PrivacyCheck is a data mining tool that analyzes the text of privacy policies.

Latest Version

Version
3.0.1
Update
May 17, 2021
Size
1.35MiB
Developer
identity.utexas.edu
Category
Users
923
Rating
3.93333 ★
Manifest Version
2
Web Store Status
Languages Support
English (United States)
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Permissions
ActiveTab
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PrivacyCheck Extension

PrivacyCheck automatically summarizes online privacy policies and provides consumers an overview of the ways in which companies use their personal data in a graphical, ‘at-a-glance’ format.

PrivacyCheck v3 adds the ability to (1) find the competitors of an organization with Alexa traffic analysis and compare policies across them, (2) follow privacy policies the user has agreed to and notify the user when policies change, (3) track policies over time and report how often policies change and their trends, (4) automatically find privacy policies in domains, and (5) provide a bird's-eye view of privacy policies the user has agreed to.

Version 2 provided faster results, an assessment of the privacy policy with respect to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), new interface, and top 3 competitors with better privacy policies in the same market sector.

A U.S. Department of Justice report issued July 2014 estimated that roughly 7% American households reported some type of identity theft in the previous year. What do consumers need to know in order to protect themselves and their families from identity theft? Information is key. The more we know about how companies use our personal information, the better prepared we are when deciding whether or not to divulge it. PrivacyCheck is a valuable resource that consumers can use to get an overview of the essential attributes of a company’s online privacy policy in way that is quick and easy to understand.

Federal and state laws require businesses to publicly post a privacy policy stating how they use customers’ Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Additionally, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has successfully prosecuted companies for deceptive and misleading practices when using consumers’ data in ways contrary to what is stated in their privacy policy. As a result, most companies’ privacy policies are easily accessible online. The problem is that many people do not have time to read these lengthy and sometimes technical documents.

PrivacyCheck is a browser add-on intended to provide consumers an overview of the ways in which companies use their personal data in a graphical, ‘at-a-glance’ format. Similar, currently available resources fall short of this goal due to their lack of comprehensive web coverage. For example, TRUSTe and P3P are sign-up services that require a business to enroll in order to participate, and multiple crowd-sourced efforts only provide information for websites that have been manually checked.

PrivacyCheck surpasses existing add-ons, apps, and certifications by using a Machine Learning algorithm to access the text of any webpage. The user provides the URL for the company’s privacy policy and PrivacyCheck searches the page, returning icons that indicate the level of risk for several types of PII.

Copyright © 2021 The University of Texas at Austin, Center for Identity, All Rights Reserved.

Contact: Razieh Nokhbeh Zaeem, [email protected].
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Source Manifest.json

{"update_url": "https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx", "name": "PrivacyCheck", "version": "3.0.1", "manifest_version": 2, "description": "PrivacyCheck is a data mining tool that analyzes the text of privacy policies.", "browser_action": { "default_icon": "PrivacyCheck.png", "default_popup": "index.html" }, "content_security_policy": "script-src 'self' 'sha256-EVPGaknyUUDmljj/rm20oYNePvRDBfemSwaAWvyUsA0='; object-src 'self'", "permissions": [ "activeTab" ]}
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How to download and manually install PrivacyCheck extension for Chrome

Looking for a way to install PrivacyCheck extensions for Chrome, you can search for them in the Chrome Web Store, clicking the "Add to Chrome" button, and following the straightforward process.

However, you may need to install PrivacyCheck extensions manually, this article outlines two simple methods to effortlessly install PrivacyCheck extensions, whether they come as unpacked folders in compressed formats like .zip or as .crx files.

Method 1: Download PrivacyCheck extension and manually install through Drag &Drop

If you ever need to manually install a PrivacyCheck extension for Chrome, don't worry, it's a simple process. Just follow these easy steps, and you will have your extension ready to use in no time.

Step 1: Download the PrivacyCheck Extension by clicking the "Download CRX" button on the website.

Look for the PrivacyCheck extension you wish to install. Go to the website and download the PrivacyCheck extension package, which is usually a .CRX file and comes in a zipped file. Here ".crx" file is the format for PrivacyCheck extension that contains all the data.

