BNT — Better New Tab · Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2026-10-31

BNT ("Better New Tab", the "Extension") is a new-tab replacement that runs entirely inside your browser. This policy explains, in plain terms, what data the Extension touches and what it does not do.

THE SHORT VERSION
- No account, no sign-in, no analytics, no advertising, no tracking.
- All of your settings, layouts, notes and content stay on your device (browser localStorage and IndexedDB).
- The developer operates no servers for your data and never receives it. The only exception is the optional feedback form: if you choose to send feedback, what you write reaches the developer (see below).
- The Extension only contacts a third-party service when a feature you enabled needs it (e.g. fetching the weather), and it sends the minimum required to make that feature work.

DATA STORED ON YOUR DEVICE
Everything you configure — widget layout, themes, shortcuts, to-dos, notes, sticky notes, news sources, background image/video and preferences — is saved locally in your browser under the bnt_ key prefix (and in IndexedDB for uploaded background media). This data never leaves your device except when you explicitly export a backup file yourself. Removing the Extension removes it.

PERMISSIONS AND WHY THEY ARE USED
- storage, unlimitedStorage: Save your settings and uploaded background media locally.
- search: Send a search from the new-tab search box to your own default search engine.
- history: The Search widget can show suggestions from your browsing history as you type. History is read locally, matched against the current query, shown only to you, and never transmitted anywhere. You can disable this completely by setting history suggestions to 0 in the Search widget settings.
- geolocation: The Weather widget can use your location to show local weather. It is optional and requested only when you tap the location button.
- notifications: Show a desktop notification when a Pomodoro timer finishes, and — only if you turn on "RSS notifications" — when a new headline arrives in your news sources.
- topSites (optional): Only for the Most visited widget and the optional "Most used sites" row of the Shortcuts widget, and only after you click "Allow". Your browser's list of your most visited sites is read locally to draw the tiles; the list itself is never transmitted anywhere (only each site's domain name is used to load its icon, see "Site icons" below). You can revoke it any time from the extension's details page.
- activeTab: The toolbar popup reads the current tab so you can save it as a shortcut.
- Host access (https:///, http:///): Needed so the News widget can fetch RSS feeds you choose (including your own custom sources), and so widgets can reach the public APIs listed below.

THIRD-PARTY SERVICES CONTACTED (ONLY FOR FEATURES YOU USE)
The Extension has no backend that stores your data. When you use a given feature, your browser makes a direct request to the relevant service:
- Weather — coordinates or city are sent to open-meteo.com to retrieve the forecast. If you don't grant location, an approximate location may be derived from your IP via ipinfo.io / ip.sb / freeipapi.com.
- First-run language — on first start, your country is looked up from your IP address (ipinfo.io / ip.sb / freeipapi.com) only to suggest an interface language. Only the language you pick is stored.
- Search suggestions — your typed query is sent to Google's public autocomplete endpoint (suggestqueries.google.com) to show suggestions.
- News — the RSS feed URLs you select are fetched. Feeds that block direct browser access are retrieved through public CORS proxies (api.allorigins.win, api.codetabs.com); those proxies see the feed URL.
- Calendar (linked calendars) — only if you paste a calendar address (e.g. the secret iCal link from Google Calendar or Proton Calendar), that address is fetched directly from its provider every 30 minutes. The address and the downloaded events are stored only on your device.
- Weather (place name) — when the location comes from your device, the coordinates are sent to OpenStreetMap's nominatim.openstreetmap.org to show the name of the place.
- Site icons — icons of your shortcuts and most visited sites are loaded from Google's public favicon service (www.google.com/s2/favicons). Only the site's domain name (e.g. github.com) is sent, never the full address or your browsing history. Loaded icons are cached on your device.
- Crypto — coin prices are fetched from api.coingecko.com.
- Background images — optional stock images are loaded from images.unsplash.com.
- Feedback (optional) — nothing is sent unless you open the feedback form (from the Settings sidebar or a one-time rating invite) and press "Send". Then your message or star rating, the e-mail address if you choose to add one, the extension version and your platform are sent to the developer's feedback service at feedback.p4rs.com, only to read and answer your feedback. The rating invite is shown at most once.

These services receive only what is technically required to answer the request (for example, your query text or coordinates) and, as with any web request, your IP address. BNT does not add any identifier of its own and does not build a profile of you.

DATA THE EXTENSION DOES NOT COLLECT
- No personal identifiers, accounts or contact information (an e-mail address is only received if you type one into the optional feedback form).
- No selling or sharing of data with third parties for advertising.
- No usage analytics or telemetry.
- No collection of your browsing history by the developer (it is only read locally, on your machine, for the suggestions feature described above).

CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
BNT is a general-purpose utility and is not directed at children. It collects no personal information from anyone.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
If this policy changes, the "Last updated" date above will change and the new version will be published at https://p4rs.com/BNT-PRIVACY.md.

CONTACT
Questions about privacy: info@p4rs.com