Expando Privacy Policy

The short version

• Your snippets and settings are stored in your own browser. Expando has no server and no account.
• If you leave sync on, Chrome copies them to your other computers through your own Chrome sync.
• Nothing you type is collected, stored or sent anywhere by Expando.
• Expando never runs in password fields.
• Expando sends anonymous counts of which of its features are used, once a day, to Google Analytics. Never your snippets, what you type or the sites you visit. You can switch this off in Settings.
• No ads, and nothing is ever sold.

Who this policy covers

This policy is for Expando - Text Expander & Snippets, a Chrome extension made by Muntaseer Rahman ("I", "me"). It explains what the extension does with data. The rest of muntaseerrahman.com has its own site privacy policy.

What Expando stores, and where

Expando stores the snippets you create (their triggers, text, formatting, labels and tags), how many times each one has been used, and your settings (such as trigger mode, theme and the sites where you turned it off).

All of this is kept in Chrome's extension storage on your computer. When sync is on, which is the default, Chrome also stores a copy in your Chrome sync so your snippets appear on your other computers. That copy is handled by Google under your Google account and Google's privacy policy. I cannot see it. You can turn sync off in Expando's settings at any time.

What Expando does with what you type

To work, Expando runs on the web pages you visit. When you type in a text box, it looks at the few characters just before your cursor to see whether they match one of your triggers. This check happens on your computer. That text is not saved and is never sent anywhere.

Expando ignores password fields completely, on every site, and this cannot be switched off. You can also turn Expando off for any site you choose.

Your clipboard

If a snippet contains the clipboard marker, Expando reads your clipboard at the moment that snippet expands, and puts what you copied into the snippet. It does not read your clipboard at any other time, and what it reads is not stored or sent anywhere.

Feedback you choose to send

Expando has an optional feedback form, and a "Not working on this site? Tell me" link in its toolbar popup. If you use either, what you send (your message, the email address you enter so I can reply, the type of feedback, Expando's version number and, for the site report, the name of the website such as mail.google.com) is emailed to me. It passes through a small service that forwards the email and keeps no copy. Nothing is sent unless you press Send.

Anonymous usage counts

So I can tell which features are worth improving, Expando sends a few counts to Google Analytics. On days you use Expando, it sends one small batch the next time it is busy, covering the day before:

• that Expando was used that day, and how many snippets you have (a number only);
• how many expansions came from a typed trigger, the snippet picker, the right-click menu or Google Docs;
• how often snippets with formatting, fill-in blanks, dates, the clipboard or cursor placement were used;
• how often the toolbar popup and the settings page were opened, and what you chose if Expando asked for a review;
• whether sync is off, and whether "wait for a space" is on.

It also sends one event when Expando is installed and when it updates, with the version number. Each message carries a random ID made on your computer so days can be counted, which is not linked to you, your Google account or your other computers. Google Analytics adds a rough location from the connection, at country or city level, as it does for any website.

Never sent: your snippets, their triggers, anything you type, the websites or pages you visit, or your clipboard. The counts are used only to improve Expando, are not used for advertising, and are handled by Google under the Google Analytics data processing terms. To stop them, switch off Settings, General, Share anonymous usage counts. Nothing more is sent from that moment, and counts not yet sent are discarded.

When you uninstall

When Expando is removed, Chrome opens a short goodbye page on this website. Its address carries three numbers: Expando's version, how many days it was installed, and how many snippets you had. Never any snippet text. Nothing is sent unless you tap a reason on that page. If you do, the reason, anything you choose to type, those three numbers and, only if you enter it, your email address are emailed to me through the same service as the feedback form, which keeps no copy.

Permissions and why they are needed

What Expando never does

• It does not collect your browsing history, the pages you visit or what you type.
• It does not show ads, does not use advertising or cross-site trackers, and loads no code from the internet.
• It does not sell or rent your data, and shares it with no one beyond the anonymous counts above.
• It does not use your data for anything other than expanding your snippets.

Expando's use of information follows the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Your control over your data

You can edit or delete any snippet at any time. Settings, Data, Export saves everything to a file you keep. Settings, Data, Delete everything removes every snippet and resets your settings; if sync is on, your other computers follow. Uninstalling Expando removes its data from that browser.

Children

Expando is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect any information from them. It collects no personal information from anyone.

Changes to this policy

If Expando ever starts handling data differently, this page will be updated before that version is released, and the date at the top will change.

Contact

Questions about this policy or about Expando: muntaseerrahman@gmail.com.