Step 2: Extract &Arrange Files

Once the file is downloaded, extract that file into its own folder. Similarly, give that extension files a permanent home. In other words, keep it in a folder that you don't accidentally delete it because these files will be needed to make that extension work.

Step 3: Go to the Chrome Extensions Page

Open Google Chrome and in the address bar, type chrome://extensions; it will open the Google Chrome extensions page. Make sure that "My extensions" is selected in the sidebar.

Step 4: Drag and Drop the Extension

Now, go to the folder where you extracted the PrivacyCheck extension and drag &drop the extension file from there anywhere onto the extension page within Google Chrome.

Step 5: Complete the Installation

Once you drag and drop the extension file, follow the steps that Google Chrome takes you through. Similarly, if the extension file is of .crx file format, you will be required to review the permissions and then add the extension.

Now, you can manage that added extension as you would like to with any other Chrome extension that you added through Chrome Webstore. Its icon will also appear in the Google Chrome Menu on the right side of the address bar once you activate it.

Method 2: Download PrivacyCheck extension for Chrome and install in Developer Mode

This is another method to install PrivacyCheck extension manually, but the twist is that here, you install by enabling the developer mode option provided in Google Chrome. This mode is commonly used for testing extensions or running unpublished tools.

Step 1: Download the PrivacyCheck extension file

Select and download the PrivacyCheck extension by clicking the 'Download CRX' button on the website.

Step 2: Extract the downloaded contents

Convert the file to a ZIP file if it is in CRX format then extract the PrivacyCheck extension zip file or folder that you downloaded. Make sure you extract it using the same folder name and keep it safely in another folder, so you don't delete it by mistake. The extracted folder will be needed to keep your PrivacyCheck extension running.

Step 3: Open Chrome Extension Setting Page

In the address bar of Google Chrome, type chrome://extensions and open the Chrome Extension Page.

Step 4: Enable Developer Mode

After opening the Chrome Extension page, look at the top right side, and you will find the toggle option of "Developer mode."Simply enable that developer mode option.

Step 5: Load the Unpacked Extension

Once you enable the developer mode option, you will see the menu of Load Unpacked, Pack Extensions and Update. From that, select the option "Load unpacked."

Step 6: Select the Extension Folder

Once the pop-up opens upon clicking Load unpacked, select the PrivacyCheck extension directory and click on the "Select Folder "button.

Step 7: Confirm and Install

After you select an extension folder of a Google Chrome extension you're installing manually, confirm its installation for the final time and let the installation complete.

Conclusion

Here we've made a step-by-step guide on How to manually install PrivacyCheck extension in 2 ways. We hope this guide proves helpful.

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User reviews

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Dan Ross (ID: 000000bef142c8bd) Voted 1 ★ - Updated 04/08/2023 Just installed, doesn't work at all. Can't read policies on big name sites like Whatsapp, Signal, Facebook or apparently any other site. Uninstalling it.

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Benny Rowe (ID: 00000072c28d5d3c) Voted 1 ★ - Updated 02/08/2023 Only one star because it's stopped functioning... It was good while it worked, but is apparently unsupported, and has stopped working. I tried reinstalling, but to no avail - when I try to run it, I get this message: "PrivacyCheck™ ran into a problem fetching data from the database or scraping the privacy policy from the website. Some websites include certain HTML features that makes it difficult to extract data. The PrivacyCheck™ team is working to improve this functionality. We apologize for the inconvenience." Apparently they've stopped updating... it happens. Too bad, because when it worked, it was quite useful.

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E Dickens (ID: 000000bc3c774965) Voted 2 ★ - Updated 12/13/2018 It does take a while and I wish it would run in the background when you navigate away from the privacy policy page. It stops running even when you switch tabs. Otherwise, I like it.

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Mark Housley (ID: 0000009ac0875870) Voted 4 ★ - Updated 11/19/2018 This is an interesting extension. It does take a while and I wish it would run in the background when you navigate away from the privacy policy page. It stops running even when you switch tabs. Otherwise, I like it.

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Mike W (ID: 00000012c5018049) Voted 5 ★ - Updated 04/18/2016 Fills a real need. Actually reading privacy policies isn't realistic, but just blindly trusting them isn't good idea either, so it's nice to have software figure it out for you automatically.