Focusly Blocker — Privacy Policy
Focusly is a personal screen-time and focus app. The Focusly Blocker Chrome extension is a small companion that redirects blocked sites to a local block page. The extension does not collect, store, transmit, or sell your data. This page explains exactly what it does and what permissions it asks for, and why.
What the extension does
When you type a blocked site (for example youtube.com) into
Chrome's address bar, the extension intercepts the navigation and
redirects the same tab to Focusly's local block page
(http://localhost:<port>/?site=…). No new tab is
opened, no separate window is created, and no data is sent to any
remote server. The block page lives on your own machine, served by the
Focusly desktop app.
The extension needs the Focusly desktop app to be running to do this. If Focusly is not running, the extension is a no-op — it cannot read your blocklist, cannot redirect you, and cannot do anything else.
What data the extension handles
The extension reads only the URL of the navigation you are making in your own tab. That's it. It does not:
- Read the content of any web page.
- Read your browsing history.
- Read your cookies, form data, or saved passwords.
- Take screenshots.
- Record keystrokes.
- Track you across other websites.
- Send any data to any remote server.
The URL is checked against a blocklist that lives in the Focusly
desktop app on your machine. That blocklist is fetched by the extension
from http://localhost — your own computer, not a cloud
service. The fetched blocklist is held only in the extension's
short-lived in-memory state and is gone when the service worker stops.
Where data is stored
The extension stores nothing persistently. No localStorage, no IndexedDB, no chrome.storage. The blocklist and the active-unblock list live in the service worker's memory and are rebuilt from the local Focusly server every time the worker starts or wakes up.
The Focusly desktop app stores the blocklist and your usage data
locally on your machine
(%APPDATA%\com.focusly.app\ on Windows,
~/Library/Application Support/com.focusly.app/ on macOS).
That data never leaves your device unless you explicitly turn on
cloud sync (an opt-in feature, off by default, not available yet).
Who data is shared with
Nobody. The extension does not share data with any third party, because it does not collect any data to share.
Permissions, and why each one is needed
Chrome asks the extension to declare every permission it might use. The
following list explains each one in plain language. You can see the
same list in manifest.json.
webNavigation— to see when you start navigating to a URL, before the page loads. This is the only way to redirect a blocked site in the same tab, which is the extension's whole job.tabs— to callchrome.tabs.update()on the tab that just tried to navigate, so the redirect happens in-place (no new tab, no popup window).storage— declared for future-proofing; the current version does not write to storage. Leaving the permission in the manifest is allowed; it is only used if a future version needs to remember state across service-worker restarts.alarms— to schedule a precise "re-block this site" timer when you click Unblock for 5 min on the block page. After 5 minutes, the extension reloads any open tabs on the now-blocked site so the block goes into effect immediately, instead of waiting for your next navigation.notifications— to show a single desktop notification 30 seconds before the re-block, so the unblock doesn't end with a sudden page reload. The notification is local-only, never leaves your device.host_permissions: <all_urls>— the extension has to be able to see any URL you navigate to, in case that URL is on your blocklist. This is what allows the redirect. The extension only reads the URL string; it does not fetch the page, modify the page, or send the URL anywhere.
Children's privacy
Focusly is a personal productivity app for adults. The extension does not knowingly collect any information from children under 13. Because the extension does not collect any information at all, this applies to all users regardless of age.
Changes to this policy
If we ever add a feature that changes what the extension handles (for example, opt-in cloud sync), we will update this page first and announce the change in the extension's release notes. The Last updated date at the top of this page reflects the current version.
Contact
Questions, concerns, or a privacy request? Email privacy@focusly.so. We answer every email.