Privacy Policy

Overview

Sparkly ("we", "our", or "the extension") is a Chrome extension that replaces your new tab page with a productivity dashboard. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data we access, how we use it, and what we never do with it.

Sparkly operates entirely within your browser. We do not operate any servers, databases, or cloud infrastructure. No data you generate or access through Sparkly is ever transmitted to us.

Data We Access

Connecting your Google account is entirely optional. If you choose to connect, Sparkly requests read-only access to the following Google services solely to power features within the extension:

• Google Calendar (calendar.readonly) — to display upcoming events in the Workspace widget and universal search
• Google Drive (drive.readonly) — to show your files in the Workspace widget and universal search
• Gmail (gmail.readonly) — to display inbox message summaries in the Workspace widget and universal search
• Google Profile (userinfo.email, userinfo.profile) — to display your name and avatar in the extension

Sparkly never modifies, creates, or deletes any data in your Google account.

How Google Data Is Used

Data retrieved from Google APIs is used exclusively and only to render information directly inside the extension UI on your local device. Specifically:

• Calendar events are displayed in the Workspace widget on your new tab page and as results in the universal search overlay (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+K)
• Drive files are listed in the Workspace widget and universal search results
• Gmail message subjects and senders are shown in the Workspace widget and universal search results
• Your profile name and email are shown in the Workspace settings panel

Google user data is never used for any secondary purpose, including but not limited to: advertising, profiling, analytics, training machine learning models, or sharing with third parties.

Data Flow

All Google API calls are made directly from your browser to Google's servers using your OAuth access token. The response data flows as follows:

• API responses are received in the extension's background service worker
• Data is passed locally to the extension's new tab page or search overlay for display
• No data is routed through, logged by, or stored on any Sparkly-operated server
• Your OAuth token is stored only in chrome.storage.local on your own device

Data Storage

Sparkly stores the following data locally on your device using chrome.storage.local:

• Your OAuth access token (used to avoid re-authenticating on each session)
• Your widget layout preferences and enabled sections
• Your wallpaper, search engine, and appearance settings
• Bookmarks and shortcuts you manually add

None of this data is synced to any external service or accessible by us.

Data We Never Collect

Sparkly does not:

• Transmit any Google user data to our servers or any third party
• Use Google user data to serve or facilitate personalized advertising
• Use Google user data to train, improve, or build AI or machine learning models
• Allow any human to read your Google data (no manual review, no support access)
• Track your browsing history or behavior for analytics purposes
• Use any analytics, telemetry, or crash-reporting services
• Sell, license, or share your data with any third party

Google API Services — Limited Use Disclosure

Sparkly's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Specifically, Sparkly:

• Only uses Google user data to provide and improve the features described in this policy
• Does not transfer Google user data to third parties except as necessary to provide the extension's features, or as required by law
• Does not use Google user data for advertising purposes
• Does not allow humans to read Google user data unless required by law or you have given explicit consent
• Only requests the minimum OAuth scopes necessary to deliver the stated functionality

Chrome Permissions

Sparkly requests the following Chrome permissions and uses them strictly as described:

• tabs — to display and switch between open browser tabs in the Tab Manager widget and universal search
• history — to show recent browsing history in the universal search overlay; history data is never transmitted outside your device
• sessions — to show recently closed tabs so you can restore them
• topSites — to display your most visited sites as quick shortcuts
• storage — to save your preferences and settings locally on your device
• identity — to authenticate with your Google account via Chrome's built-in OAuth2 flow

Revoking Access

You can disconnect your Google account at any time by clicking the settings (⚙) icon in the Google Workspace widget and selecting "Sign out". You can also revoke Sparkly's access directly from your Google Account permissions page. Upon sign-out, the locally stored OAuth token is deleted from your device.

Children's Privacy

Sparkly is not directed at children under the age of 13 and we do not knowingly collect any information from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the extension after changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

---

Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at varaprasadh.a@gmail.com.