Privacy Policy

HN Filter Chrome Extension · Last updated: May 2026

    Short version: HN Filter collects no personal data, stores nothing on any server,
    and never shares anything with third parties. All your settings live exclusively on
    your own device.
  

1. Who We Are

HN Filter is a Chrome browser extension that hides AI-related posts on Hacker News (news.ycombinator.com). It is developed and maintained as an independent project. Questions or concerns can be sent to the contact address listed at the bottom of this page.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect no personal data. Specifically:

We do not collect your name, email address, or any contact information.
We do not collect or record which websites you visit.
We do not collect browsing history, page contents, or search queries.
We do not use cookies or any persistent tracking identifiers.
We do not run analytics, crash reporters, or telemetry of any kind.

3. Data Stored Locally on Your Device

HN Filter stores the following data in chrome.storage.local — a sandboxed storage area on your own machine that is never transmitted to any external server:

Custom keyword list — terms you add to the blacklist (Pro feature).
Whitelist — terms you add to the "never hide" list (Pro feature).
License status — a boolean flag indicating whether a valid Pro license has been activated, and the license key itself.

This data never leaves your browser. It is not synced to any cloud service, not sent to our servers, and not accessible to any third party. You can clear it at any time by removing the extension or clearing Chrome's extension storage.

4. License Key Verification (Pro Users Only)

If you purchase the Pro upgrade and choose to activate it, HN Filter sends your license key to Gumroad's API (api.gumroad.com) to verify its validity. This is the only outbound network request HN Filter ever makes, and it occurs solely when you click the "Activate" button in the popup.

We do not operate or control Gumroad's servers. The data handled during that verification is governed by Gumroad's Privacy Policy. After the one-time verification, HN Filter stores the result locally and does not contact Gumroad again.

5. Permissions Explained

HN Filter requests the following Chrome permissions and uses them only as described:

storage — to save your keyword lists and license status on your local device.
tabs — to check whether the currently active tab is on news.ycombinator.com before doing anything; HN Filter takes no action on other sites.
scripting — to inject the filtering script into HN listing pages so it can hide matching story rows.
Host access: news.ycombinator.com — the site where filtering takes place.
Host access: api.gumroad.com — used only for the one-time Pro license verification described above.

6. Third-Party Services

HN Filter does not integrate with any advertising networks, analytics platforms, or data brokers. The only third-party service involved is Gumroad, solely for Pro license verification as described in Section 4.

7. Children's Privacy

HN Filter is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect any information from children.

8. Changes to This Policy

If we make material changes to this privacy policy, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the extension after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

9. Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how HN Filter handles data, please open an issue on the extension's GitHub repository or contact us at the email address associated with the Chrome Web Store listing.