Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 22, 2026

Overview

Findbar For Safari is a browser extension that turns Safari's address bar into a keyword shortcut launcher. Your privacy is important to us. This policy explains what data we collect (none) and how the extension works.

Data Collection

Findbar does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. Specifically:

No analytics or tracking of any kind
No user accounts or sign-in required
No browsing history is recorded or sent anywhere
No cookies are set by the extension
No data is shared with third parties
No network requests are made by Findbar's own code, the only network activity is Safari navigating to the destination URL of whichever keyword you typed

Local Storage

Your keyword list, URL-rewrite rules, preferences, language choice, trash bin, and "what's new" acknowledgements are stored locally on your device using Safari's browser.storage.local API. This data never leaves your device and is only used to remember your settings between sessions. If you sign in to Safari with iCloud, the same storage may sync across your Apple devices via Apple's mechanisms; that sync is handled by Safari itself, not by Findbar.

Third-Party Services

Findbar does not contact any third-party servers. The extension has no external API calls of its own.

When you type a keyword and press Enter, Safari navigates to the destination URL configured for that keyword. That navigation is identical to typing the destination URL directly into Safari, Findbar simply translates g foo into the corresponding Google search URL and lets Safari handle the rest. The remote site you're navigating to (Google, GitHub, Wikipedia, etc.) sees the same request it would see if you typed its URL by hand.

The optional URL rewriting feature (off by default) redirects requests to alternative frontends like Nitter, Piped, or old.reddit.com. These are public services run by independent operators, not affiliated with Findbar. Findbar does not transmit any information to them beyond what Safari already sends when fetching a webpage.

Permissions

storage, saves your keyword list and preferences locally on your device.
tabs, opens new tabs for multi-tab chaining (the !g foo !w bar feature).
webNavigation, detects when Safari is about to navigate to a search-engine URL so Findbar can intercept and route the typed keyword to its destination.
declarativeNetRequest, allows Findbar to install URL-rewrite rules that Safari evaluates natively, with no JavaScript involvement. This is what enables zero-flash redirects for built-in keywords.
Host permissions, limited to the major search engines (Google, DuckDuckGo, Bing, etc.) and the sites involved in optional URL-rewriting rules. Findbar does not request blanket access to all websites.

Children's Privacy

Findbar does not knowingly collect any information from anyone, including children under 13.

Changes

If this policy is updated, the changes will be posted on this page with an updated date.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, please open an issue on GitHub.