Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 27, 2026

FactScope is designed to help you verify online content. We take your privacy seriously. This policy explains what data we handle, how we use it, and what we don't do.

What we collect

When you scan a page or image using FactScope, the following data is sent to our servers for analysis:

• Page content excerpts — The text, title, and metadata of the page you choose to scan. This is only sent when you explicitly click "Scan" or right-click an image.
• Image data — When you verify an image, the image URL (or the image itself for context-menu scans) is sent for AI analysis.
• Anonymous user ID — A random identifier generated locally in your browser (not tied to your identity) used for rate limiting and community features.
• Community contributions — If you flag content or vote on accuracy, that action is stored along with your anonymous ID.
• Scan metadata — The domain name and timestamp of each scan, used for caching and trend detection.

What we do NOT collect

• No personal information (name, email, address, phone number)
• No passwords or authentication credentials
• No browsing history — we never track which pages you visit
• No cookies or cross-site tracking identifiers
• No data from pages you don't explicitly scan

How your data is processed

When you scan content, the following happens:

• Page text is sent to Google's Gemini API for AI-powered trust analysis. Google processes this data according to their Gemini API Terms of Service.
• Extracted claims are checked against Google News RSS (a public feed) and the Google Fact Check API for news corroboration. No personal data is shared in these queries.
• Results are cached in our database to speed up future scans of the same content.

Data storage

Scan results and community data are stored in Turso, a SQLite-compatible cloud database. Pattern matching data may also be indexed in Elasticsearch. All data is anonymized — no scan result is tied to a real identity.

Third-party services

• Google Gemini API — AI analysis of page content and images
• Google News RSS & Fact Check API — Claim corroboration against published news
• Render — Backend hosting
• Turso — Database storage

Data retention

• Scan results are cached for performance. Cached data may be retained for up to 30 days.
• Community flags and votes are stored indefinitely to build collective trust signals.
• No personal data is retained because none is collected.

Your rights

Since FactScope does not collect personal information, there is no personal data to access, correct, or delete. However:

• You can uninstall the extension at any time to stop all data transmission.
• You can clear extension data through Chrome settings (chrome://extensions) to reset your anonymous ID.
• Community contributions (flags, votes) linked to your anonymous ID cannot currently be deleted individually, as they are anonymized.

Children's privacy

FactScope is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the product evolves. Material changes will be noted on this page with an updated date.

Contact

Questions about this privacy policy? Reach out at factscope@gmail.com.