Privacy Policy for Paper Renamer

Last Updated: January 14, 2026

Overview

Paper Renamer ("the Extension") is a Chrome extension that automatically renames academic paper PDFs during download based on metadata extraction. This privacy policy explains what data the Extension collects, how it is used, and your privacy rights.

Data Collection and Usage

Data We DO Collect

The Extension collects and stores the following data locally on your device only:

1. User Settings
   • Renaming template preferences
   • Site-specific rules
   • Author formatting preferences
   • Title shortening options
   • AI feature preferences (Pro version)
   • License status (Free/Pro)
2. Downloaded PDF Metadata
   • Paper titles, authors, publication year, journal names
   • DOI, arXiv IDs
   • Storage: Metadata is extracted temporarily during the download process and is NOT permanently stored
   • Purpose: To generate meaningful filenames for downloaded PDFs

Data We DO NOT Collect

• ❌ No Personal Information: We do not collect your name, email, or any personally identifiable information
• ❌ No Browsing History: We do not track which websites you visit
• ❌ No External Transmission: No data is sent to external servers or third parties
• ❌ No Analytics: We do not use Google Analytics or any tracking services
• ❌ No Cookies: The Extension does not use cookies

Data Storage

All user settings and preferences are stored locally on your device using Chrome's chrome.storage.local API. This data:

• Remains on your device only
• Is not synchronized across devices (unless you enable Chrome Sync, which is controlled by Google)
• Can be cleared at any time by removing the Extension

Permissions Explanation

The Extension requests the following permissions:

Required Permissions

1. downloads
   • Purpose: To intercept PDF downloads and rename them automatically
   • Usage: The Extension monitors download events to identify academic PDFs
2. storage
   • Purpose: To save your settings and preferences locally
   • Usage: Settings are stored on your device using chrome.storage.local
3. tabs
   • Purpose: To extract metadata from the webpage where you're downloading the PDF
   • Usage: The Extension reads metadata tags (like <meta name="citation_title">) from academic journal pages
4. scripting
   • Purpose: To inject content scripts into academic journal pages for metadata extraction
   • Usage: Content scripts read metadata from the page DOM (e.g., arXiv, Nature, Cell Press)

Host Permissions

The Extension requests access to specific academic websites:

• arxiv.org, nature.com, science.org, cell.com, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, biorxiv.org, medrxiv.org, plos.org
• Purpose: To extract paper metadata (title, authors, year) from these sites
• Usage: The Extension only accesses these sites when you are actively downloading a PDF from them
• No Data Transmission: Metadata is processed locally; nothing is sent to external servers

AI Features (Pro Version - Available in Future Updates)

Current Status (v1.0.0)

AI features are fully implemented but disabled in the initial release. They will be activated in v1.1.0+ after Chrome Web Store publication.

When AI Features Are Enabled (v1.1.0+)

The Pro version includes AI-powered features using Chrome's Built-in AI (Gemini Nano):

1. AI Title Shortening
   • Purpose: Intelligently extract keywords from paper titles
   • Processing: 100% on-device using Chrome's Prompt API
   • Privacy: Paper titles are processed locally; no data is sent to external servers
2. AI Metadata Extraction
   • Purpose: Extract metadata from PDFs on unsupported sites
   • Processing: 100% on-device using Chrome's Prompt API with multimodal support
   • Privacy: PDFs are processed locally; no data is uploaded to any server
3. Paper Detection
   • Purpose: Identify whether a PDF is an academic paper (vs. contract, receipt, etc.)
   • Processing: 100% on-device
   • Privacy: Only academic papers are renamed; other PDFs keep their original names

Third-Party Services

The Extension does NOT use any third-party services, analytics, or external APIs (except for the arXiv API for metadata fallback, which is detailed below).

arXiv API

• Purpose: When downloading PDFs from arXiv, if metadata cannot be extracted from the page, the Extension may query the public arXiv API (export.arxiv.org/api/query)
• Data Sent: Only the arXiv ID (e.g., 2401.12345) extracted from the URL
• Data Received: Paper metadata (title, authors, year) in XML format
• Privacy: No personal information is sent; arXiv API is publicly accessible and anonymous

User Rights

You have the following rights:

1. Access Your Data: All your settings are stored locally in chrome.storage.local and can be viewed in the Extension's Options page
2. Delete Your Data: Uninstalling the Extension will delete all stored settings
3. Opt-Out: You can disable the Extension at any time via chrome://extensions/

Children's Privacy

The Extension does not knowingly collect any data from children under 13. The Extension is designed for academic researchers and does not target children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted in this document with an updated "Last Updated" date. Continued use of the Extension after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

For privacy-related questions or concerns:

• Extension Name: Paper Renamer
• Developer: Hiroki Alchem

Compliance

This Extension complies with:

• Chrome Web Store Developer Program Policies
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)