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Chrome Extension Privacy

Manusights Browser Extension: Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 29, 2026

What the extension does

The extension does two things. On PubMed and on the pages of the journals we hold records for, it shows that journal's published decision times, acceptance rate and fees, each with its source. On bioRxiv paper pages, Reference Sentry reads the reference list, extracts the DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) of the cited works, and asks the Manusights reference-integrity service whether any of those works are retracted, have a published expression of concern, or have been corrected.

Journal records: what leaves your browser

When a page states its journal (the citation metadata publishers and PubMed put in every article page, or a journal home page's address), the extension downloads one list of every journal record from https://manusights.com/api/tools/journal-cards and finds the page's journal inside your browser. The request carries no page address, journal, article or search; it is the same list for everyone. It includes the random install identifier described below, so we can count how many installs use the records each week. The list is kept on your computer for a day.

What we collect

The extension sends the following to https://manusights.com/api/tools/reference-integrity:

  • DOIs extracted from the reference list of the bioRxiv page you are viewing (Reference Sentry only).
  • A randomly generated install identifier (a UUID created when you first install the extension; never linked to your name, email, or browsing history). The identifier persists across browser sessions and is removed when you uninstall.
  • A non-personal source tag indicating the request came from the extension (used to scope rate limits and aggregate usage; not used for individual tracking).

What we do NOT collect

  • No page content beyond the reference list DOIs on bioRxiv. We do not send a paper's title, authors, abstract, text, address, or the journal you are looking at.
  • No browsing history. The extension runs only on bioRxiv paper pages, PubMed, and the journal sites listed under Permissions, and sends nothing about which pages you visit.
  • No personal information. The extension does not ask for, store, or transmit your name, email, or any account credential.
  • No tracking across sites. Nothing the extension sends says which site or page you were on.
  • No third-party advertising or analytics SDKs. The extension does not load any analytics, ad, or tracking script.

Where the data goes

DOIs are sent over HTTPS to manusights.com, which then queries (a) the Retraction Watch database via Crossref Labs, and (b) Crossref's public metadata API. The Manusights server caches results by content hash for 24 hours to reduce repeat lookups. We do not log requesting IP addresses for any purpose beyond standard server-access logs, which are rotated every 30 days.

Local storage

The extension uses Chrome's storage APIs to:

  • Cache the per-DOI results for the duration of your current browser session (cleared when you close Chrome).
  • Keep the list of journal records for one day, and whether you minimized the journal card.
  • Store the random install identifier locally.

Nothing else is stored.

Permissions explained

  • host_permissions: https://manusights.com/*: required to send DOI lookups to the reference-integrity API and to download the journal records.
  • permissions: storage: required for the local caches described above.
  • content_scripts matching https://www.biorxiv.org/content/*: required to read the rendered reference list.
  • content_scripts on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and the journal sites nature.com, science.org, journals.plos.org, ieeexplore.ieee.org, ieeeaccess.ieee.org, journals.aps.org, pubs.acs.org, jamanetwork.com, thelancet.com, onlinelibrary.wiley.com, bmj.com, bmjopen.bmj.com and cell.com: required to read the page's journal from its citation metadata and show the card.

Uninstall

When you uninstall the extension, all local storage is cleared by Chrome. The extension opens a debrief page (manusights.com/extension/uninstall) once on uninstall. You are not required to fill out anything; the page exists to optionally collect feedback.

Contact

Erik Jia · erik@manusights.com · manusights.com

Changes

We will revise the date at the top of this document if the data flow changes and post a notice on the Chrome Web Store listing.