Citely — Privacy Policy
AI Search visibility audit · Chrome Extension
Citely audits a single open webpage for AI Search visibility (Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, and Gemini) and returns a 0–100 score with fix suggestions. This policy explains, completely, what data Citely collects, how it is used, where it is stored, and every party it is shared with. No category is omitted. Questions: anasvakyathodi@gmail.com.
1. Summary
- Citely is local-first. By default, audits run entirely on your device using Chrome's built-in Gemini Nano model. No page data leaves your computer in this mode.
- Citely uses no analytics, tracking, telemetry, advertising, or server-side logging. The developer operates no backend server that receives your audit data.
-
All settings and audit history are stored only in your browser's local
storage (
chrome.storage.local) on your device. - Data leaves your device in only two optional situations, both controlled by you: (1) Bring-Your-Own-Key (BYOK) mode sends page content to the AI provider you select, using your own API key; (2) submitting the premium waitlist form sends your email to our form provider, Formspree.
2. Data Citely Collects and Processes
Citely processes the following data only when you actively run an audit (clicking "Run audit", clicking the toolbar icon, or pressing the keyboard shortcut) or when you take a specific action described below.
2.1 Website content (the page you choose to audit)
- The URL and page title of the active tab.
-
The rendered page content — its headings, structured data
(
JSON-LDschema), and visible text — captured via a single, one-shot snapshot. Citely uses no persistent content scripts. -
The raw HTML of the audited URL, fetched directly from that website's
own server to compare server-rendered vs. browser-rendered content. This fetch is made
without your cookies or credentials (
credentials: 'omit') and is bounded in time and size.
Citely accesses page content only for the specific page you choose to audit, at the moment you request the audit. It does not read pages in the background or pages you have not audited.
2.2 Settings and preferences
Engine choice (on-device vs. BYOK), scoring weights, theme, and — if you use BYOK mode — the AI provider you selected and the API key you entered.
2.3 Audit history
The results of your most recent audits (up to the last 50), including the audited URL, title, scores, and suggestions.
2.4 Waitlist information (only if you choose to submit it)
Your email address, and optionally a self-selected role and a free-form note, plus the in-product location you submitted from. Collected only when you click "Get early access" / "Join the waitlist".
Citely does not collect: personal identifiers beyond the email you voluntarily provide, health data, financial/payment data, authentication credentials for other sites, location data, web-browsing history beyond pages you explicitly audit, or keystroke/mouse activity.
3. How Citely Uses Data
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Active tab URL & title | Label the audit and display it in the report header |
| Page content & raw HTML | Compute the AI-visibility audit (schema, server-side rendering, answer structure, content density) and generate fix suggestions |
| Settings & API key | Run the audit using your chosen engine; remember your preferences |
| Audit history | Let you review and compare your past audits |
| Waitlist email/role/note | Contact you about early access to premium citation tracking |
Citely does not use any data for advertising, profiling, resale, training of the developer's own models, or any purpose unrelated to the single function above.
4. Where Data Is Stored
-
Settings, your API key, and audit history are stored
locally on your device in
chrome.storage.local. This data is not synced to other devices and is not transmitted to the developer or any server controlled by the developer. - Page content processed in on-device mode is held only transiently in memory to compute the audit and is not transmitted anywhere.
- Uninstalling the extension removes its local storage. You can also clear history and settings from within the extension at any time.
5. How Data Is Shared — and With Whom (All Parties)
Citely shares data with external parties only in the two optional, user-initiated situations below. There are no other recipients of your data.
5.1 On-device mode (default) — no sharing
When the on-device engine (Chrome's built-in Gemini Nano) is used, your page content and audit results never leave your device. No third party receives this data.
5.2 Bring-Your-Own-Key (BYOK) mode — only the provider you choose
If you explicitly enable BYOK mode and enter your own API key, the content of the page being audited (and the analysis prompt) is sent to the AI provider you select, so it can return the analysis. Possible recipients:
| Provider (you choose one) | Endpoint | What is sent | Their policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | api.openai.com | Audit prompt with page content + your API key | openai.com |
| Anthropic | api.anthropic.com | Audit prompt with page content + your API key | anthropic.com |
| Google (Gemini API) | generativelanguage.googleapis.com | Audit prompt with page content + your API key | policies.google.com |
Data sent in BYOK mode is governed by your own account and agreement with that provider. Citely does not receive, store, or proxy this traffic — the request goes directly from your browser to the provider you chose.
5.3 Premium waitlist — Formspree only
If you submit the waitlist form, your email and any optional role/note are sent to Formspree, our form-handling provider, so we can contact you about early access.
| Party | Data shared | Purpose | Their policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formspree, Inc. | Email, optional role, optional note, submission source | Deliver your waitlist signup to the developer | formspree.io |
5.4 The audited website's own server
When Citely fetches the raw HTML of the page you audit (§2.1), that request goes to the website you are auditing, exactly as a normal page request would, but without your cookies or credentials. No data of yours beyond a standard HTTP request is shared with that site.
5.5 No other sharing
Citely does not sell or transfer your data to third parties, does not use it for purposes unrelated to its single function, and does not use it to determine creditworthiness or for lending. There are no analytics or advertising SDKs in the extension.
6. Data Retention and Deletion
- Audit history: retained locally up to the most recent 50 audits; older audits are automatically discarded. Clear it anytime in the extension.
- Settings and API key: retained locally until you change them, clear them, or uninstall the extension.
- Waitlist email: retained by the developer (via Formspree) until you ask us to delete it. Email the contact address below to request deletion.
7. Security
-
Your BYOK API key is stored locally in
chrome.storage.localand is sent only to the provider it belongs to, over HTTPS. - All external network requests (BYOK providers, Formspree, and HTML fetches) use HTTPS.
- Because Citely keeps audit data on your device by default, the primary control over that data is your own browser and operating-system security.
8. Children's Privacy
Citely is a professional SEO tool and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy as the extension evolves. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above and, where required, through an in-product notice. Continued use after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
10. Contact
For privacy questions or data-deletion requests, contact anasvakyathodi@gmail.com.