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Privacy Policy for Search Assistant

Effective date: March 24, 2026

Search Assistant ("the Extension", "we", "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what data is processed by the Extension, how it is used, and your choices.

1. What the Extension does

Search Assistant provides a quick search panel on webpages. It helps users search selected text or clipboard text across configurable search engines, with optional AI Q&A features.

2. Data we process

a) Selected text on webpages

• The Extension may read text you explicitly select on a webpage.
• Purpose: to populate the search input and perform user-requested searches.

b) Clipboard text

• The Extension may read clipboard text when you trigger the feature and no text is selected.
• The Extension may write query text to clipboard to improve search workflow.
• Clipboard access is only used for feature functionality triggered by user actions.

c) Local settings and preferences

The Extension stores data locally in your browser (chrome.storage.local), such as:

• search engine configurations,
• shortcut settings,
• UI preferences,
• cached site icons,
• optional API key entered by you.

d) Optional AI Q&A requests (Third-party service)

• If you use the AI Q&A feature, your query text is sent to DeepSeek API (api.deepseek.com) to generate responses.
• Your API key is used to authenticate those requests.
• AI requests are made only when you explicitly use that feature.

3. What we do not do

• We do not sell personal data.
• We do not use your data for advertising.
• We do not run hidden background tracking of browsing content beyond what is needed to provide the extension’s core functions.
• We do not collect personal identity information directly (such as name, phone, or address) unless you include it in text you submit yourself.

4. Data sharing

• We do not share data with third parties except:
  1. when required to provide a user-triggered feature (e.g., sending AI queries to DeepSeek),
  2. when required by law.

5. Data retention

• Extension settings are stored locally and remain until you modify settings, clear browser extension data, or uninstall the Extension.
• For AI requests, retention and handling on DeepSeek’s side are subject to DeepSeek’s own policies.

6. Security

We use reasonable measures to reduce unnecessary data exposure. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

7. Your choices and controls

You can:

• disable or uninstall the Extension at any time,
• clear extension local data via browser settings,
• avoid using optional AI features if you do not want data sent to third-party AI services.

8. Children’s privacy

The Extension is not intended for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be available at the policy URL with an updated effective date.

10. Contact

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, contact us at:
[42118267@qq.com]