Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 2, 2026

ReadyTab is a browser extension that replaces your new-tab page with a customizable dashboard. This policy explains exactly what data exists, where it is stored, when anything leaves your device, and who receives it.

In short

  • ReadyTab has no user accounts and no sign-up. We do not ask for your email address, and we do not build a profile of you.
  • Your boards, links, notes and settings live in your browser's local storage. Cloud sync and sharing are optional; website icons make requests as described below.
  • There is no telemetry, no analytics and no advertising code in the extension.
  • A few features do send data off your device, and each one is listed by name in section 5 below, together with who receives it.
  • We never sell user data, and we never share it with data brokers or advertisers.

1. Who we are

ReadyTab is developed and operated by Yann Kost, Switzerland. For the purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), he is the controller of the limited data described in this policy.

Contact for any privacy question, data request or complaint: support@readytab.cloud. We answer privacy requests within 30 days.

2. What this policy covers

This policy applies to:

3. Data stored on your device

ReadyTab stores your dashboard and settings in your browser's local extension storage (chrome.storage.local). Pending shared-board recovery drafts use local IndexedDB storage. These local records include:

We have no access to any of this. It is not transmitted to us, and it is not readable by us, unless you deliberately turn on one of the optional networked features in section 5.

Workspaces you password-protect are encrypted on your device with AES-256-GCM using a key derived from your password (PBKDF2) before they are stored or synced. The password never leaves your device and is never sent to us, so a protected workspace cannot be decrypted by us under any circumstances.

4. Browser data ReadyTab can access

ReadyTab requests the browser permissions below. Access is not the same as collection: in every case the data is read inside your browser, used to draw the interface or perform the action you asked for, and never sent to us.

Permission What ReadyTab uses it for Sent to us?
storage Saving your boards, notes, settings and license key locally in the browser. No
tabs Showing your open tabs so you can search, switch, save or close them, and saving a session. Tab titles and URLs are read in the moment and kept only if you save them to a board or session. No
bookmarks Letting you search your bookmarks from the dashboard and import them into a board. Bookmarks are read locally on demand. No
contextMenus The right-click entry that saves the current page to a board. Reads the page URL and title only when you click it. No
search Sending a web search from the dashboard search box to your own default search engine, whichever you have set in your browser. See section 5. No
alarms Scheduling background work such as task reminders and optional link health checks. No
nativeMessaging Talking to the optional ReadyTab Companion on your own computer. See section 6. No
notifications (optional) Showing task reminders. Requested only when you set your first reminder, and the notification is generated and displayed locally. No
Site access (http://*/*, https://*/*) Two things: drawing the ReadyTab quick launcher overlay on the page when you invoke it, and fetching a page you are saving to read its title and preview image. ReadyTab does not read, log or transmit the content of the pages you visit. No

5. When data leaves your device

The following features make network requests. Opening a saved link or launcher can also contact its destination; remotely hosted images load from their image hosts.

5.1 Website icons (always active)

To show the icon of a saved link, ReadyTab loads it from Google's public favicon service at t3.gstatic.com. This means the domain name of the link (for example github.com, not the full URL) and your IP address are visible to Google as part of that request, in the same way they would be if you loaded any image hosted by Google. Nothing is sent to us, and no icon request is tied to an identity by ReadyTab. If you prefer not to use it, you can replace a link's icon with a built-in icon or an uploaded image.

5.2 Web search (only when you search)

When you type a query into the dashboard search box and submit it as a web search, ReadyTab passes it to your browser's own default search engine through the standard browser search API. Your query goes directly from your browser to that search engine and is handled under their privacy policy. ReadyTab does not change your default search engine, does not route queries through any server of ours, does not log queries, and does not store them.

5.3 Link previews (only when you save a link)

When you save a link, ReadyTab may fetch that page directly from your browser to read its title and preview image (Open Graph metadata) so the card looks right. The request goes to the website you are saving, not to us, and the fetched page content is discarded after the title and image are extracted.

5.4 Link health checks (Sync or Full, off by default)

If you switch link health checks on, ReadyTab periodically sends a lightweight request from your browser to each of your saved HTTP and HTTPS links to see whether they still resolve, and shows the result in the interface. The requests go directly to those websites. The results are stored locally on your device. We never see your link list.

5.5 Cloud sync (Sync or Full, opt-in)

Cloud sync is off unless you enable it. It requires no email address and no separate account: your license key, together with a backend user ID derived from it, identifies your sync data.

Your workspace data is encrypted in your browser before upload and transmitted over HTTPS. Our server stores only the resulting encrypted blob, plus the identifiers needed to return it to you and timestamps for conflict resolution. We do not hold the plaintext of your synced boards.

5.6 Shared snapshots, public and managed boards (opt-in)

If you share a snapshot, ReadyTab uploads an encrypted copy of that board and receives a share code you can use to import it elsewhere. If you use managed boards, ReadyTab contacts our backend to publish, subscribe to, sync and manage those board payloads over HTTPS.

Hosting and publishing require Full. Viewers and collaborators can use Free. If you enter an owner's shared edit key, it is saved locally and sent to our backend over HTTPS to authorize access and saves. The server stores each key's name, a hash of the key, and management metadata such as creation and update timestamps. The owner can replace or revoke keys independently; names are labels, not verified identities. Changes are encrypted before upload. The visible board checks for updates every 30 seconds and when you return; background subscription checks also occur. Edit keys are not included in personal cloud sync or JSON exports. Pending shared edits and unfinished board-editing text are stored locally for recovery after a reload or interruption. Recovery records are removed after the pending work is saved or explicitly discarded; exporting alone does not remove them. These records are not included in personal cloud sync. Choosing Export my changes downloads pending board content and any recovered unfinished text. The ordinary local cache of a subscribed board remains available after a save.

