gh-christianlouis-docuelevate/browser-extension/PERMISSIONS.md

Browser Extension Permissions

This document explains the permissions requested by the DocuElevate browser extension.

Requested Permissions

The extension requests the following permissions in manifest.json:

activeTab

• Purpose: Get the URL and content of the currently active tab
• Usage: When you click the extension icon, it reads the current tab's URL and content for clipping
• Privacy: Only accesses the active tab when you explicitly use the extension
• Alternative: Without this, the extension couldn't show you which file you're sending or clip pages

storage

• Purpose: Save your configuration (server URL and session cookie)
• Usage: Stores your DocuElevate server URL and optional session cookie locally
• Privacy: All data stays on your device; nothing is sent to third parties
• Alternative: Without this, you'd need to reconfigure the extension every time

contextMenus

• Purpose: Add context menu options for sending URLs and clipping pages
• Usage: Creates context menu items for quick access (Send URL, Clip Full Page, Clip Selection)
• Privacy: No data access; only adds menu items
• Alternative: Without this, you'd only have the toolbar icon

notifications

• Purpose: Show success/error notifications
• Usage: Displays browser notifications when files are sent or clipped successfully, or when errors occur
• Privacy: Only shows notifications based on your actions
• Alternative: Without this, you wouldn't get feedback from context menu actions

scripting (New in v1.1.0)

• Purpose: Inject content capture code into web pages for clipping
• Usage: When you click "Clip Page" or "Clip Selection", this permission allows the extension to execute code that captures page HTML
• Privacy: Code only executes when you explicitly clip a page; no tracking or monitoring
• Scope: Only runs in the active tab, only when you trigger clipping
• Alternative: Without this, web page clipping wouldn't be possible

Host Permissions (v1.1.0)

<all_urls> - Required for Web Clipping

Why Required: The <all_urls> host permission is necessary for the web clipping feature to work on any website you visit.

Specific Use Cases:

1. Page Content Capture: To clip a web page, the extension must access the page's HTML and CSS
2. PDF Conversion: The browser's printToPDF API requires host permissions to convert page content
3. Dynamic Content: Ensures clipped pages include all styles and content, regardless of the website

Security Safeguards:

• User-Initiated Only: Content access only happens when you explicitly click "Clip Page" or "Clip Selection"
• No Automatic Access: The extension doesn't monitor or track your browsing
• Local Processing: Page content is captured and converted to PDF locally in your browser
• No Third-Party Transmission: Content goes only to your configured DocuElevate server
• Temporary Access: Content is processed immediately and not stored by the extension

Alternative Options:

• activeTab Only: If you only want URL sending (not web clipping), the extension could work with just activeTab permission
• Manual Permission: You could be prompted per-site, but this would be cumbersome for frequent use

Privacy Guarantee: Even with <all_urls>, the extension:

• Does NOT monitor your browsing
• Does NOT collect page content automatically
• Does NOT track which sites you visit
• Only accesses content when you explicitly clip a page

Permission Justification

Permission	Required?	Justification
activeTab	✅ Yes	Must read current tab URL and content
storage	✅ Yes	Must save configuration to function
contextMenus	⚠️ Optional	Nice to have for quick access
notifications	⚠️ Optional	Nice to have for feedback
scripting	✅ Yes (for clipping)	Required to capture page content for web clipping
host_permissions: <all_urls>	✅ Yes (for clipping)	Required for web clipping to work on any website

Security Benefits

1. User-Initiated Access: Extension only accesses page content when you explicitly click "Clip"
2. Local Processing: Pages converted to PDF in your browser, not on a server
3. User-Controlled Server: Extension only talks to your configured DocuElevate server
4. No Automatic Tracking: Extension doesn't monitor your browsing or collect data in the background
5. Transparent Code: All code is visible in the extension folder for audit

How Web Clipping Works Securely

1. You Trigger: You click "Clip Page" or "Clip Selection"
2. Content Capture: Extension captures page HTML (only when you click)
3. Local Conversion: Your browser converts HTML to PDF using built-in API
4. Direct Upload: PDF is sent only to your configured DocuElevate server
5. Temporary Tab: A hidden tab is created temporarily for PDF conversion, then immediately closed

No data leaves your machine except to your own DocuElevate server.

How to Verify Permissions

Chrome/Edge

1. Go to chrome://extensions/ or edge://extensions/
2. Find "DocuElevate - Send to Document Processor"
3. Click "Details"
4. Review "Permissions" section

Firefox

1. Go to about:addons
2. Find "DocuElevate - Send to Document Processor"
3. Click on the extension name
4. View "Permissions" tab

Reducing Permissions Further

If you want fewer permissions or don't need web clipping:

1. Disable Web Clipping: Use v1.0.0 instead of v1.1.0

   • No scripting permission
   • No host_permissions (<all_urls>)
   • Trade-off: Can only send URLs, not clip pages

2. Remove contextMenus: Delete the contextMenus permission from manifest.json

   • Trade-off: Lose right-click menu options
   • You'd only have the toolbar icon

3. Remove notifications: Delete the notifications permission

   • Trade-off: No success/error notifications
   • You'd only see status in the popup

Privacy Statement

The DocuElevate browser extension (v1.1.0):

• ✅ Does NOT collect any personal data
• ✅ Does NOT track your browsing history
• ✅ Does NOT monitor web pages you visit
• ✅ Does NOT send data to third parties
• ✅ Does NOT modify web page content (except when you explicitly clip)
• ✅ Does NOT inject ads or tracking scripts
• ✅ Only accesses page content when you explicitly click "Clip"
• ✅ Only communicates with YOUR configured DocuElevate server
• ✅ Stores configuration locally on your device only
• ✅ Converts pages to PDF locally in your browser

Questions?

If you have concerns about permissions or privacy, please:

• Review the source code in the browser-extension folder
• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check the Browser Extension Guide
• Use v1.0.0 if you don't need web clipping features

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Last updated: 2024 (v1.1.0)