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1. Scope and Preamble

This Privacy Policy informs you in accordance with Art. 13 and Art. 14 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation, "GDPR") and § 25 of the German Telecommunications and Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG) about the nature, scope and purpose of the processing of personal data in connection with the installation and use of the Chrome browser extension SmartMarks – AI Bookmark Organizer (the "Extension").

SmartMarks is a fully client-side browser extension for Google Chrome. The Extension does not operate its own backend server and no centralised data storage is performed by the developer. All core functions run exclusively locally in the user's browser. The only exception is the network-based availability checks described in Section 4.6, where – at the user's explicit request – HTTP(S) requests are sent to URLs entered by the user.

This Privacy Policy applies exclusively to the Extension SmartMarks and the data processing associated with it. It does not apply to websites, services or third-party content accessed or linked via the Extension.

2. Data Controller (Art. 4(7) GDPR)

For data protection enquiries, please contact the email address above directly.

3. General Information on Data Processing

3.1 Principles

The controller processes personal data exclusively in accordance with the principles of Art. 5 GDPR: lawfulness, fairness and transparency; purpose limitation; data minimisation; accuracy; storage limitation; integrity and confidentiality.

3.2 Legal Bases at a Glance

3.3 No Disclosure for Advertising Purposes

There is no commercial use, disclosure to advertisers, data brokers or analytics services of any kind. No user profiles are created. The Extension contains no analytics SDK, no advertising SDK and no third-party scripts.

4. Data Processed in Detail

4.1 Bookmarks (Permission: bookmarks)

The Extension reads bookmarks stored in Chrome (URL, title, folder structure) via chrome.bookmarks — the primary data source of the Speed-Dial Dashboard. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Recipients / third countries: None. Retention: Working memory only during Dashboard runtime; discarded on tab close.

4.2 Browser History (Permission: history)

The local browser history (URLs, timestamps, frequencies) is evaluated exclusively in local working memory to sort bookmarks by visit frequency. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Recipients / third countries: None. Retention: Only for the duration of the sort calculation; discarded immediately after.

4.3 Browser Tabs (Permission: tabs)

The tabs permission is used for: (1) opening the Dashboard tab on icon click; (2) detecting existing Dashboard tabs; (3) optional preview image screenshots (cached locally). Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (tab opening), Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (preview images). Recipients / third countries: None.

4.4 Local Browser Storage (Permission: storage)

The Extension uses exclusively chrome.storage.local:

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR; § 25(2)(2) TDDDG. Recipients / third countries: None. Retention: Until Extension is uninstalled or user actively deletes data.

4.5 Timers / Background Tasks (Permission: alarms)

The alarms permission is used solely for scheduling availability checks (interval configurable: 5, 15, 30, 60 minutes or disabled). The permission does not itself process personal data. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.

4.6 Availability Checks and Network Communication (Permission: host_permissions: <all_urls>)

The Extension can — if enabled by the user — send periodic HTTP(S) requests to URLs saved by the user in the Dashboard. The user's IP address is transmitted to the target server (addresses entered by the user; TRS Software has no access).

Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Recipients: Operators of target servers entered by the user. Third-country transfers: Possible where target servers are outside the EU/EEA — at the user's own instigation; an adequacy decision will generally not be in place.

Availability checks can be completely disabled in the Extension settings. The <all_urls> permission is used exclusively for these checks — not for reading website content.

5. Retention Periods

The controller has no access to data stored in the user's chrome.storage.local. Full control lies with the user.

6. Disclosure to Third Parties and Third Countries

TRS Software does not disclose personal data to third parties. No data processing agreements (Art. 28 GDPR) exist. Sole exception: when availability checks are enabled (Section 4.6), the user's IP address is transmitted to the respective target server — at the express instigation and independent decision of the user. Third-country transfers are possible where target servers are outside the EU/EEA; an adequacy decision will generally not be in place.

7. Google Chrome Web Store as Distribution Platform

SmartMarks is distributed via the Google Chrome Web Store (Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA). For data processing during installation, uninstallation and updates, Google LLC is solely responsible. Google's Privacy Policy applies. TRS Software does not receive any personal data about individual users.

8. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

SmartMarks does not make any automated decisions with legal effects (Art. 22 GDPR). No profiling within the meaning of Art. 4(4) GDPR takes place.

9. Rights of the Data Subject

As a data subject, you have the following rights under the GDPR:

• Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR): Right to information about data processed concerning you.
• Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR): Corrections can be made directly in the Extension settings.
• Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR): Exercisable yourself by uninstalling or resetting the Extension.
• Right to restriction (Art. 18 GDPR): Individual processing operations (history sorting, availability checks, preview images) can be disabled in settings.
• Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR): Request by email to info@trssoftware.com.
• Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR): For processing based on legitimate interests; restrictions possible via settings.

9.7 Right to Lodge a Complaint with a Supervisory Authority (Art. 77 GDPR)

You may also lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority in the EU member state of your habitual residence.

10. Data Protection Officer

TRS Software, as a sole trader, is not required to appoint a data protection officer (Art. 37 GDPR in conjunction with § 38(1) BDSG). For all data protection enquiries: info@trssoftware.com. Requests are answered within 30 days (Art. 12(3) GDPR).

11. Data Security

Data in chrome.storage.local is isolated by the Chrome Extension Sandbox and protected by OS-level file encryption (FileVault / BitLocker). Network communication goes exclusively to addresses entered by the user — HTTPS URLs are TLS-encrypted. TRS Software does not operate its own server infrastructure for SmartMarks.

12. No Cookies, No Tracking, No Fingerprinting

SmartMarks sets no cookies, uses no tracking, performs no fingerprinting, contains no embedded analytics services (no Google Analytics, Matomo, Mixpanel, Sentry or similar), no advertising SDKs and does not access the content of visited websites. The Extension is completely free of third-party services that process personal data.

13. Open Source Notice

The complete source code is publicly available at: github.com/TRS-Software/smartmarks-chrome

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

TRS Software reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy when the Extension's functionality changes substantially, the legal situation changes, or regulatory requirements necessitate an adjustment. Material changes will be communicated via Extension updates. The date of the last change is noted at the beginning of this document.

15. Contact for Data Protection Enquiries

We will process your request in accordance with Art. 12(3) GDPR within one month.