Poof Privacy Policy
Poof hides the people, posts and websites you choose. It does this inside your browser. Poof has no accounts and does not maintain a log of your browsing history. It processes the current page and address locally to provide filtering and website blocking. Some optional features connect to online services; this page lists each one, what it sends and how to turn it off.
What stays on your device
Your saved names, aliases and handles, blocked websites, filter selections, sensitivity settings, kept-post exceptions, learning examples and page counts are stored in Chrome's extension storage on your device. Name matching, keyword filters and the optional downloaded AI models run on your device. Poof reads page text, images and links to decide what to hide. This content is not sent to Poof’s servers as raw text or images. If you enable cloud AI, selected text and thumbnails are sent to your configured provider as described below.
If you export your list, the file contains your names, aliases, expiry dates, blocked websites and selected filters. Share it only when you intend to.
Data types used by Poof
Local processing is still data handling. The Chrome Web Store disclosures cover these uses, even when the data never leaves your device:
- Names and handles: names, aliases and usernames you enter can identify people. They are saved locally for blocking; online lookup sends typed names to Wikimedia only when enabled. Poof does not require your own name, email or an account.
- Website content: page text, images and links are read for filtering. Learning examples and cached classification results may be stored locally. Optional cloud AI sends selected content to your chosen provider.
- Browsing information: current page addresses, domains and relevant page metadata are used locally to apply filters, pause sites and manage temporary website breaks. Poof does not keep a chronological list of visits or send browsing URLs to its statistics service.
- User activity: keyboard, pointer, scroll and click events are processed locally to operate shortcuts and controls, identify the post under the pointer and cancel a hold when appropriate. Poof does not record a keystroke, mouse-movement or click history, or upload those events.
- Authentication information: if you configure cloud AI, your provider API key is stored in browser session storage and sent to that provider to authenticate requests. It is not sent to Poof’s servers.
- IP address: services contacted by an enabled online feature receive your IP address as part of the connection. Poof does not request GPS or use IP addresses to locate you. Its application does not store client IPs; hosting and external providers process connection information under their own policies.
What can connect online
| Feature | What is sent, and to whom | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Online name lookup | Names you type into the add box are sent to Wikipedia and Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation) to suggest spellings and known aliases. Requests are sent without cookies or the page address. | Off until you turn it on |
| Anonymous statistics | When you block a recognised public figure, Poof sends that person's public identifier, the type of count and a random one-time ID that prevents double counting to makeitpoof.com. No account or device ID, custom names, post text or page addresses are sent. The server stores only running totals and the one-time IDs. | Off until you turn it on |
| Local AI downloads | When you choose to download the text or image model, the model files are fetched from Hugging Face. No posts or page content are sent with these requests. | Off until you download |
| Image filtering | To check feed images, Poof may fetch a public image again from the site that hosts it, without cookies. That host sees the request. The image is analysed on your device. | Off until enabled |
| Shared classification cache | A one-way hash of a public post is sent to makeitpoof.com to look up a reviewed result. No post text is sent, but a known public post could be identified from its hash. | Off |
| Cloud AI | Short post text and thumbnails are sent to the AI provider you configure, with your API key. That provider's own terms and retention apply, and it may charge your account. Your key is kept in browser session storage. | Off |
Every service listed above also receives your IP address as part of the connection. The Poof server keeps no access logs.
What Poof does not do
- Poof does not sell or transfer your data to third parties, except as described above to provide the feature you are using.
- Poof does not use or transfer your data for advertising, credit or lending purposes, or for anything unrelated to filtering your browsing.
- Poof does not build or sell a browsing-history or activity profile. Local page processing and the optional network requests described above are used to provide its filtering features.
Your choices
Online name lookup and Anonymous statistics are off when you install Poof. You can turn them on during setup or with the gear icon, and turn them off again at any time. Turning off statistics stops future contributions; earlier anonymous counts cannot be identified or withdrawn. In the same settings you can remove downloaded models, clear cached AI results, forget learning examples, and leave the shared cache and cloud AI off. Removing the extension deletes everything Poof stored in your browser.
Website access
Chrome shows that Poof can read and change data on websites. Poof needs this to find and hide matching parts of the pages you visit and to redirect websites you have chosen to block. The permission does not upload your browsing; only the features in the table above send anything.
Children
Poof is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect personal information from them.
Changes and contact
If these practices change, this page will be updated and the date above changed. Questions: [email protected].