Publishing a board makes its encrypted snapshot retrievable by anyone holding the link. The decryption key is carried inside the link itself, in the URL fragment, and is never sent to our server, so we only ever hold the encrypted copy. Treat a published board as public: anyone with the link can read it.

A published board expires automatically 30 days after it is created or last extended. You can instead keep it permanently, extend it by another 30 days, or delete it at any time from the extension, which removes it from our backend so the link stops resolving. We do not control, endorse or verify the content of user-published boards, and we remove published boards in response to valid takedown or abuse reports. Every published board page carries a report link for this purpose.

5.7 Sync and Full license activation

When you activate or validate a Sync or Full license, your license key is sent over HTTPS to Lemon Squeezy's licensing service and ReadyTab's backend. The backend checks purchase and subscription status with Lemon Squeezy to determine which features your license includes. It keeps license identifiers, the associated plan and permission status, and validation timestamps. These checks can recur while paid features are enabled. See section 7.

5.8 Release notes after an update

After the extension updates, it may open the release notes page on readytab.cloud with the version number in the address. That is an ordinary page visit to our website and is covered by section 11.

6. ReadyTab Companion (optional, local only)

The Companion is a separate helper you may choose to install on your own computer. It lets ReadyTab open local applications and files, and lets you pick a file through your system's file dialog.

The extension talks to it through the browser's native messaging channel, which is a local connection on your own machine. The Companion has no server component, sends nothing to us or to any third party, and creates no account. If you never install it, this section does not apply to you.

7. Who receives data, and why

This is the complete list of parties that can receive any data in connection with ReadyTab.

Recipient What they receive Why, and when
Google (favicon service, t3.gstatic.com) The domain of a saved link, plus your IP address and browser user agent, as part of the image request. To display the correct website icon. Whenever icons are shown.
Your default search engine Your search query. To run the web search you asked for. Only when you submit a query.
Websites you saved An ordinary HTTP request from your browser, which carries your IP address. Link previews when you save a link, and link health checks if you enabled them.
LemonSqueezy (Merchant of Record) Your email address and payment details, collected by them at checkout. Your license key when it is validated. To process your purchase, send your receipt, and validate your license. Only if you activate a paid plan.
Our backend (operated by us, hosted in Germany) Encrypted board blobs, license and shared edit credentials, purchase/subscription identifiers, plan permissions, user ID, and standard server log entries (IP address, timestamp, requested endpoint). License validation, cloud sync, shared snapshots and managed boards. Only if you use those features.

We do not use advertising networks, ad SDKs, data brokers, session recording, cross-site tracking, or third-party analytics inside the extension. We do not sell user data.

We may disclose data if we are legally required to do so, or where it is necessary to investigate abuse of the sharing features or to protect the security of the service.

LemonSqueezy is an independent controller for the payment data it collects. See LemonSqueezy's Privacy Policy.

8. Chrome Web Store Limited Use

ReadyTab's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Specifically:

9. Storage, security and location

International transfers. Data we store stays in Germany, inside the EU. Switzerland, where we are based, is recognised by the European Commission as providing an adequate level of data protection. LemonSqueezy and Google may process data outside the EEA and Switzerland under their own transfer mechanisms, such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we keep the amount of data we hold as small as possible precisely so that there is little to lose.

10. Retention and deletion

Data Kept for How to delete it
Local boards, notes and settings Until you delete them, clear browser storage, or uninstall Delete in the app, or uninstall the extension
Cloud sync data Until you request deletion, then removed within 30 days Delete saved cloud dashboards in ReadyTab, or email support@readytab.cloud. Turning off automatic sync does not delete existing cloud data.
Published and shared boards 30 days from creation or last extension, unless you set them to permanent Delete from the extension at any time, which removes it from our backend
Server logs Up to 30 days Rotated and deleted automatically
Purchase records at LemonSqueezy As required by their accounting and tax obligations Contact LemonSqueezy

11. This website

readytab.cloud and docs.readytab.cloud are ordinary websites and are separate from the extension and require no login. The marketing website uses the analytics described below. When you visit our websites:

The extension itself contains none of this. There is no analytics code and no font loading from third parties inside ReadyTab.

12. Your rights

Under the GDPR and the Swiss FADP you have the right to access your data, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to its processing, receive it in a portable format, and withdraw consent at any time.

Legal bases. We process the little data we do on the basis of performance of a contract (delivering Pro features you purchased, such as cloud sync and sharing), your consent (optional features you switch on), and our legitimate interest in keeping the service secure and functional (short-lived server logs, abuse handling).

Requests and private support: support@readytab.cloud. Public bug reports and feature requests: github.com/yannkost/readytab-support.

13. Children's privacy

ReadyTab is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with data, contact us and we will delete it.

14. Changes to this policy

Changes are posted on this page with an updated date. We will notify users in the extension before any material change that introduces new data collection or a new recipient.

15. Disclaimer of liability

ReadyTab is provided "AS-IS" without warranties of any kind. We are not liable for data loss, service interruptions, or incompatibility with future browser updates. Always keep an export backup via Settings, then Data, then Export JSON. Maximum liability: refund of fees paid in the last 12 months.

16. Contact

17. Governing law

This policy is governed by the laws of Switzerland.