Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Pocketlens is a Chrome browser extension built and operated by Pocketlens LLC, a limited liability company based in Minnesota, United States. Our product helps users track online purchases and enforce monthly spending limits.

Questions about this policy: hello@getpocketlens.com

2. What Data We Collect

A. Data stored only on your device (free and paid users)

Stored using Chrome's built-in local storage. It is never sent to us, and we cannot access it:

• Your monthly spending limit, its currency, and your running monthly total
• Purchase history (store name, order amount, and the currency shown on the page) and any mood tags you assign
• Your spending streak count
• Your payday date and alert preferences
• Websites on your blocklist and your blocking preferences, including whether checkout is blocked once you're over your monthly limit
• A randomly generated install ID (see Section B)
• Your subscription tier (free or Plus) and the time we last checked it
• A small marker showing which version of Pocketlens's data format you have, so updates can bring older data forward safely

B. Install ID and subscription checks (all users)

The first time you install Pocketlens, it generates a random install ID on your device. It is not derived from your name, email, browser profile, hardware, or any other personal information. For free users, it is not linked to your identity anywhere. For Plus subscribers, Stripe keeps it with your subscription (see Section C), so inside our Stripe account it sits next to your customer record.

Pocketlens sends this install ID to our server (api.getpocketlens.com) when it checks whether your install has an active Plus subscription, and when you start a checkout, open the billing page, or use Restore Purchase. Subscription checks happen periodically for all users, free and paid. The install ID travels inside the body of an encrypted (HTTPS) request, not in the web address. The server replies "free" or "plus," and the result is cached on your device so we don't ask on every use. If our server can't be reached, the extension relies on the cached result: a cached Plus result keeps working for up to 7 days after the last successful check.

If you uninstall and reinstall the extension, a new install ID is generated and your install will appear as a new free user until you restore your subscription (see Section E).

C. Data collected when you upgrade to Pocketlens Plus

When you subscribe, you are taken to a checkout page hosted by Stripe Inc., a PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. Stripe collects your name, email address, card details, and billing details directly. Stripe's handling of that data is governed by its own privacy policy: stripe.com/privacy

When checkout starts, we pass your install ID to Stripe so we can match your payment to your install. Stripe stores it on the checkout record and on your subscription. We never see or store your card details. As the merchant, we do have access to your name and email through our Stripe account, as any business that uses Stripe does for its customers. That information lives in Stripe; it is not copied into our own database. Our own database stores only:

• Your install ID
• A Stripe Customer ID (a token, not your card details, name, or email)
• Your subscription status (for example active, past due, or cancelled)

For customer support, we may look up your name, email, and subscription details inside Stripe's dashboard. Stripe sends your payment receipts, renewal notices, and cancellation confirmations directly.

D. Managing or cancelling your subscription

Plus subscribers can open a secure, Stripe-hosted page from within the extension to update a payment method, view invoices, or cancel. That page is provided by Stripe; we don't see or store anything you do there beyond the subscription status Stripe reports to us. If you cancel, Plus access continues until the end of your current billing period, after which we are notified automatically and your install reverts to the free tier.

E. Restoring a Plus subscription

If you reinstall Pocketlens, your install ID is erased, which disconnects you from your subscription. To reconnect it, enter the email you used at checkout.

That email is sent to our server at the moment you submit it, and is used only to ask Stripe whether an active subscription exists for that address. It is never stored in our database or written to our server logs. If Stripe confirms an active subscription, we link it to your new install ID in our database and update your subscription in Stripe with the new install ID. If no match is found, nothing is saved. Separately, because Stripe collected your email when you first checked out, it already exists in our Stripe account as part of your customer record, whether or not you ever use Restore Purchase (see Section C).

F. Anonymous detection-quality reports (all users)

So we can notice when a store changes its website in a way that breaks purchase detection, the extension sends our server a small report when it tries to detect a purchase on a store that has its own entry in Pocketlens (for example, Amazon):

• The store's name
• Whether detection succeeded or failed
• A timestamp

These reports contain no install ID, no purchase amount, no page content, and no user identifier of any kind. We cannot link them to you or your install. On other stores, where Pocketlens uses its general detector, no report is sent.

G. Standard server and hosting logs

Like any web service, the infrastructure that hosts our server and our website (see Section 5) may temporarily record technical information about incoming requests, such as IP address, request time, and the web address requested, for security and operations. The extension does not put your install ID in web addresses. We do not use these logs to identify you or build profiles, and we do not link them to your spending data.

H. Optional uninstall feedback

When you uninstall Pocketlens, Chrome may open a short feedback page on our website. Submitting it is optional. If you do, we store the reason you select, the store name if you give one, any comment you write, the extension version, and the time you submitted it. We don't ask for your name or email, and we don't link your answers to you or your install. Please don't include personal information in your comments. Like all of our traffic, the form is handled by our hosting providers, which may keep standard logs (see Section G).

I. Abuse prevention

To prevent automated abuse, our server counts requests per network address (IP address) per hour, separately for each kind of request (for example, subscription checks, checkout, Restore Purchase, detection reports, and uninstall feedback). These counts are kept only in our server's memory, are reset whenever the server restarts, and are used only to limit abuse. They are not stored in our database and are not linked to your identity.

J. Reminder markers on store websites

When you snooze a reminder or override a block on a store, Pocketlens remembers it for a short time by saving a small marker in that store website's own browser storage, on your device. These markers contain no purchase data and are never sent to us. Because they sit in the store's own storage, that store's code could read them and infer that Pocketlens is installed.

