Universal Web Accessibility Companion privacy policy
Scope
This policy covers the Universal Web Accessibility Companion Chrome extension, version 1.0.0. The extension handles limited data to provide webpage reading support, but UWAC does not receive or control that data through a backend.
Website content
Website content is handled: Yes. The extension reads readable text and the DOM/style information needed to adapt the current webpage and prepare on-device read-aloud. Website content is processed transiently in browser memory and is not persisted in Chrome storage or sent to UWAC or third parties. Page text, reading models, speech position, and highlights remain in memory only for the active reading operation.
Web history and site preferences
Web history is handled: Yes, on a conservative hostname-only basis. When the user explicitly creates a site-specific preference or chooses Restore this site, the extension stores the current site's hostname with that preference. It retains a maximum of 200 hostnames and does not keep a continuous visit log, full URL, path, page title, or page-content history.
Health and accessibility information
Health information is handled: Yes, conservatively. A stored mode name such as dyslexia, or another accessibility preference, can reveal a health or accessibility inference. The extension uses the setting only to apply the requested reading presentation and does not infer a diagnosis.
Purpose and local processing
The extension uses website content, settings, and the current hostname only to provide its reading-support features. Visual adaptation, text extraction, highlighting, ruler movement, and speech sequencing happen locally in the browser. Read-aloud uses installed on-device voices only; remote voices are not offered or selected.
Chrome-managed storage and retention
Global preferences, hostname-based site preferences, and onboarding completion may be stored through chrome.storage.sync or chrome.storage.local. Chrome manages local storage and any sync under the user's browser and Chrome account controls. Preferences remain until the user changes or removes them, removes the extension, or manages them through Chrome; UWAC has no backend access to retain or delete those records.
Sharing and external access
The extension does not send handled data to UWAC, advertisers, data brokers, or other third parties. It has no UWAC account, analytics, telemetry, identifiers, crash reporting, remote configuration, advertising, sale of data, or UWAC-operated backend. Chrome-managed preference sync is a Chrome browser and account function, not a UWAC service, and UWAC cannot access or control it.
User choices
Restore this site creates a disabled preference for the current hostname; it does not delete the site entry. Use global settings, when shown, removes that hostname's site-specific override and returns the site to global preferences. Removing the extension normally removes local extension state from that Chrome installation. Chrome account sync controls govern synchronized preference copies; UWAC cannot promise or control when Chrome deletes copies from every synced device or account.
Policy changes
Any material change to these practices will be reflected in this policy and a versioned release note before publication.
Privacy questions
For non-sensitive privacy questions, open a GitHub issue. Do not include credentials, private page content, account information, or vulnerability details.