Privacy Policy

This policy covers the TabCub Chrome extension, Windows desktop beta, the TabCub Family and Teacher web app, and the related subscription and notification services (together, “TabCub”). TabCub is intended only for people age 13 and older. A person under the age of majority where they live must use TabCub with permission from a parent or legal guardian.

TabCub is not directed to children under 13. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete it. Contact us at support.tabcub@gmail.com.

When an account is created, TabCub stores the email address, a one-way salted password hash, account creation time, and hashed session tokens. TabCub does not store the readable password. The account is used to keep subscription access available across signed-in browsers and devices.

Personal Mode stores focus missions, preferences, session state, locked-page state, and daily focus summaries in Chrome’s local extension storage. This information stays on that browser unless the user turns on Guide Mode or chooses a feature that communicates with the TabCub service. It can be removed by clearing extension data or uninstalling TabCub.

To decide whether a page matches a mission, the extension may inspect the active page’s address, title, description, headings, a limited sample of visible text, and text entered into a recognized search field. That classification is performed locally. When supported, TabCub uses Chrome’s on-device translation and language-model capabilities; the inspected page sample is not sent to TabCub’s server merely to classify the page.

When Family or Teacher control is connected, TabCub may collect:

• A pseudonymous device identifier, device label, pairing state, controller role, and hashed access tokens.
• The active mission and whether it was set by Family or Teacher.
• Focus events such as an unrelated page, a Focus Lock, or a return to work, including the domain, page title, time, and a short reason.
• Temporary-access requests, the student’s reason, approval or denial, approver role, and approved duration.
• Messages exchanged in the Student, Family, and Teacher channels.
• A browser push-subscription endpoint when a guide enables phone notifications.

Connected Family or Teacher devices can see the mission, session events, access requests, approval status, and messages made available to their role. TabCub does not send the full page text sample or a screen recording to the guide service.

The Windows beta reads the foreground browser’s exposed address and title using Windows accessibility APIs after browser-check consent. It does not record screenshots, passwords, keystrokes, or background-tab contents. Classification uses local rules, not a new cloud AI model. Guide Mode shares the focus events, titles/domains, requests, and messages described above.

Account sessions, mission state, and linked-device credentials are encrypted locally using Windows-protected storage. Locked URL identifiers are hashed locally. An administrator can optionally enable the visible TabCubGuardian service for one standard student Windows account; this service relaunches the app and stores an opaque encrypted state copy under an administrator/SYSTEM-only ProgramData directory. It does not decrypt that copy or send network requests itself. Non-secret local status includes the student account identifier, enrollment status, consent state, and recovery timing.

When enrollment is ready, clearing the student’s local cache does not remove supervision. Pausing a remembered guide does not permit signing out. A local administrator can pause, disable, or remove Guardian through TabCub Administrator recovery. Guide links, the encrypted protected copy, and local recovery data are retained when Guardian is disabled or removed; uninstalling does not promise erasure of all retained data. Contact support for deletion assistance. Windows beta users should remove Guardian before upgrading or uninstalling.

Stripe processes subscription checkout, payment methods, invoices, cancellations, and refunds. TabCub receives and stores only the Stripe customer and subscription identifiers, plan identifier, subscription status, trial end, renewal date, and cancellation state needed to provide TabCub. TabCub does not receive full card numbers.

Our hosting and security providers may process ordinary request data, such as an IP address, browser type, timestamps, and error or security logs, to deliver and protect the service.

TabCub also counts website page views and unique visitors using a random browser identifier. We store the visited page path and time, but not a visitor’s name, email address, full IP address, or URL query details for this analytics count. The identifier is used only to understand website use and is not used for advertising.

• Provide page classification, Focus Lock, missions, approvals, messaging, notifications, and trusted-device reconnection.
• Authenticate accounts and linked devices, keep subscription access available across devices, prevent unauthorized access, and secure the service.
• Provide subscriptions, customer support, troubleshooting, and legally required records.
• Maintain reliability and prevent fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

TabCub does not sell personal information, use browsing activity for advertising, or permit unrelated behavioral profiling.

Information is shared only as needed with:

• Family and Teacher devices that the student browser connects through a pairing code.
• Service providers that host, deliver, secure, or send notifications for TabCub.
• Stripe, for subscription billing and customer-portal services.
• Authorities or other parties when required by law, necessary to protect safety or security, or connected to a merger, financing, acquisition, or sale of the service, subject to appropriate safeguards.

Local Personal Mode information remains until it is cleared or the extension is uninstalled. Guide Mode focus events and access requests are cleared when a new guide session starts or the connection is reset. Messages, device records, controller links, and subscription records may remain while the account, linked device, or billing relationship is active. Account and session records remain until the account is deleted or expire as needed for security. Limited transaction, fraud-prevention, and legal records may be kept where required.

A user or authorized guardian can request access, correction, or deletion by emailing support.tabcub@gmail.com. We may verify the request and retain information that we are legally required to keep.

TabCub uses HTTPS, slow salted password hashing, expiring account sessions, login rate limits, hashed server-side credentials, access tokens, and restricted role-based views. No security method is perfect, so users should protect passwords, pairing codes, and trusted devices and should remove a device they no longer control.

Users can pause or disconnect Guide Mode, disable notifications, forget a trusted phone, start a clean session, clear extension data, or uninstall the extension. Subscription customers can manage billing through Stripe’s customer portal.

TabCub’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. TabCub uses browser permissions and related data only to provide or improve its disclosed focus and Guide Mode features. Humans do not read browsing data except with the user’s specific consent for support, when necessary for security, or when required by law.

We may update this policy as TabCub changes. Material changes will be identified by a new “Last updated” date and, when appropriate, an in-product notice. Questions or privacy requests can be sent to support.tabcub@gmail.com.