Last updated: 2026-10-18
Published at https://danieljpuusitalo.github.io/sifter/privacy/
Sifter sends nothing anywhere. It has no server, no account, no analytics and no tracking, and it makes no network requests of its own. What it reads and the little it stores stay on your device; nothing is sent to the developer or to anyone else.
On the sites where it runs, Sifter reads the page in your browser to find posts the site labels as sponsored, suggested or promoted, and posts matching filters you set. That reading happens on your device. No page content, browsing history or personal data is sent anywhere.
Sifter stores the following in your browser's extension storage (chrome.storage.local)
on your device:
linkedin.com/in/, which often
contains your name. Sifter reads it from the profile links in the sidebar of your
LinkedIn feed, and only when at least two of them agree.Why the profile id. With "Suggested" turned on, Sifter hides posts that reach you only because a connection liked or commented on them. A post that mentions or tags you can arrive the same way, and hiding it would mean you never see that someone mentioned you. Sifter keeps your profile id so it can recognise a post that links to your profile and always leave it visible. It is only compared against links on the page, in your browser.
"Suggested" is off by default, and the setting says, next to the switch, that turning it on keeps your profile link. Turning "Suggested" off for LinkedIn, or turning LinkedIn off in Sifter, deletes the id. You can also see it, and remove it, under Options, "Your exceptions", with the Forget button; while "Suggested" stays on, Sifter learns it again the next time you open the feed.
This data never leaves your browser unless you export a backup file yourself; a backup contains all of the above, including the profile id. Uninstalling Sifter deletes it.
Sifter uses this data only to decide what to hide on your screen. It does not sell or transfer it, does not use it for advertising, credit or any purpose unrelated to hiding posts, and no person reads it. Sifter's use of data complies with the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
Access to linkedin.com, reddit.com, x.com, twitter.com, instagram.com, facebook.com, threads.com, threads.net, google.com and 18 Google country domains (google.nl, google.de, google.co.uk, …; the full list is GOOGLE_DOMAINS in src/sites.ts). Chrome grants this per domain, so it covers every page on them; on Google, Sifter's rules are written for the search results page |
to find and hide sponsored posts on those sites |
| Other sites (optional, only when you ask) | when you choose "Hide ads on" and the site's name in the popup, Chrome asks you to grant that one site |
storage |
to keep your settings on your device |
scripting |
to start Sifter on a site you turned on from the popup, and on tabs that were already open when Sifter was installed or updated, without a reload |
activeTab |
to show the current site's name in the popup |
contextMenus |
for "Hide this post with Sifter" on right-click |
Changes to this policy are recorded in the project's history.
Questions: daniel.jpuusitalo@gmail.com