Ad Sensei — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 29 July 2026

Ad Sensei is a browser extension that skips YouTube ads and AI-detected creator sponsor segments, and blocks ads and trackers across the web. This policy explains exactly what data the extension processes, what (if anything) leaves your browser, and the controls you have.

The short version. Almost everything happens on your device. Ad Sensei does not track your browsing, does not sell any data, and never injects its own ads. The only things that can leave your browser are: (1) a video transcript — and, for the optional AI page-cleanup helpers, a short snippet of a page's ad/overlay markup — sent to the AI provider you choose, and only if you pick a cloud provider (with Chrome's on-device AI available, these never leave your device); (2) a privacy-preserving, hashed SponsorBlock lookup; and (3) optional, anonymous diagnostics and daily usage counts you can turn off. Turn on Local-only mode and nothing leaves your browser at all.

1. Data processed only on your device

The following is stored locally in your browser (via the extension's own storage) and is never transmitted to us or anyone else:

Your settings and preferences.
Any AI provider API key you enter — stored locally and sent only to the provider it belongs to, never to us.
Counters (ads skipped, ads/trackers/cookies blocked) and a cache of sponsor-segment analysis so re-watching a video doesn't re-analyze it.
A local activity log and settings-change history, visible under Settings → Activity & logs. These stay in your browser.

Ad and tracker blocking uses filter lists that ship inside the extension and run entirely within your browser. We do not receive the list of sites you visit or the requests that are blocked.

2. Data that can leave your browser, and where it goes

What	Where	When / control
The transcript of a YouTube video	The AI provider you select (Google Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, OpenRouter, or an OpenClaw gateway)	Only when analyzing a video for sponsor segments, only if you chose a cloud provider, and only when the community SponsorBlock database has no data. Using Chrome's built-in on-device AI, a local Ollama server, or Local-only mode means the transcript never leaves your device.
A short snippet of page markup (an ad candidate, popup overlay, or cookie-consent banner — up to a few KB, never the whole page)	The same AI provider you select	Only for the optional AI enhancements (ad-candidate verification, popup review, cookie-banner auto-reject / selector self-heal), and only as a fallback: when Chrome's built-in on-device model is available these run entirely on your device. Disabled with the "AI enhancements" toggle, when no cloud provider is configured, and in Local-only mode.
A hashed prefix of a video ID	SponsorBlock (`sponsor.ajay.app`)	When SponsorBlock is enabled, to fetch community-marked segments. Only the first characters of a hash are sent, so the server cannot learn which video you are watching. Off in Local-only mode.
Anonymous diagnostics	Our endpoint (`singlefinmedia.com/ad-sensei/api/error` and `/api/event`)	Optional, on by default, toggle under Settings → AI & privacy, off in Local-only mode. See section 3.
A check for updated filter rules (a plain download that sends nothing about you)	Our update server (`singlefinmedia.com/ad-sensei/filters`)	Periodically, to download refreshed ad-selector lists — rule data only, integrity-checked, never code. On by default, toggle under Settings → AI & privacy, off in Local-only mode. See section 4.

Your API keys are never sent to us. Before any diagnostic is sent, keys and extension identifiers are scrubbed from error text.

3. Anonymous diagnostics (optional)

If you leave diagnostics on, the extension sends scrubbed, rate-limited, anonymous reports so we can fix bugs and repair ad detection when a site changes how it serves ads. A report may contain: the extension version, a coarse browser tag (e.g. "Chrome/138"), the name of the AI provider you selected, an error type and a scrubbed error message/stack, a short context label, the CSS selectors involved in an ad-detection event, and a random install identifier that is not linked to you.

With diagnostics on, the extension also sends one aggregate report per day containing counts of how Ad Sensei's own interface was used — how many times its popup was opened, which of its tabs, toggles, and buttons were used (setting names only, never values you typed) — plus daily totals of its blocking activity. We use these counts to decide what to improve in the UI. They describe the extension's own controls only: they never include which sites you visited or anything from a page, and they carry the same random install identifier described above.

Ad-detection events also include the bare domain of the page the event happened on — for example example.com, never example.com/the/page?you=viewed. We collect it because a wrongly hidden element is only fixable if we know which site it happened on. Because these events fire as you browse, they amount to a partial, sampled record of domains you visit, associated with the random install identifier. That is the one piece of browsing-related data Ad Sensei transmits, it is only ever used to fix ad detection, it is never sold or shared, and switching diagnostics off stops it completely.

A diagnostic report never contains full web addresses, paths or query strings, page or video titles, page content, your API keys, your name, email, IP-derived identity, or any other personal information. You can turn this off at any time under Settings → AI & privacy, and it is always off in Local-only mode.

Uninstall page. With diagnostics on, uninstalling the extension opens a short goodbye page whose address includes the extension version and the same random install identifier. The feedback survey on that page is entirely optional. With diagnostics off — or in Local-only mode — no page opens on uninstall.

4. Filter-list updates (optional)

So ad-blocking keeps working when a site changes how it serves ads, the extension periodically downloads refreshed filter rules — lists of CSS selectors that identify ad elements on a page — from our update server (singlefinmedia.com). This is a one-way download of rule data only: no program code is ever downloaded or run, and every list is integrity-checked (SHA-256) before it is applied.

The request sends no information about you. Like any web request, it lets our server observe that some installation checked for updates, along with the extension version. You can turn this off under Settings → AI & privacy, and it is always off in Local-only mode.

5. What Ad Sensei does not do

It does not track or transmit your browsing history — no list of pages you visited, no URLs, no titles. The one exception is spelled out in section 3: with diagnostics on, an ad-detection event reports the bare domain it fired on, which is a sampled set of domains rather than a history, and turning diagnostics off stops it.
It does not sell or rent any data to anyone.
It does not inject its own advertising or affiliate links.
It does not create an advertising profile of you.
It uses your data only to provide the features you enabled — never for unrelated purposes.

6. Your controls

Local-only mode — forces on-device AI, turns off diagnostics, and makes zero external network calls.
Choose an on-device (Chrome built-in) or local (Ollama) AI provider so transcripts never leave your machine.
Turn diagnostics off under Settings → AI & privacy.
Turn filter-list updates off under Settings → AI & privacy.
Reset all counters under Settings → Analytics, or clear the local logs and cache under Settings → Activity & logs.
Uninstalling the extension removes all locally stored data.

7. Third-party services

When you use them, these services receive data as described above and are governed by their own privacy policies: your chosen AI provider (Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, OpenRouter, or your OpenClaw/Ollama endpoint) and SponsorBlock. We are not responsible for their handling of data; please review their policies.

8. Data retention & children

Locally stored data remains until you clear it or uninstall. Anonymous diagnostics are retained only as long as needed to diagnose issues. Ad Sensei is not directed to children under 13 and does not knowingly collect data from them.

9. Changes & contact

We will update this page if our data practices change and revise the date above. Questions? Contact info@singlefinmedia.com.

Ad Sensei · Terms of Service · Support · info@singlefinmedia.com