Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 7th, 2025

1. Introduction

OriginStory (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of our users (“you” or “your”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information when you use the OriginStory browser extension (the “Extension”). The Extension is designed to enhance your Amazon.com shopping experience by providing information about the likely country of origin of products listed on the website.

2. Information We Collect

The Extension collects the following information to function as intended:

  • Product Information: When you are on an Amazon.com product page, the Extension automatically collects information displayed on that page, including:
    • Product Title
    • Brand Name
    • ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number)
    • HTML content specific to the elements used for origin determination
  • Amazon Domain: The Extension detects the specific Amazon domain you are using (e.g., amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.de) to infer a general region, which helps improve origin accuracy.
  • User-Confirmed Origins: If you choose to use the user override feature to correct or confirm a product’s origin, the Extension will store this information locally on your device, associated with the product’s ASIN. You may also optionally submit these corrections to our servers to help improve the accuracy of the Extension for all users.
  • Extension Usage Data: We may collect anonymous usage data related to the Extension’s performance, such as the frequency of origin lookups and error rates. This data is aggregated and anonymized and does not contain any personally identifiable information.
  • Web requests: The extension makes web requests to the following URLs:
    • https://us-central1-originstory-extension.cloudfunctions.net/getBrandCountry
    • https://us-central1-originstory-extension.cloudfunctions.net/userOverride
    • Amazon.com product pages.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To Determine Product Origin: The primary purpose of the Extension is to determine the likely country of origin of products on Amazon.com. We use the collected product information, Amazon domain, and potentially user-confirmed origins to achieve this.
  • To Improve the Extension: User-confirmed origins and anonymous usage data help us improve the accuracy and performance of the Extension’s origin detection algorithms.
  • To Communicate with You: We may use your email address, if provided through optional feedback channels outside of the extension, to respond to inquiries or provide updates about the Extension. But the extension does not collect this information in any way or form.

4. Information We Do Not Collect

We want to be clear about the information we do not collect:

  • Personally Identifiable Information (PII): We do not collect your name, email address, physical address, phone number, or any other information that could be used to directly identify you, unless given in an email sent from you to us as stated above.
  • Financial Information: We do not collect any credit card details, bank account information, or other financial data.
  • Sensitive Information: We do not collect any information about your health, race, religion, political beliefs, or sexual orientation.
  • Browsing History (Except as Needed): We do not collect your general browsing history. The Extension only accesses the URL of the active tab when it is on an Amazon.com product page to identify the specific product being viewed.
  • User Activity Beyond Amazon: The extension does not collect information about your activity on any website other than Amazon.com.
  • Precise Geolocation Data: We do not collect or use your precise GPS location.

5. Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your information to third parties, except in the following limited circumstances:

  • User-Confirmed Origins (Optional): If you voluntarily submit a user override to correct a product’s origin, we may share this information (ASIN and corrected country code) with our backend API to improve the accuracy of the Extension for other users.
  • Service Providers: We may share anonymized, aggregated usage data with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating and improving the Extension. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which it was disclosed.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal request, such as a subpoena or court order.
  • Protection of Rights: We may disclose your information if we believe it is necessary to protect our rights, the rights of our users, or the safety of others.
  • Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your information may be transferred as part of the transaction. We will notify you via prominent notice within the extension or by other appropriate means if your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect the information we collect from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These measures include:

  • Data Minimization: We collect only the minimum amount of data necessary for the Extension to function.
  • Local Storage: User-confirmed origins are stored locally on your device whenever possible.
  • Secure Transmission: When data is transmitted to our servers (e.g., user-confirmed origins), it is encrypted using industry-standard protocols (HTTPS).
  • Anonymization and Aggregation: Usage data is anonymized and aggregated to prevent identification of individual users.
  • Code Security: The Extension’s code is regularly reviewed and updated to address potential security vulnerabilities.
  • Minimized and Obfuscated Code: Remote code fetched from our servers is minimized and obfuscated to enhance security.

7. Data Retention

We retain information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, or as required by law. User-confirmed origins stored locally on your device can be deleted by clearing your browser’s storage or uninstalling the extension. Anonymized, aggregated usage data may be retained indefinitely.

8. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your information:

  • Access: You can request access to the information we have collected about you, though this will generally be limited as we do not collect personally identifiable information.
  • Correction: You can correct the origin of a product using the user override feature.
  • Deletion: You can delete locally stored user-confirmed origins by clearing your browser data or uninstalling the extension.
  • Objection: You can object to the processing of your information, although this may limit the functionality of the Extension.

9. Children’s Privacy

The Extension is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

10. California Residents

This section applies to residents of California, in compliance with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA).

  • Right to Know: You have the right to request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you.
  • Right to Delete: You have the right to request that we delete any personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Right to Correct: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
  • Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA/CPRA rights.

Please note: As the Extension does not collect personally identifiable information, the practical exercise of these rights may be limited.

11. International Data Transfers

If you are accessing the Extension from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where our servers are located. By using the Extension, you consent to this transfer, storage, and processing of your information in the U.S., which may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the new Privacy Policy within the Extension or by other appropriate means. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.

13. Disclaimer

OriginStory strives to provide accurate information about product origins. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any origin information displayed by the Extension. Origin information may be based on incomplete or ambiguous data, and manufacturing processes can change. You should always verify product origin information independently if it is critical to your purchasing decision.

14. No Affiliation

OriginStory is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon.com, Inc. or any of its affiliates. We are also not affiliated with Google LLC or any of its affiliates, although we utilize their services to enhance user experience and functionality. We do not have access to any internal Amazon or Google systems, databases, or proprietary information. Our operations are conducted in full compliance with the terms of service and developer guidelines of both Amazon and Google. Our aim is to ensure that our activities do not infringe upon or harm the intellectual property, brand reputation, or operational integrity of these entities.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or the Extension, please contact us at:

originstoryai@gmail.com

By using the OriginStory extension, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy.

Our website address is: https://originstoryai.com.