Last updated: 2026-10-04
The Retrace Browser Collector is a **local-first** extension. It exists to feed your browser
activity into the Retrace time-reconstruction app running on **your own computer**. It does not send anything to us or to any third party.
What it accesses
– The URL and title of your active browser tab, together with focus timing (when a tab became active and when you switched away).
– Your idle state (active/idle), used only to stop logging while you’re away.
– On each web page, whether that page is focused and visible right now (via a small content
script). This is used only to time your active tab accurately, so a page you’ve switched away from (to another app or tab) stops counting. The content script reads focus/visibility state only; it does not read, collect, or transmit any page content.
What it does with it
– It posts completed active-tab spans to `http://127.0.0.1:19321` a loopback address, i.e.
only to the Retrace capture app running on the same machine. The connection is automatic: the Retrace app recognises this extension and accepts its data, so there is nothing to set up.
– About once a minute it also tells that local app that the extension is present; its version, the browser (Chrome or Edge), whether it is paused and how many spans are waiting, so the app can show whether the browser is connected. This goes to the same loopback address and nowhere else.
– It never transmits data to the extension author, to Google, or to any remote server. There is
no analytics, tracking, or advertising.
What it stores
– In `chrome.storage.local`: your settings; your excluded-domain list, the paused flag and, only if one is in use, the pairing token, plus the outcome of the last contact with the local Retrace app (connected or not, its version), which the popup shows.
– In `chrome.storage.session` (in-memory only): the currently open span and a small queue of spans waiting to be sent to the local app. This is cleared when the browser closes.
Your controls
– Pause at any time from the toolbar popup, and the logging stops immediately.
– Excluded domains (in options) are never recorded; the domain and its subdomains are ignored.
– Only `http`/`https` pages are tracked; `chrome://`, extension, and `file://` pages are ignored.
– Removing the extension deletes its stored settings; your captured data lives in the desktop app and is removed separately (its uninstall/wipe removes it).
Data sharing and sale
None. Your browsing activity is sent only to your own machine and is never sold or shared.
Contact
Questions about this policy: johan.wonkavaara@gmail.com
