Last updated: August 1, 2026
What is and is not transmitted
Nothing reaches Lensari or any third party. Specifically:
No account required. Dark Pattern Scanner requires no sign-in, registration, or email address.
No analytics or telemetry. Dark Pattern Scanner does not send usage statistics, crash reports, or behavioral data to any server.
No external network requests. Dark Pattern Scanner makes no background or API requests of its own, and never transmits anything it scans. The extension itself is downloaded from the Chrome Web Store when you install or update it, and if you choose to click a link in the extension your browser navigates there as it would for any link.
This policy keeps two ideas apart. Nothing reaches Lensari or any third party. Some things ARE stored, on your own device, and the next section states exactly what, including the parts that can be sensitive.
Data stored locally
Dark Pattern Scanner stores the following data on your device. This data never leaves your device.
| Data | Storage | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cached scan results | chrome.storage.local | Display cached results when you reopen the popup | Scheduled for deletion after 1 hour |
| Theme preference | chrome.storage.local | Remember your light, dark, or system theme choice | Stored until you uninstall the extension |
What a cached scan result actually contains. So that this is not a surprise: a cached entry holds the full address of the page you scanned, including any query string, and short excerpts of text taken from that page (the wording that matched, with a little surrounding context), alongside the matched category names. A page address or an excerpt can contain personal information, depending on the page. This is why the cache is short-lived, is never transmitted, and is deleted on the schedule below.
The extension stores nothing in Chrome's sync storage, so there is nothing for Chrome to copy to your Google account. Earlier versions kept the theme preference in sync storage. Version 1.0.1 deletes it from sync rather than copying it across, so your theme returns to the system default once and you can simply set it again; from then on it is stored only on that device. Deleting rather than copying is deliberate, because a copy step could overwrite a choice you made while it was running. If you use the extension on more than one computer and one is still on an older version, that older copy can put the preference back into sync storage; the current version deletes it again whenever it sees that happen. The theme preference is the only value that was ever involved.
How deletion actually works. Once a cached result reaches one hour old, the extension deletes it: the entry is removed from storage, not merely hidden. Deletion is scheduled for the moment it comes due, is repeated on a recurring schedule, and runs again whenever Chrome starts. Opening the popup also prompts a full cleanup. Be aware of the honest limits: an extension can only run when the browser lets it run, so if your computer is asleep or Chrome is closed, or Chrome simply delays the extension, deletion happens at the next opportunity rather than exactly on the hour. Chrome does not wake a sleeping device for an extension, and no extension can promise otherwise. The schedule also depends on your computer's clock.
Permissions
Dark Pattern Scanner requests the following Chrome permissions:
activeTab - Allows Dark Pattern Scanner to interact with the current tab when you click the extension icon.
storage - Allows the extension to store scan results and theme preference locally on your device.
alarms - Lets the extension schedule two pieces of local housekeeping: the cleanup that deletes cached scan results once they pass the one hour window, and a retry for removing the legacy theme preference from Chrome's sync storage. The extension makes no network requests of its own; removing a value from sync storage is handled by Chrome.
scripting - Lets the extension place its scanning scripts into a page when you click "Scan This Page". There is no always-on content script. The extension does not place or run its scanning scripts in a page unless you choose to scan that page. After a scan, the scripts remain in that page until you navigate away or reload it. Scripts are only placed into secure (https://) pages you explicitly scan.
Limited Use of user data
Dark Pattern Scanner's use of information received from Google APIs, and any user data it handles, adheres to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Concretely: the data described above stays on your device, is used only to provide the scanning feature you invoked, is never transferred or sold to anyone, is never used for advertising, credit assessment or lending, and is never read by a human.
Third parties
Dark Pattern Scanner does not share any data with third parties. There are no embedded analytics services, advertising networks, or data brokers.
Changes to this policy
If this privacy policy changes in a future version of the extension, this page will be updated accordingly. The date at the top of this document will reflect the most recent change.
Contact
Dark Pattern Scanner is published by Lensari. For questions about this privacy policy, please contact us at c_tough@lensari.ca or use the support link on the Chrome Web Store listing.