Browser Extension

Privacy Policy

Chinese Dyslexia Reader / 中文阅读助手

Effective date: April 13, 2026 · Last updated: April 13, 2026

Summary

This extension processes Chinese text entirely on your device. It does not collect, store, or transmit any personal information. The only external network request occurs when you choose to use the optional AI text simplification feature with your own OpenAI API key.

1. Overview

Chinese Dyslexia Reader ("the Extension") is a browser extension for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge designed to assist readers with dyslexia or reading difficulties when reading Chinese-language web pages. It provides word segmentation, pinyin annotation, text-to-speech, font scaling, hover definitions, and optional AI-powered text simplification.

This Privacy Policy describes how the Extension handles information. We are committed to protecting your privacy: the Extension collects no personal data and sends no browsing activity to any server operated by us.

2. Data We Do Not Collect

The Extension does not collect, transmit, or sell any of the following:

Your browsing history or the URLs you visit
The content of pages you read
Keystrokes, form inputs, or passwords
Location or device information
Cookies or tracking identifiers
Any personally identifiable information (PII)

No analytics, no telemetry, no advertising

3. How the Extension Works

All core functionality runs locally in your browser. Here is a full account of every type of data the Extension touches:

Feature	Data accessed	Where it is processed	Transmitted externally?
Word segmentation & pinyin	Chinese text on the current page	Your browser (local JS + bundled dictionary)	No
Text-to-speech (TTS)	Chinese text on the current page	Browser's built-in Web Speech API	Depends on your OS/browser TTS engine; the Extension itself sends nothing
Hover word lookup	Word or character hovered over	Your browser (local bundled dictionary)	No
Font scaling / high contrast	Page DOM styles	Your browser	No
AI text simplification (optional)	Selected page text + your OpenAI API key	Sent to OpenAI API on your behalf	Yes — see Section 4
Extension settings	Your feature preferences (on/off toggles, font size, TTS speed)	Stored locally in `chrome.storage.local` on your device	No

4. Optional: AI Text Simplification (OpenAI)

The Extension includes an optional AI-powered text simplification feature. This feature is disabled by default and only activates if you enter your own OpenAI API key in the Extension's settings.

When you use this feature:

A small excerpt of the page text you are reading is sent to OpenAI's API (api.openai.com) along with your API key.
OpenAI processes this text according to their own Privacy Policy and Usage Policies.
Your API key is stored only on your local device using chrome.storage.local and is never sent to any server we operate.
We have no access to your API key or to any text you send to OpenAI.

      If you do not enter an OpenAI API key, this feature is completely inactive and no data is ever sent to OpenAI.
    

5. Local Storage

The Extension uses chrome.storage.local to save your preferences across browser sessions. This data is stored only on your device and is never synced to any cloud service or external server by the Extension. The data stored includes:

Feature toggle states (e.g., whether word segmentation or TTS is enabled)
Display preferences (font size percentage, TTS playback speed)
Your OpenAI API key, if you choose to enter one

You can clear this data at any time by removing the Extension or clearing extension storage via your browser settings.

6. Browser Permissions Explained

The Extension requests the following browser permissions. Each is used solely for the stated purpose:

`storage`

Saves your preferences (feature toggles, font size, TTS speed, and optional API key) locally on your device using chrome.storage.local.

`activeTab`

Allows the Extension to read and modify the text and appearance of the page you are currently viewing, so it can apply word segmentation, pinyin, font scaling, highlighting, and TTS. This permission only activates for the tab you are actively looking at.

`tts`

Accesses your browser's built-in text-to-speech engine to read Chinese text aloud. No audio data leaves your device.

Host permission: `https://api.openai.com/*`

Only used when you have entered an OpenAI API key and activate the AI simplification feature. Without an API key, this permission is never invoked.

7. Third-Party Services

The Extension does not integrate with any third-party analytics, advertising, or tracking services. The only optional third-party service is OpenAI, described in Section 4.

The bundled dictionaries (CC-CEDICT and Chinese dictionary data) are downloaded once during setup and stored locally on your device. After setup, the Extension does not make any network requests to dictionary sources.

8. Children's Privacy

The Extension does not knowingly collect any data from users of any age, including children under 13 (or the applicable age of digital consent in your jurisdiction). Because no data is collected, there are no special procedures for children's data.

9. Changes to This Policy

If this Privacy Policy changes in a material way, the updated policy will be published at this URL with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of the Extension after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please open an issue on the Extension's GitHub repository or contact the developer directly.