Clickbait Neutralizer Privacy Policy

Last updated: 28 Aug 2026

Clickbait Neutralizer is a browser extension that rewrites clickbait headlines into plain, factual wording and replaces clickbait video thumbnails with a real frame from the video. This page explains exactly what data the extension handles — and, just as importantly, what it does not.

The short version

• No tracking, no ads, no analytics. Your data is never sold or shared for marketing.
• The extension does not read your browsing history, bookmarks, open tabs, passwords, or anything you type.
• To rewrite a headline, the text of that one headline is sent to the extension's backend server and on to a hosted AI model. It is processed to produce a rewrite and is not stored against you in any way.
• Anonymous counts of which articles users encounter — represented as one-way hashes, never URL or headline text — are sent to the backend so the team can prioritise processing the most commonly read articles. Turning off Cloud rewrites in the extension popup disables this entirely.
• An optional Pro subscription creates an account (email + password). Credit card details are processed by Stripe and never touch our servers. You can cancel at any time.

What the extension sends, and why

When you open a web page, Clickbait Neutralizer reads the headlines and video titles on it. For a headline it has not handled before, it sends just that headline's text to its backend server, which forwards it to a hosted AI model to generate a neutral rewrite. The rewrite is returned and shown in place of the original.

The extension only ever transmits the text of a headline on a page you actively open. It does not enumerate or send your browsing history, your open tabs, the addresses of pages you visit, or anything you type into forms.

Anonymous miss reporting

When you visit a page whose URL is not already in the extension's pre-computed rewrite list, Clickbait Neutralizer sends a one-way cryptographic hash of that URL to its backend server. The backend keeps a running count per hash so the development team can see which articles users encounter most often and prioritise those for processing next. The hash cannot be reversed into the URL or into any other information about you. No URL text, no headline text, no identifying data, and no timestamp under your control is sent or stored alongside the hash. This entire channel is gated by the "Cloud rewrites" toggle in the extension popup — turning that off stops the extension from sending any of these hashes, exactly as it stops the headline-rewrite flow.

Pro subscription & accounts

Clarity Pro is an optional paid upgrade that unlocks cloud AI rewrites. If you subscribe, the following data is collected and stored:

• Email address — used as your login identifier and to receive receipts from Stripe.
• Password — stored only as a bcrypt hash, never in plain text. We cannot read it back.
• Subscription status — when your subscription is active, paused, or cancelled, so the extension can grant or revoke Pro access.
• Stripe identifiers — a Stripe customer ID and subscription ID linked to your email, used to keep your account and payment status in sync.

Payment information. Your credit card number and payment details are entered on Stripe's own checkout page and processed by Stripe. They never pass through or are stored on Clickbait Neutralizer's servers. The extension only asks Stripe for a checkout link and learns whether the payment succeeded. Stripe's handling of your payment data is governed by Stripe's privacy policy.

Cancelling. You may cancel your subscription at any time from the "Manage subscription" button in the extension popup, which opens Stripe's customer portal. Cancellation stops future billing; you retain Pro access until the end of the current billing period.

Pro status also gates headline rewrites through the extension's backend: Pro users' headlines are routed to the paid model and free users' to the shared model. In both cases the headline text is processed only to produce a rewrite, exactly as described in "What the extension sends, and why" above.

What is stored, and where

• On your device: your settings, your session token, and a local cache of headlines the extension has already handled. This stays inside your browser, is never uploaded, and you can clear it at any time by removing the extension.
• On the backend server: a shared cache, so a headline classified once does not need re-processing for the next person who encounters the same syndicated story. Cache entries are keyed by a one-way cryptographic hash of the headline — the server does not keep the headline text itself, and the cache holds nothing that identifies you.
• Also on the backend server: a count of how often each unprocessed URL (represented by its one-way hash) has been reported. This is used only to rank which articles the team should process next. Like the headline cache, it is keyed by one-way hash; nothing stored with the count identifies any user or reveals the URL.
• Also on the backend server: the Pro account data listed above (email, password hash, and subscription status).
• The server does not log the text of the headlines it processes.

Feedback you choose to send

Clickbait Neutralizer has two feedback features. Both transmit data only when you actively click them — nothing is sent otherwise:

• "Report a problem" (in the extension's popup) sends a screenshot of the current page, the page's address, and any note you type.
• The "bad rewrite" report (right-click a rewritten headline) sends the original headline and the rewrite you objected to.

This feedback is stored so the developer can review it and improve the product.

Third parties

• Anthropic / AI providers. Headline text is sent to a hosted AI model (Anthropic's Claude or, for Pro users, Venice AI) to generate the rewrite. Each provider's handling of API data is governed by its own terms; the extension does not use this text for any purpose other than producing the rewrite.
• Stripe. Payments and payment data are processed by Stripe, including the hosted checkout page and the customer portal used for subscription management. Clickbait Neutralizer receives only the confirmation that a payment succeeded (and which subscription it belongs to).
• Railway. The extension's backend server is hosted on Railway. As with any web host, Railway's infrastructure may record standard request metadata such as IP addresses. The extension's own code does not store IP addresses or link them to the headlines it processes.

Your data is never sold or shared with anyone for advertising or marketing purposes.

Browser permissions

Clickbait Neutralizer asks for permission to read and change content on the websites you visit. It needs this to find headlines and thumbnails on the page and replace them in place — that is the extension's core function. The access is used for nothing else.

Data retention

Your on-device settings and cache remain until you clear them or remove the extension. The server's hashed cache evicts old entries automatically. Feedback you choose to submit is retained for review. Account data is retained while your subscription is active and for as long as required to fulfil billing obligations; you may delete your account at any time by contacting us. Upon deletion, the email address, password hash, and Stripe links are removed from the server.

Children

Clickbait Neutralizer is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect data from children.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the "last updated" date above will change. Material changes will be reflected on this page.

Contact

Questions about your privacy or this policy: enibalovem@protonmail.com