Horizon New Tab - Privacy Policy

        TL;DR: We respect your privacy. Most data stays on your device. If you choose to sign in, we sync your preferences securely to Firebase. We never sell your data or show ads.
      

Introduction

Horizon New Tab ("we", "our", or "the extension") is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you use our Chrome extension.

Information We Collect

Local Storage (No Account Required)

The following data is stored locally on your device and never leaves your computer unless you choose to sign in:

Weather preferences: Your chosen location (city, coordinates) and whether you use automatic location detection
UI settings: Clock format (12h/24h), display preferences
Favorite wallpapers: URLs and metadata of images you've favorited (cached locally)

This data is stored in your browser's local storage and is never transmitted to our servers unless you sign in.

Cloud Storage (Optional - When Signed In)

If you choose to sign in with your Google account, we store the following in Firebase (Google's cloud database):

Account information: Email address, display name, and profile photo from your Google account
Synced preferences: Weather settings, UI preferences
Favorite wallpapers: Your saved wallpaper collection (up to 9 for free users)
Todo items: Your tasks and lists (if you use this feature)
Custom nickname: If you set a personalized greeting name

How We Use Your Information

We use your information solely to:

Provide and maintain the extension's functionality
Display accurate weather information for your location
Sync your preferences across devices (if signed in)
Personalize your experience with custom greetings
Remember your favorite wallpapers and settings

        We DO NOT:
        Sell your personal information to third parties
Use your data for advertising purposes
Track your browsing history
Share your information with anyone except as described in this policy

      

Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to provide our functionality:

Firebase (Google)

Purpose: Authentication and cloud data storage (optional)
What they receive: Your Google account information, synced preferences
Privacy policy: Firebase Privacy Policy

Open-Meteo Weather API

Purpose: Fetch weather data for your location
What they receive: GPS coordinates (latitude/longitude) or city name
Personal data: None. Weather API requests are anonymous
Website: open-meteo.com

OpenStreetMap Nominatim

Purpose: Convert GPS coordinates to city names
What they receive: GPS coordinates
Personal data: None. Requests are anonymous
Privacy policy: OSM Privacy Policy

Unsplash

Purpose: Provide high-quality wallpaper images
What they receive: None. We use their public API
Personal data: None
Privacy policy: Unsplash Privacy Policy

Data Security

We implement appropriate security measures to protect your data:

Encryption in transit: All cloud data is transmitted over HTTPS
Firebase security rules: Your data is protected by strict access rules - only you can access your own data
No third-party access: We do not share your data with advertisers or data brokers
Secure authentication: Google's OAuth is used for sign-in (we never see your password)

Your Rights and Choices

Use Without an Account

You can use Horizon New Tab completely offline without signing in. All features except cloud sync work without an account.

Access Your Data

If signed in, you can view all your data in Firebase:

Your preferences are visible in the settings panel
Your favorites are visible in the settings modal
Your todos are visible in the todo panel

Delete Your Data

You have the right to delete your data at any time:

Local data: Clear your browser's local storage or uninstall the extension
Cloud data: Sign out and contact us to delete your cloud data
Account deletion: Contact us to permanently delete your account and all associated data

Export Your Data

Browser Permissions

Our extension requests the following permissions:

Storage Permission

Why we need it: To save your preferences, weather settings, and favorite wallpapers locally on your device for instant loading.

Alarms Permission

Why we need it: To schedule automatic wallpaper updates and weather data refresh in the background (e.g., every 30 minutes).

Host Permissions

We request access to specific domains only:

api.open-meteo.com - Weather data
nominatim.openstreetmap.org - Location names
firestore.googleapis.com - Cloud sync (optional)

We do not request access to browse all websites or track your browsing history.

Children's Privacy

Our extension is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

International Users

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside of your state, province, country, or other governmental jurisdiction where privacy laws may differ from those in your jurisdiction.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. We will notify you of any changes by:

Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
Displaying a notice in the extension (for significant changes)

We encourage you to review this privacy policy periodically.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or your data, please contact us at:

Email: [email protected]
GitHub: github.com/ttian226/horizon-new-tab

Legal Compliance

This privacy policy complies with:

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for European users
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California users
Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies