Privacy Policy for Safe Search Browser
Safe Search Browser is built for families. This policy explains, in plain language, what stays on your device, what we store if you choose to create an account, and how to get rid of it whenever you want.
1. You can use the app without giving us anything
Browsing, bookmarks, safe search and the news feed all work without an account. If you never sign in, we never receive your email address, your passwords or your bookmarks — they stay on your phone. The crash and usage reports described in section 4 are still sent, whether or not you have an account.
2. Your browsing history never leaves your device
The websites you visit are stored only on your phone so you can find them again. Your history is never uploaded to us, and you can clear it at any time from inside the app.
3. What we store if you create an account
An account is optional and exists so your things can follow you to a new phone. If you sign in, we store:
- Your account details — your email address and the account identifiers created for you. Sign-in is handled by Google Firebase Authentication, which also processes technical details such as your IP address to keep the account secure. If you sign in with Google, Google passes basic profile information (such as your name and picture) to Firebase as part of standard sign-in — the app never reads or uses it. Your sign-in token is sent to our server to prove who you are, and our server uses only your account identifier from it — your name and picture are not used or stored by us.
- Passwords you save in Secure Vault, together with the username and the website address they belong to.
- Your bookmarks, feed subscriptions and app settings. Feed subscriptions include the address of any custom news feed you add yourself.
This is sent to our own server over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection. We do not sell it and we do not share it with advertisers.
Please read this bit carefully. Your saved passwords are encrypted on your phone, encrypted again while travelling to our server, and stored encrypted in our database. They are, however, not end-to-end encrypted: our server holds the keys and can decrypt them, which is what lets them sync to your other devices. If you would rather no password ever leaves your phone, simply do not sign in — Secure Vault still works locally.
If you create an account with an email address and password (rather than with Google), that account password is handled by Google Firebase Authentication, not by us.
4. Crash reports and app statistics
The app uses Google Firebase (Crashlytics and Analytics) to report crashes and basic usage and performance information, so we can find and fix problems. These reports contain things like your device model, Android version, app version, and identifiers generated for your app installation — not your name or the pages you browse. Because they are sent over the internet, Google can also infer an approximate area (such as a country) from the connection.
Google keeps crash reports for a limited period — around 90 days — before removing them automatically.
5. Things the app fetches while you use it
A few features work by asking another service for something. We think you should know which:
- Search suggestions. As you type in the address bar, what you have typed is sent to Google so it can suggest completions. This happens before you press search.
- Website icons. To show the little icon next to a bookmark or news source, the app asks Google for it, then DuckDuckGo, and finally the website itself.
- The news feed. When the feed is open the app fetches headlines from the news sources you are subscribed to, and may load the article page and its picture to show a thumbnail. Those websites therefore see a request from your device, as they would if you visited them.
- Secure DNS. When this is on, the addresses of the sites being opened are checked against Cloudflare's family filter so that adult and harmful sites can be blocked. Turn the setting off and this stops.
None of these are used by us to build a profile of you, and none of them are stored on our server.
6. Advertising
Safe Search Browser is completely ad-free. We show no adverts, we allow no third-party ad networks in the app, and we do not use your information to advertise to you or build a marketing profile. The app does not collect an advertising ID.
7. Permissions we do not ask for
The app does not request access to your location, camera, microphone or contacts. Web pages cannot use your camera or microphone in this browser — the app declines every such request automatically, without even asking.
8. Children and families
Safe Search Browser is designed to be safe for children, and the entire browser works without an account. Accounts are intended to be created by a parent or guardian, who should decide whether passwords are synced. We do not knowingly collect personal information from a child without a parent or guardian setting up that account. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will delete it.
9. Deleting your data
You can ask us to delete your account and everything stored with it at any time. See Account & Data Deletion for how, and what happens next. Signing out stops syncing and clears saved passwords from that phone, but it does not delete your account — and your bookmarks, feed subscriptions and settings stay on the phone so you do not lose them.
10. Other websites you visit
Safe Search Browser lets you visit websites run by other people. This policy does not cover them, and we are not responsible for what they collect. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any site you use.
11. Changes to this policy
If we change what we collect, we will update this page and the date at the top before the change reaches you.
12. Contact us
Questions about your privacy or your data? Email [email protected] and we will help.