3. What Data We Do Not Collect

• Your spending data, purchase history, amounts, or mood tags (these never leave your device)
• Your name, email address, or billing information in our own database (these are held by Stripe, and we can view your name and email in our Stripe account, as described in Section C)
• Credit card information of any kind
• The email you enter for Restore Purchase, in our database or our server logs
• Your name or email through the uninstall feedback form (it doesn't ask for them)
• Your browsing history. Pocketlens runs on web pages so it can recognize order confirmation and checkout pages, and it reads page content locally on your device for that purpose. That content is not transmitted to us.
• Your location
• Hardware or browser identifiers (the install ID is random, described in Section B)
• Advertising or tracking cookies in the extension
• Analytics or usage tracking in the extension beyond the anonymous detection reports in Section F

4. How We Use Your Data

• Local data powers the extension on your own device: spending tracking, notifications, history, the dashboard, and blocklist enforcement.
• Your install ID, Stripe Customer ID, and subscription status are used only to unlock Plus features, reconnect your subscription after a reinstall, and detect when a subscription has ended.
• Detection reports are used only to find and fix broken store integrations.
• Uninstall feedback is used only to understand why people leave and to fix problems in Pocketlens.
• Request counts are used only to prevent abuse (Section I).
• Contact details held by Stripe are used only to provide your subscription and to respond to support requests you initiate.

We do not use your data for advertising or profiling, and we do not send marketing email from the extension.

5. How We Share Your Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your data. We use these service providers to operate Pocketlens:

• Stripe Inc. — payment processing and subscription billing. Stripe receives your install ID at checkout and after a Restore Purchase. During a Restore Purchase request, the email you enter is also sent to Stripe for verification.
• Supabase — database hosting for our subscription records, detection reports, and uninstall feedback.
• Railway — hosting for our server (api.getpocketlens.com).
• GitHub (GitHub Pages) — hosting for our website, including the uninstall feedback page.

These providers process data on our behalf under their own terms and privacy policies. We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, or government authority.

6. Permissions We Request

• storage — to save your settings and purchases on your device
• notifications — to send Chrome alerts about purchases and your monthly limit
• host permissions (all websites) — to recognize purchases and show cooldowns, reminders, and blocks on store pages, including stores outside our list, and to make the Upgrade buttons on getpocketlens.com open your Pocketlens dashboard (see Section 12)

Pocketlens does not load or run code from outside the extension. We do not use these permissions to collect your browsing history or transmit your page content.

7. Data Security

Local data is protected by Chrome's built-in storage security, and we have no access to it. Data sent to our server is transmitted over HTTPS. Subscription records, detection reports, and uninstall feedback are stored with our database provider, with access restricted to our server. We replace our server's keys if a provider reports a security issue. Requests to our server are rate-limited to reduce automated abuse (Section I). Payment security is handled entirely by Stripe, which maintains PCI DSS Level 1 certification.

8. Data Retention and Deletion

• Local data persists until you uninstall the extension or clear Chrome storage. We have no copy of it.
• Subscription records (install ID, Stripe Customer ID, status) are kept while your subscription is active and for 90 days after cancellation, for legal and accounting purposes.
• Stripe records (including your install ID on your checkout and subscription) are kept by Stripe under its own retention rules, including records it must keep by law.
• Detection reports are anonymous and cannot be tied to you, so they cannot be individually deleted. We retain them for as long as they are useful for monitoring store integrations.
• Uninstall feedback is anonymous and cannot be tied to you, so it cannot be individually deleted. We retain it for as long as it is useful for improving Pocketlens.
• Restore Purchase emails are never stored.
• Deletion requests: email hello@getpocketlens.com with the subject "Data Deletion Request." We process requests within 30 days. We will delete your subscription record from our database and your customer record in our Stripe account, except payment records that Stripe or we must keep by law. Because we don't hold your email ourselves, we may need to confirm your identity using the email on your Stripe account.

9. Children's Privacy

Pocketlens is not directed at children under 13, and Pocketlens Plus is only available to adults (18 or older, or the age of majority where they live). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information, contact hello@getpocketlens.com.

10. International Users and GDPR

Pocketlens is operated from the United States. If you are in the European Union, UK, or another region with data protection laws, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States.

For EU and UK users, our legal bases are: performance of our contract with you (providing Plus, including the subscription check and Restore Purchase) and our legitimate interests in keeping the service working and secure and in improving it (detection reports, uninstall feedback, and abuse prevention). You have the right to access, correct, and delete your personal data; contact hello@getpocketlens.com to exercise these rights.

11. Your Rights

• Access — request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Correction — request correction of inaccurate data.
• Deletion — request deletion of your account data at any time (see Section 8).
• Cancellation — cancel your Plus subscription at any time from within the extension, or by contacting us.

12. Our Website (getpocketlens.com)

• Pocketlens on our website. When Pocketlens is installed, it adds a marker to pages on getpocketlens.com so the site can show the right Upgrade buttons, and it opens your Pocketlens dashboard when you click one. It shares nothing else with the website: no install ID, no plan, and no spending data.
• Uninstall feedback form. The optional feedback page described in Section H is part of our website.
• Email signup. If you join our email list, the address you submit is stored by our email provider, Kit, and used only to send Pocketlens updates. You can unsubscribe at any time from any email.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as Pocketlens adds features. We will update the effective date above and communicate material changes through the Chrome Web Store listing and by email to Plus subscribers where we can. The current version is always at getpocketlens.com/privacy.