🔒 Privacy Policy

Private Tutor - Chrome Extension

Last updated: January 1, 2026

Overview

Private Tutor is a browser extension that helps users understand complex text by providing AI-powered explanations. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about our data practices.

            🛡️ Privacy First: By default, Private Tutor uses WebLLM technology to run AI models
            entirely in your browser. Your text and reading habits never leave your device.
        

Information We Collect

We do not collect, store, or transmit any personal information.

The extension processes the following data locally on your device:

Selected Text: Text you highlight for explanation is processed locally and is never sent to our servers.
User Preferences: Your settings (AI model choice, API keys) are stored locally in your browser using Chrome's storage API.

Local AI Processing (WebLLM)

When using WebLLM (the default mode):

AI models run entirely in your browser
No text data is sent to external servers
Model files are downloaded once from Hugging Face CDN and cached locally
All inference happens on your device

Optional Cloud AI (Gemini API)

⚠️ Optional Feature: If you choose to enable Gemini API integration, please be aware of the following:

Selected text is sent to Google's Gemini API for processing
Your API key is stored locally and never shared with us
Google's privacy policy applies to data processed by Gemini API
This feature is entirely optional and disabled by default

Data Storage

All user preferences are stored locally using Chrome's chrome.storage.local API:

Selected AI backend preference
WebLLM model selection
Gemini API key (if provided by user)

This data never leaves your browser and is not accessible to us.

Third-Party Services

Hugging Face CDN: Used to download AI model files (data files only, not your personal data)
Google Gemini API: Only if explicitly enabled by user

Permissions Explained

contextMenus: Adds right-click menu option to explain selected text
storage: Saves your preferences locally
offscreen: Runs WebLLM in background for AI processing
Host permissions: Allows the extension to work on any webpage you visit

Children's Privacy

This extension is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date above.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at:

Email: theagarajant@gmail.com