Privacy policy
Privacy policy
WebSilence is built to know as little about you as possible. Blocking happens on your computer, and the pages you visit never leave it.
This policy covers the WebSilence browser extension, its optional account and sync service, the WebSilence Protection setup for Windows, and this website (websilence.app). “WebSilence”, “we” and “us” mean the team behind them. We do not sell data. The extension shows no ads and contains no advertising or analytics tracking; how this website counts visits and may show ads is described in section 8.
1. Stored only on your device
The extension keeps its settings in your browser's extension storage. If you use Chrome sync, Chrome may copy them to your other browsers under your control. This covers:
- your blocked sites, allowed sites and blocked keywords;
- your schedules, the age level you chose and the categories you switched on;
- a one-way hash of your parental PIN (the PIN itself is never stored) and the email address of the account that set it, so that only that account can reset it;
- whether extension pages are locked, and a short unlock period after the PIN is entered;
- a random install ID and the install date, used for the anonymous count below and for the three-day period before an account is needed.
2. Processed on your device and never sent to us
To decide what to block, the extension looks at what you are about to open. This happens on your computer only:
- the address of the page you are opening, and of the current tab when you block it from the popup;
- the title and visible text of pages you open, checked for blocked keywords;
- your browsing history, read only inside the settings page when you add a site from it.
We do not log, store or transmit your browsing activity or the content of the pages you visit.
3. Your account (optional for the first three days)
For the first three days the extension works without an account. After that, the popup and settings ask you to sign in or create an account; blocking keeps working either way. When you have an account, our server stores:
- your email address, which identifies your account;
- your password, stored only as a secure hash;
- the lists and settings from section 1 that you sync: blocked and allowed sites, keywords, schedules, age level and categories;
- one sign-in key per device, stored only as a hash, which expires after 90 days without use;
- your country, worked out from your IP address when you register, or when you sign in if it isn't known yet (see section 6).
If you ask for a new password, our server sends a reset link to your email address.
4. Anonymous count of active installs
About once a day, and when the browser starts, the extension tells our server that it is installed. The message contains the random install ID and the extension version. From the IP address of the first message we store the country. Nothing in it identifies you or describes what you do in your browser.
5. Permissions and why the extension needs them
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
storage | Save your lists and settings. |
tabs | Read the current tab's address so you can block it from the popup, block tabs that are already open when a schedule starts, and show the lock screen on extension pages when they are locked. |
webNavigation | Notice when a page starts to open so it can be blocked before it loads. |
history | Show your recent sites in the settings page so you can block them. Never sent anywhere. |
alarms | Start schedules on time, lock extension pages again after the unlock period, and send the daily anonymous count. |
| Access to all sites | Apply your blocks and check page titles and text for blocked keywords on the sites you open. |
6. Services we use
- Our server at howfixes.com stores accounts, synced lists and the anonymous install count. It is hosted by Hostinger.
- ip-api.com receives the IP address of a registration, of a sign-in whose country isn't known yet, or of an install's first count, and returns the country. We keep only the country.
- Google Chrome delivers the extension through the Chrome Web Store and, if you use it, Chrome sync.
- Google AdSense may show ads on this website (not in the extension); see section 8.
7. WebSilence Protection for Windows
The optional setup changes only the Chrome policies it lists on its page, on the computer where you run it, and records what it changed so that uninstalling removes exactly that. It sends nothing to us or anyone else.
8. This website
Visit counting. websilence.app counts visits with PulseGrid, which runs on our own server and uses no cookies. For each page view it records the page, the referring site, the browser, operating system and device type, clicks on download and outbound links, and a one-way code made from your IP address and browser. That code changes every day, so a visitor can't be recognised from one day to the next or traced back. Detailed records are deleted after 60 days; only daily totals are kept after that. To switch counting off in your browser, open this link.
Advertising. We may show ads on this website, served by Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this website or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this and other sites on the internet. You can turn off personalised advertising in Google's My Ad Center, or opt out of other vendors' cookies at aboutads.info. Where the law requires it, you are asked for consent first. The cookie policy lists the details.
Everything else. Fonts are served from our own server. Your light or dark mode and language choice are kept in your own browser's storage. The site is hosted by Hostinger, whose servers process your IP address to deliver pages and protect the site from abuse.
9. How long we keep data
- Data on your device stays until you change it or remove the extension.
- Account data stays as long as your account exists and is deleted with it.
- Sign-in keys expire after 90 days without use.
- Install records contain no personal data and are used only to count active installs.
- Detailed website visit records are deleted after 60 days; daily totals are kept.
10. Your choices and rights
- Sign out from the popup at any time; signing out clears the synced lists stored on that device.
- To see or delete the data stored with your account, write to privacy@howfixes.com from that account's email address.
- Depending on where you live, you may have further rights, for example under the GDPR or KVKK, to access, correct or erase your personal data.
11. Children
WebSilence's parental controls are set up by a parent or guardian. Accounts are meant for parents and adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
12. Security
All communication with our server uses HTTPS. Passwords, sign-in keys and the parental PIN are stored only as hashes. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your information.
13. Changes
When this policy changes, we update the date at the top of this page.
14. Contact
Questions or requests about your data: privacy@howfixes.com