally hosted executable code. Its extension code is packaged with the browser extension.
6.4 Third-Party Websites You Visit
If you use the Extension on a website, that website may have its own privacy policy, terms, rate limits, and automation rules. Website Auto Refresh does not control those third-party sites. Use auto-refresh and auto-click responsibly on sites where repeated requests or automated actions may be restricted.
7. Retention and Deletion
7.1 Local Retention
Per-tab settings and status are stored locally while they are needed for selected tabs. The Extension removes tab-specific settings and status when the related tab is closed. General settings, such as the selected interface language, may remain locally until changed, cleared, or until the Extension is removed.
7.2 Deletion Methods
You can remove or reduce Extension data by:
- Turning off auto refresh, page monitoring, or auto-click for selected tabs.
- Closing a tab, which removes that tab's local Extension settings and status.
- Clearing extension storage or browser profile data through your browser settings.
- Uninstalling the Extension.
7.3 No Server-Side Account to Delete
The Extension does not create a developer-hosted account or maintain server-side records for users. Data control is therefore handled through your local browser settings and uninstallation.
8. Security Measures
8.1 Data Minimization
The Extension is designed to store only the local settings and status needed to provide its features. Page monitoring stores comparison outputs such as hashes and signatures rather than uploading page content to a server.
8.2 Local Browser Storage
Settings are stored using the browser's extension storage area. Access to those settings is controlled by the browser extension environment and your local browser profile. As with any local software, the security of your device, browser profile, operating system, and installed extensions also affects overall protection.
8.3 Practical Limits
No software environment can guarantee absolute security. You should avoid enabling auto-click on sensitive pages unless you understand the possible effect of repeated click events at the chosen coordinate.
9. Children's Privacy
The Extension is not directed to children and is not intended to knowingly collect children's personal data. The Extension does not offer child-directed content, accounts, advertising, or communication features.
10. User Rights and Controls
10.1 Feature Controls
You control which tabs are selected, whether auto refresh is enabled, whether page monitoring is enabled, whether keyword pause is configured, and whether auto-click is enabled. You can stop active refresh behavior from the popup.
10.2 Browser Controls
You can disable or uninstall the Extension through your browser's extension management page. You can also clear local browser extension data using browser settings where available.
10.3 Jurisdictional Rights
Depending on where you live, privacy laws may give you rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict certain personal data. Because the Extension does not maintain a developer server or user account, most practical control is exercised locally through your browser. If you have a question about this policy, use the contact method below.
11. Policy Updates
If the Extension's features, permissions, or data practices materially change, this policy will be updated and the effective date will be revised. You should review this page after installing version updates.
12. Contact
For questions about this Privacy Policy or the Extension's privacy practices, contact the developer through the Chrome Web Store listing support channel or through the GitHub repository issue tracker at https://github.com/ThatDeveloperSteven138/Website-Auto-Refresh-Privacy-Policy-Website/issues.