Privacy Policy

Last updated: 9/3/2025

What the extension does

ExplainTXT helps you understand complex terms on webpages. When you ask for explanations (from the popup, keyboard shortcut, or auto-processing on allowed sites), the extension collects the selected text or relevant on-page text and sends it to the ExplainTXT API. Your request includes a short-lived Firebase ID token so our server can verify your identity.

The extension uses an offscreen document (a special Chrome feature) to manage sign-in with Firebase. You sign in on our website, which creates a secure session cookie. The extension then silently obtains a Firebase custom token from our server and signs in. This allows the extension to authenticate requests without prompting you repeatedly.

Information we collect

• Account information: When you sign in with Firebase, we receive your Firebase user ID and basic profile details (such as email) from Firebase.
• Content you submit: Text that you choose to explain is sent to our API solely for generating explanations.
• Technical data: Basic diagnostics (request timestamps, response status codes, and anonymized usage events) to keep the service reliable and secure.

Information we do not collect

• No passwords are collected or stored by ExplainTXT.
• We do not sell or rent your personal information.
• We do not continuously scrape or store your browsing history.
• We do not read content on pages unless you trigger an explanation (manually or on allowed sites you configure).

How we use your information

• To authenticate you and secure access to the service using Firebase.
• To generate concise explanations for the text you submit.
• To operate, protect, and improve ExplainTXT (e.g., understand failures and prevent abuse).

Data retention

We keep minimal logs to operate the service. Text you submit is processed to generate explanations and is not stored long-term. Authentication data is managed by Firebase. Where we retain logs (like error reports), we keep them only as long as necessary for troubleshooting, security, or legal obligations.

Third parties

• Firebase (Google): We use Firebase Authentication to manage your sign-in securely.
• Model provider: Our API may call a trusted model provider to generate explanations for your submitted text. We do not allow providers to use your content to train their general models.

Cookies and local storage

When you sign in on our website, we create a secure session cookie (HttpOnly; SameSite=None; Secure) so the extension can authenticate silently. The extension may store your preferences (like enabling/disabling the extension, auto-sites, and limits) in Chrome storage.

Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information, including industry-standard transport encryption (HTTPS), authentication via Firebase, and least-privilege access to systems. No method is 100% secure, but we continuously improve our safeguards.

Your choices

• You can disable or uninstall the extension at any time.
• You can sign out from the website to prevent new authenticated requests from the extension.
• You can request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us.

Children’s privacy

ExplainTXT is not intended for children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to our practices. We will post updates here and revise the “Last updated” date at the top.

Contact

Questions or requests? Reach us at support@explaintxt.com.