Back to Home

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 2026

Our Commitment to Privacy

AltFlag is built on a simple principle: your browsing habits are yours alone. We never sell, store, or profile your browsing history, we show no ads, and we run no analytics or trackers. The only data that ever leaves your device is the domain name of a site you're checking, used solely to identify its country of origin — and even that can be turned off.

Overview

AltFlag ("the Extension") is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what stays on your device, the limited information that leaves it (and when), and your rights regarding your data.

Information We DO NOT Collect

Data Type	Collected?
Browsing history	No
Personal information	No
IP addresses	No
Device fingerprints	No
Usage analytics	No
Location data	No

How AltFlag Works

AltFlag does as much as possible on your device:

1. Bundled Database: The entire website database (340,000+ sites) is included with the extension
2. Local First: Known sites are identified instantly from the bundled database — no network needed
3. Online Lookup (optional): For sites not in the local database, AltFlag looks up the domain name only via our API and Google DNS. It's on by default and can be turned off in Settings
4. Offline Capable: With online lookup off, AltFlag works fully offline using the bundled database

Online Lookup for Unknown Sites

Most sites are recognized instantly from the database bundled inside the extension. For a site that isn't, AltFlag can look it up online:

• Only the domain name (e.g. example.com) is sent — never the full URL, page content, or a list of your browsing
• Requests go to the AltFlag API (Google Cloud Run) and Google Public DNS solely to determine the site's country of origin
• This feature is enabled by default and can be turned off anytime in Settings → Online Lookup
• Results are cached locally (24h) so the same site isn't looked up repeatedly, and lookups are rate-limited on the client

Data Stored Locally (On Your Device Only)

The Extension stores the following data locally on your device only:

Data	Purpose	Shared?
Website database	Company headquarters locations	No
User settings	Your preferences (warning countries, display options)	No
Blocklist settings	Countries you've chosen to block	No
Browsing statistics*	Optional tracking of visits by country	No
Dismissed websites	Sites where you clicked "don't show again"	No

*Statistics are completely optional and can be disabled at any time. This data never leaves your device.

Database Updates

The extension periodically downloads database updates from our CDN (hosted on Google Cloud Storage):

• Downloads are one-directional — the extension only downloads data, never uploads
• No browsing data, URLs, or personal information is sent in these requests
• Standard HTTP metadata (IP address, user agent) may be logged by the CDN provider — we do not access or store these logs
• Database sync can be disabled by the user at any time
• The extension works fully offline with the bundled database

Cloud Sync (Optional)

If you enable Cloud Sync:

• Your settings only (not browsing data) are synced via your browser's built-in sync service
• This is handled entirely by your browser (Chrome Sync or Firefox Sync)
• We have no access to this data
• Your browser account credentials are never shared with us

Third-Party Services

AltFlag does NOT use:

• Google Analytics or any analytics service
• Advertising networks
• Social media trackers
• Crash reporting services
• Any third-party data collection services

Services We Do Use

To identify sites and stay updated, AltFlag connects only to:

• AltFlag API (Google Cloud Run) — identifies the country of origin for domains not in the local database. Receives the domain name only
• Google Public DNS (dns.google) — resolves a domain to help infer its country
• Google Cloud Storage — hosts the CDN for database updates (download-only)

These requests contain only the domain being checked — never full URLs, page content, or browsing history. Your IP is visible to these services as it is to any website you load; we don't store or use it. Online lookup can be disabled in Settings.

Data Sources

The company location database is sourced from publicly available information:

• Tranco Top 1M domain list
• RDAP registration data and public company registries
• Manual curation from public sources

Permissions Explained

Permission	Why We Need It
storage	To save your preferences and cache synced data locally
alarms	To schedule periodic database update checks
tabs	To read the active tab's domain and show the country flag for the current site
contextMenus	To add "Check origin" items to the right-click menu
host permissions	To download database updates and look up unknown domains (domain name only)

Your Rights

• View: Check your settings anytime in the extension options
• Export: Export your settings to a JSON file
• Delete: Clear all data by removing the extension
• Disable: Turn off any feature (statistics, warnings, etc.) at any time
• Control: All your data remains on your device and under your control

Children's Privacy

AltFlag does not knowingly collect any information from anyone, including children under 13. Since we collect no data, there is no children's data to protect.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected in the "Last Updated" date. Our commitment to collecting zero user data will never change.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy:

• Open an issue on our GitHub repository

Compliance

This Extension complies with:

• Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies
• Firefox Add-on Policies
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

Summary

Question	Answer
Do you collect my browsing history?	No
Do you track what websites I visit?	No
Do you send data to external servers?	Domain names only — for optional lookups (can be disabled)
Can you see my statistics?	No
Is my data sold to third parties?	No
Does the extension work offline?	Yes