- We only read a product page when you click Analyze — we never monitor your browsing.
- Product data is processed in memory and never stored permanently on our servers.
- We identify you only by a random anonymous ID — never by name, email, or device fingerprint.
- We never sell your data. Ever.
- Payments are handled entirely by Stripe via ExtensionPay — we never see your card details.
- You can request deletion of any data we hold by emailing us at any time.
Who We Are
Smart Shopping Assistant is a Chrome browser extension and companion website operated by Abraham Birkute, located at 123 E 63rd Ave, Aurora, CO 80019, United States.
The extension is available at the Chrome Web Store and the website is located at smart-shopping-assistant.com. When this policy refers to "we", "us", "our", or "the Service", it means Abraham Birkute trading as Smart Shopping Assistant.
This Privacy Policy describes what data we collect when you use the extension or visit our website, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the choices you have.
Information We Collect
2.1 Product Page Data (On Demand Only)
The extension is entirely passive until you take action. When you click the "Worth it?" button on a supported shopping page, the extension reads the following data from that specific page and sends it to our analysis server:
- Product title
- Displayed price
- Star rating and review count
- Up to 8 visible review text snippets
- Retailer name (e.g. Amazon, Walmart, eBay)
- Page URL
- Product brand (where visible)
This data is used solely to generate your analysis. It is processed in memory and is not stored permanently on our servers after your result is returned. It is never linked to your identity.
2.2 Anonymous Install ID
The extension generates a random, anonymous identifier the first time it runs in your browser. This ID contains no personal information and cannot identify you. The install ID is used exclusively to:
- Track your monthly analysis quota on the free plan (5 per month)
- Confirm your Credit Pack or Pro subscription status
It is stored in your browser's local storage via chrome.storage.local and is shared across all supported stores so your quota is consistent. It is sent to our server only when you request an analysis. If you uninstall the extension or clear your browser storage, the ID is permanently deleted.
2.3 Payment Information
If you subscribe to a Credit Pack or Pro plan, payment is processed entirely by Stripe via ExtensionPay. We never receive, see, store, or process your credit card number, billing address, bank details, or any other financial credentials. ExtensionPay stores only your email address to manage your subscription.
2.4 Price Alert Data
If you set a price drop alert, we store the product title, retailer, target price threshold, last recorded price, and product URL — keyed to your anonymous install ID. This is used only to monitor for price drops and is deleted when you remove the alert or cancel your plan.
2.5 Contact Form and Email
If you contact us by email or through a contact form, we collect your name and email address to respond to your inquiry. We do not add you to any mailing list without your explicit opt-in.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes only:
- To provide the analysis service — product page data is sent to Claude AI to generate a verdict, trust score, price insight, and alternative recommendations.
- To enforce usage quotas — your anonymous install ID is used to count monthly analyses and enforce plan limits.
- To operate price alerts — stored alert data is checked periodically to detect price drops and trigger browser notifications.
- To verify subscription status — we check your ExtensionPay subscription status to apply the correct plan limits.
- To respond to support requests — contact email is used solely to reply to your inquiry.
- To improve the service — anonymised, aggregated usage patterns (e.g. which stores are most used) may be reviewed to guide product decisions. No individual user is identifiable from this data.
We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose beyond operating the Service. We do not sell, rent, or trade any data to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
Data Sharing and Third Parties
We share data with the following third parties, only to the extent necessary to operate the Service:
Product data you submit for analysis is sent to Anthropic's Claude API to generate the verdict, scores, pros and cons, and alternatives. No personally identifiable information is included in these requests. Anthropic Privacy Policy →
If you subscribe to a paid plan, ExtensionPay and Stripe process your payment and store your subscription email. We have no access to your payment card or billing details.
Our analysis API server is hosted on Render.com. Product data passes through Render's infrastructure in transit. Render does not retain this data.
When you click alternative product links in the extension panel, those links include our Amazon Associates tracking tag. Amazon may set cookies to attribute resulting purchases. You are under no obligation to click these links.
Our website is hosted and DNS-managed through Cloudflare. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics — a privacy-first tool that does not use cookies, does not fingerprint users, and does not track users across sites.
Data Retention
- Product analysis data — processed in memory and discarded immediately after your result is returned. Not written to any database.
- Analysis result cache — results for a given product are cached for up to 24 hours to avoid consuming additional quota on repeated views, then automatically purged.
- Usage quota records — your anonymous install ID and monthly analysis count are reset on the 1st of each month and permanently removed if the server is restarted (in-memory store).
- Price alert records — retained until you delete the alert, cancel your plan, or request deletion. Maximum retention is 12 months of inactivity.
- Price history records — retained for up to 30 days of price data per product, then oldest entries are automatically removed.
- Support emails — retained for up to 2 years to allow follow-up, then deleted unless required by law.
Your Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
Because the extension identifies you only by an anonymous install ID, there is no personal data profile associated with your extension usage unless you have a paid ExtensionPay account (which stores your email). To exercise any of these rights, email: [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
California Residents (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to delete it, and to opt out of its sale. We do not sell personal information.
European Residents (GDPR)
If you are in the European Economic Area, you have the rights described above under GDPR. Our lawful bases for processing are: performance of a contract (operating the subscription service), legitimate interests (providing the free analysis quota), and consent (price alerts). You may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
Children's Privacy
The Service is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted personal information to us, please contact [email protected] immediately and we will delete that information promptly.
Security
We take the following technical measures to protect data transmitted through the Service:
- All data transmission between the extension and our API uses HTTPS with TLS encryption
- Our API server is hosted on Render with automatic TLS certificate management
- Our website is served through Cloudflare with DDoS protection and encrypted connections
- Payment information is handled entirely by Stripe's PCI-DSS compliant infrastructure
- Product data submitted for analysis is processed in memory only and not written to persistent storage
Despite these measures, no method of internet transmission is 100% secure. If you discover a security vulnerability, please disclose it responsibly to [email protected].
Website Analytics
We use Cloudflare Web Analytics on smart-shopping-assistant.com to understand aggregate traffic patterns. Cloudflare Web Analytics:
- Does not use cookies
- Does not fingerprint individual users
- Does not track users across websites
- Does not build personal profiles
Because no cookies are used for analytics, no cookie consent banner is required for this purpose.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and post the updated policy at the same URL.
For material changes affecting paid subscribers, we will send an email notification at least 14 days before the change takes effect. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes acceptance.
Contact
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy, please reach out:
Privacy Questions & Data Requests
We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 30 days.
[email protected]Abraham Birkute · Smart Shopping Assistant · 123 E 63rd Ave, Aurora, CO 80019, United States