# Focus Gate — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2026-09-20
Focus Gate is a browser extension that blocks the sites you choose until you finish a short reading or typing exercise. This page explains what it stores, what it sends, and who can see it.
The short version
– Your list of blocked sites, your settings and your progress stay on your device.
– Focus Gate has no accounts and no ads. We do not sell your data.
– Your browsing history is read only on your device, only when you use “suggest sites from my history”, and is never sent to us.
– We never receive the names of the sites you block or visit.
What stays on your device
Stored in your browser’s extension storage (`chrome.storage.local`); we never receive it unless a section below says so:
– the sites you block, your daily limit, goals, unlock times and streaks
– your reading and vocabulary progress
– your purpose-pass and pledge settings
– your Premium license key (if you have one), and a random install ID
Uninstalling the extension removes all of it.
Your browsing history
If you tap “suggest sites from my history”, the extension reads your recent history inside your browser to rank the sites you visit most. The result is shown to you and is never uploaded. You can ignore that button and type sites in yourself.
What we receive
1. Content updates. The extension downloads reading passages, vocabulary lists and on-screen wording from our server (`focus-extension-api.focus-extension.workers.dev`). These requests carry no personal information.
2. Anonymous install and usage counts. When you install, and as you use the gate, the extension sends short events such as “gate shown”, “exercise type chosen”, “minutes earned” or “upgrade button clicked”, together with a random install ID. The ID is not linked to your name, email, license key or payment. The events never include the name of any site you block or visit. These counts are kept for about 90 days.
3. Premium. If you subscribe, payment is handled entirely by Stripe; we never see your card number. Stripe gives us your email address, subscription status and a customer ID so we can unlock Premium and let you manage or cancel it. We store your email, license key and subscription status. To check your plan the extension sends your license key and random install ID. Premium also syncs your reading and vocabulary progress between browsers, stored against your license key. A key works on a limited number of browsers.
4. Circles (optional, Premium). If you start or join a circle you choose a nickname. While you are a member the extension sends your circle code, nickname and a few numbers or fixed labels: how many days you used the gate this week, how many sites you block (a count, never the names), how often you turned back, minutes unlocked and their trend, a streak, where you are in a book (only if you leave that sharing on), and your pledge status (only if you share it). Site names, the purposes you type and your history are never sent. Circle members can see this summary of each other. Circle records are deleted automatically after 90 days without activity, or when you leave. If you leave, or the circle owner removes you, your entry is deleted.
5. Pledge alert (optional, Premium). If you turn on a pledge and share it with a circle, uninstalling the extension opens a page on our server so your circle can see the pledge ended. That request carries your circle code and member ID.
Who else sees data
– Stripe (payments), under [Stripe’s privacy policy](https://stripe.com/privacy).
– Cloudflare hosts our server and stores the data above, under [Cloudflare’s privacy policy](https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/).
– Google hosts a spreadsheet we use to write some of the on-screen wording and reading lists. It contains no user data.
We do not sell or rent your data, do not use it for advertising, and do not use it to decide credit or lending.
Your choices
– Delete all local data by uninstalling the extension.
– Leave a circle at any time in Settings.
– Ask us to delete your email, license record and any server-side progress by writing to [YOUR CONTACT EMAIL]. Send the email you used at checkout.
– Cancel Premium from the Manage subscription link in Settings.
Children
Focus Gate is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data.
Changes
If we change this policy we will update the date above, and tell you inside the extension if the change is significant.