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Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 9, 2026

Overview

FakeSniff is a Chrome extension that detects fake, incentivized, and bot-generated reviews on Amazon product pages. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data the extension accesses, how it is used, and what is stored.

Data We Access

FakeSniff reads publicly visible content from Amazon product pages you visit, including:

  • Review text, star ratings, and review dates
  • Reviewer display names and profile metadata
  • Product title and rating distribution
  • Verified purchase badges and helpful vote counts

This data is only accessed on Amazon product pages (amazon.com and amazon.in) and is used solely for fake review detection analysis.

How Data Is Processed

Pattern Analysis (Local)

Our 12-signal pattern engine runs entirely in your browser. Review data is analyzed locally and never leaves your device during pattern analysis.

AI Analysis (Cloud Mode)

When using the default Cloud mode, review text is sent to our backend server for AI-powered analysis via Google Gemini. The data is processed in real time and is not stored on our servers after the analysis is complete.

AI Analysis (BYOK Mode)

In Bring Your Own Key mode, review text is sent directly from your browser to the Google Generative Language API using your own API key. No data passes through our servers.

Data We Store

The following data is stored locally in your browser using Chrome's storage API:

  • Analysis cache — Cached results with a 24-hour expiry to avoid redundant API calls
  • User preferences — Your chosen analysis mode (Cloud or BYOK)
  • API key — Your Gemini API key if using BYOK mode (stored locally, never sent to our servers)
  • Pro license token — If you have a Pro subscription
  • Installation ID — A randomly generated identifier used solely for anonymous rate limiting
  • Usage counter — Number of daily scans used, for enforcing free tier limits

Data We Do NOT Collect

  • No personally identifiable information (name, email, address)
  • No browsing history or web activity tracking
  • No analytics, telemetry, or usage statistics
  • No financial or payment information
  • No cookies or cross-site tracking
  • No data from pages other than Amazon product pages

Third-Party Services

FakeSniff interacts with the following third-party services:

  • Google Generative Language API — Used in BYOK mode for AI review analysis. Subject to Google's Privacy Policy.
  • FakeSniff Backend — Used in Cloud mode for AI-powered analysis. Hosted on Vercel. Review data is processed in real time and not persisted.

Data Sharing

We do not sell, trade, or transfer your data to third parties. Data is only shared with Google's Generative Language API as necessary to provide the AI analysis feature, and only when you initiate a scan.

Permissions

  • storage — To save preferences, cached results, and rate limiting data locally
  • activeTab — To read review content from the active Amazon product page
  • sidePanel — To display the detailed analysis panel
  • contextMenus — To provide a right-click option to trigger analysis
  • Host permissions — Amazon domains for content script injection, and Google API domain for BYOK mode

Data Retention

Cached analysis results are automatically deleted after 24 hours. All locally stored data can be cleared at any time by uninstalling the extension or clearing extension data in Chrome settings.

Your Rights

You can at any time:

  • Uninstall the extension to remove all locally stored data
  • Switch to BYOK mode to prevent any data from passing through our servers
  • Clear the extension's storage via Chrome settings

Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected on this page with an updated revision date.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, please open an issue on our GitHub repository or contact us through the Chrome Web Store listing.