Simple = Select + Search: Permissions

Being transparent matters

Transparency is a core value of this extension.

As suggested by one of our users (thanks Andy!), here’s a detailed description of the permissions required to run this extension and an explanation of why they are necessary:

Context Menus (contextMenus)

This permission allows the extension to create and remove items from the context menu. It’s a basic and essential permission to enable the right-click functionality for searching across multiple engines. Learn more about the Context Menu API.

Storage

This permission grants the extension the ability to read and write to the local storage in the browser, where configuration data is stored for later use. Any changes made on the Options page are stored in local storage.

By design, local storage is isolated and inaccessible to other extensions unless explicitly granted additional permissions, which are not requested by this extension. Learn more about the Storage API.

Alarms

This permission enables the use of browser alarms, a feature employed by the Keep Alive functionality. An alarm triggers every 30 seconds to ensure the extension remains active even during inactivity, keeping the context menu functional.

Although this is less efficient in terms of performance, it prevents the deactivation of services (due to browser-imposed inactivity in Manifest V3). This feature can be disabled from the Advanced Settings in the Options page. Learn more about Browser Alarms.

Clipboard (Firefox Only) (clipboardWrite & clipboardRead)

These permissions allow the extension to interact with the system clipboard. They are specifically used for the import/export feature found in the Options page. If not granted, these features will not function as expected. Learn more about the Clipboard API.

Host Permissions

These permissions allow the extension to connect to external web services for sending and receiving data. For transparency, we specify the services this extension connects to, rather than using a wildcard that allows unrestricted connections.

  • simpleselectsearch.com: A private service used to provide up-to-date information directly to the extension without needing to release updates. The data retrieved includes:
    • Featured Search Engines: The list of available search engines displayed in the Options page. Link to the live list.
    • Live Messages: Users can view developer messages, updates, or release announcements when accessing the Options page. Link to the API.
  • google-analytics.com: Google Analytics is used to measure the activity of the extension for statistics and improvement purposes. No personal information is collected. Events being tracked include:
    • Page Views: Options page, popup, and subpages.
    • Standard Events: Installation, updates, search events (excluding search terms).
    For example, if you search for “My text in a random page” on YouTube, Google Analytics only tracks the URL https://youtube.com/q=%s and not the search text itself.

Learn more about Host Permissions.