Effective date: February 2026
SimpleReader does not collect, store, transmit, or sell any personal data. All information stays in your browser.
1. Overview
SimpleReader is a browser extension for Chrome that lets you subscribe to and read RSS, Atom, and RDF feeds. It runs entirely within your browser. There is no server component, no user account system, and no data collection of any kind.
2. Data Collection
SimpleReader collects no personal data. Specifically:
- No analytics or telemetry
- No crash reports sent to any server
- No tracking pixels or fingerprinting
- No account creation or login
- No cookies set on external sites
- No data sold or shared with any third party
3. How It Works
When you add a feed, SimpleReader's background service worker fetches the feed URL directly from your browser — exactly as if you had navigated to it yourself. The fetched articles are parsed locally and stored in Chrome's built-in storage APIs.
Feeds are refreshed periodically (every 30 minutes by default) in the background. Conditional HTTP headers (ETag and Last-Modified) are used to avoid re-downloading unchanged feeds.
No intermediary server is involved at any point.
4. Data Storage
All data is stored using Chrome's built-in storage APIs:
chrome.storage.sync— Your feed subscriptions (URLs and titles) and settings (dark mode, font size, etc.). Chrome may sync this across your signed-in devices under Google's Privacy Policy.chrome.storage.local— Article content (items are stored locally only and are not synced). This storage is larger and holds the actual article items keyed by ID.
Data never leaves your browser except through Chrome's own sync mechanism (if you are signed into Chrome and sync is enabled).
You can clear all SimpleReader data at any time by removing the extension or clearing extension storage in Chrome settings.
5. Permissions Explained
SimpleReader requests only the permissions necessary for it to function:
| Permission | Why it's needed |
|---|---|
storage |
Required to read and write subscriptions, settings, and article data using Chrome's storage APIs. |
unlimitedStorage |
The default storage quota is small. Unlimited storage lets you hold a reasonable article backlog without hitting limits. |
alarms |
Used to schedule the periodic background feed refresh (every 30 minutes by default). |
host_permissions: *://*/* |
RSS feeds are served from arbitrary domains chosen by the user. This permission allows fetching feeds from any domain you subscribe to — it is not used to access any site you haven't explicitly subscribed to. |
6. Third-Party Services
SimpleReader uses no third-party services. Feeds are fetched directly from the source domain you subscribe to. This is the same network request your browser would make if you visited that URL directly — SimpleReader simply parses the response locally.
The source domains of the feeds you subscribe to will receive HTTP requests with your browser's standard headers (IP address, User-Agent). SimpleReader has no control over, and takes no responsibility for, the privacy practices of those external sites.
7. Changes to This Policy
If this privacy policy changes materially, the updated version will be posted here with a new effective date. Given the nature of SimpleReader (no data collection, no server), significant changes are unlikely.
Continued use of the extension after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the new policy.
8. Contact
Questions or concerns? Open an issue on the GitHub repository.