Stop Impulse Buys Get the Chrome extension

Effective 23 August 2026

Privacy Policy

This policy explains how Stop Impulse Buys collects, uses, shares, and protects information when you use the Chrome extension and related services.

Our single purpose

Stop Impulse Buys provides an AI-guided pause when buying intent is detected on a supported Amazon marketplace. It uses the minimum information needed to understand the purchase, conduct the coaching conversation, remember your settings, and record your decision.

Information we handle

  • Account information: Firebase user identifier, email address, display name, authentication state, optional Google profile photo when you choose Google sign-in, and account profile details you provide.
  • Browser-profile identifier: a random extension identifier used to apply the shared monthly allowance and keep signed-out activity separate. It is stored locally and, when available, through Chrome Sync for best-effort reinstall recovery.
  • Shopping context: Amazon marketplace, product title, displayed price and currency, product URL without unnecessary tracking parameters where possible, product image, and the Add to Cart or Buy Now interaction that triggered coaching.
  • Coaching information: selected coach, typed replies, voice audio while voice mode is active, transcripts, coach messages, recommendation, and final wait or buy decision.
  • Goals and activity: thresholds, savings goals, reminder preferences, usage count, decisions, saved amounts, and dashboard history. Signed-out purchase details remain separate from signed-in account history.
  • Weekly recap settings: for signed-in users who opt in, we store the account email, timezone, Monday delivery schedule, delivery status, and an unsubscribe token. The recap is calculated from existing decision records and keeps totals separated by currency.
  • Operational information: error details, request timing, app version, and privacy-limited analytics when analytics is enabled.
  • Subscription information: plan and subscription status when paid features are enabled. We do not collect or store full payment card details.

Voice processing

Microphone audio is captured only while voice mode is active and is sent over encrypted connections for live coaching or transcription. Raw audio is processed transiently and is not intentionally stored in the Stop Impulse Buys application database. Transcripts and conversation messages may be stored with the intervention so the conversation can continue and the resulting decision can be recorded.

How we use information

  • Provide and personalize the purchase-coaching conversation.
  • Apply your selected currency threshold and coach preferences.
  • Save decisions, calculate per-currency totals, and display dashboard history.
  • Synchronize account settings and account progress while keeping signed-out purchase details separate.
  • Enforce the monthly free-plan allowance across the account and Chrome profile.
  • Send reminders you request and, only after opt-in, a Monday progress recap to your signed-in email address.
  • Respond to support messages.
  • Secure, debug, and improve reliability without using shopping data for unrelated advertising.

Service providers

We use Google Firebase for email/password and optional Google authentication, server functions, database storage, and weekly scheduling; Gmail SMTP for opt-in weekly recap delivery; Google Gemini for AI coaching, speech, and transcription; PostHog for limited product analytics when enabled; and Razorpay for subscription processing when paid plans are enabled. Google sign-in runs only after you select Continue with Google, inside an isolated Firebase authentication page that cannot access extension APIs or shopping pages. These providers process information on our behalf under their own security and service terms.

Analytics

Analytics is configured without page autocapture or session recording. We do not intentionally send raw microphone audio, full coaching transcripts, payment-card data, delivery addresses, or complete tracking URLs to analytics. Analytics includes a random browser-local analytics identifier, feature events (such as setup completion, coaching use, wait/proceed decisions, and checkout interest), supported marketplace and currency codes, app version, and HTTP error categories. These events are sent to our PostHog EU project. We exclude product titles, shopping URLs, email addresses, and other account details. We disable session recording and automatic page capture and request that PostHog disable GeoIP enrichment. You can stop future analytics and clear unsent events in Settings > Privacy > Share product analytics. Turning analytics off does not delete events already delivered; use our data deletion process for deletion requests.

Sharing and sale

We do not sell personal information. We share information only with the service providers needed to operate the extension, when you direct us to, to protect users and the service, or when required by law.

Retention and deletion

Account, browser-profile, settings, decisions, and conversation records are retained while needed to provide your account, signed-out history, and allowance enforcement. Operational records may be retained for security and reliability. You may request deletion from the extension or follow the data deletion instructions. Verified requests are handled within a reasonable period unless retention is required by law, security, fraud prevention, or an unresolved transaction.

Security and international processing

Information is transmitted using modern encryption. Access to backend records requires an authenticated session and is scoped to the relevant account or random browser-profile identifier. Providers may process information in countries other than your own, subject to their contractual and legal safeguards.

Your choices

You can use typing instead of the microphone, change thresholds and reminders, turn the weekly recap on or off from Account settings, unsubscribe from any recap email, sign out, request account deletion, or uninstall the extension. Signing out hides account history but does not reset the browser's monthly allowance. Uninstalling removes local extension data but does not automatically delete server-side account or signed-out browser records. Best-effort anonymous recovery depends on Chrome Sync.

Children

The service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

Changes and contact

We may update this policy as the service changes. Material changes will be reflected by a new effective date. Questions can be sent to stopimpulsebuys@gmail.com.