Brain Forest – Privacy Policy

Last updated: 22 February 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how the Brain Forest browser extension handles your data. Brain Forest is developed and published by EthioWare (ethioware.org).

Overview

Brain Forest is a Chrome extension that helps you be more aware of your usage of AI-powered websites. It keeps a local “forest” that loses health when you visit selected AI sites. By default, all data stays on your device and nothing is sent to our servers.

Data we do not collect

• We do not collect or store your full browsing history.
• We do not collect URLs or page paths of the sites you visit.
• We do not collect any personally identifiable information (name, email, etc.).
• We do not use third‑party analytics inside the extension.

Data stored locally in the extension

When you use Brain Forest, the extension stores a small amount of data using Chrome’s chrome.storage APIs. This data is stored only in your browser profile and is not transmitted to us unless you explicitly opt in to the leaderboard feature (see below).

The extension may store the following locally:

• Visit statistics for configured AI domains:
  • Domain name (e.g. chat.openai.com)
  • Visit count
  • Last visit timestamp
• Forest state:
  • Number of trees and their remaining “life”
  • Forest health percentage
  • Last regeneration time
• Settings:
  • Penalty and regeneration values
  • Enabled / disabled AI sites from the list
  • Country code (if you override automatic detection)
  • Whether you have opted in to the leaderboard
  • Whether tracking is currently paused
• Client identifier:
  • A random ID generated by the extension and stored locally.
  • This ID is not linked to your Google account or any personal data.

You can export or delete all of this data at any time using the extension’s Settings (Options) page (“Export state” / “Forget all data”).

Optional leaderboard (opt‑in only)

Brain Forest includes an optional national leaderboard to help you compare your forest health with other users in your country. This feature is disabled by default.

What is sent if you opt in

If you choose to enable the leaderboard and configure a backend URL, the extension may periodically send the following anonymized data to that backend:

• Hashed client ID – a one‑way hash derived from the random client identifier and a short‑lived salt. It cannot be reversed to identify you personally.
• Country code – a two‑letter code (e.g. US, DE) based on your browser language or your manual override in Settings.
• Score – your current forest health percentage (0–100).
• Streak (if implemented) – days since your last recorded AI‑site visit.
• Timestamp – when the score was submitted.

No URLs, full domains lists, or page contents are uploaded. Only anonymized, aggregated metrics are used for ranking.

Rate limiting and anti‑abuse

To reduce spam and gaming of the leaderboard, submissions are limited to at most once per 24 hours per hashed client ID, and the hashing includes a small random component.

How to opt out

• You can turn off the leaderboard at any time in the extension Settings.
• After you opt out, no new data will be submitted.
• You can also use “Forget all data” in Settings to clear local data. If you want server‑side leaderboard entries associated with your hashed ID to be removed, contact us (see “Contact” below).

Data sharing and retention

• We do not sell your data and do not share it with advertisers.
• If you participate in the leaderboard, anonymized score records may be stored on our backend as long as needed to provide rankings and maintain service quality.
• We may retain logs and security‑related data for a limited time to detect abuse and ensure reliability.

Security

We use industry‑standard practices to secure any backend that receives leaderboard submissions (for example, HTTPS in transit and access‑controlled databases). However, no system can be 100% secure, and you use the extension at your own risk.

Children’s privacy

Brain Forest is not directed at children under 13 and is intended for general audiences. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the extension after changes become effective means you accept the revised policy.

Contact

If you have questions or requests regarding this policy, please contact:

Email: [email protected]