Privacy Policy

This policy describes how Vistara (the "extension") handles data when you use it. We have tried to write this plainly rather than hide anything in legalese. If you have questions, see the Contact page.

What the extension does

Vistara is a Chrome browser extension that does two things when you install it:

• Overrides your new tab page. Every time you open a new tab, you see a full-screen background photo and a search bar instead of Chrome's default new tab page.
• Sets the default search engine. Searches you perform from the address bar or from the new tab search bar are routed through search.ironclick.network, which immediately redirects you to Google's results page. You see the search results on Google — the redirect takes less than a second.

What data is sent and to whom

When you perform a search, the query text is included in the URL that your browser sends to search.ironclick.network. That server reads the query, issues an HTTP 302 redirect to Google, and your browser then loads the results page on google.com. No copy of the query is stored on our server; the server processes each request in memory and discards it.

The following third-party services are also contacted during normal use:

• Google — receives your search query as part of the redirect URL in order to return results, and your IP address as part of the page load. Google's own privacy policy governs how they handle that data.
• Unsplash — background photos shown on the new tab page come from Unsplash. Photo metadata is fetched by our server (search.ironclick.network), and the photo bytes are then loaded by your browser directly from Unsplash's CDN. Photo attribution to the original photographer is shown on every new tab, as required by Unsplash's API guidelines.
• Google Suggest — as you type in the search bar, the extension sends your partial query to Google's autocomplete endpoint (suggestqueries.google.com) to fetch suggestions. If you do not want this, you can ignore the search bar or uninstall the extension.

What we do NOT collect

• We do not collect, store, or transmit your browsing history.
• We do not collect any personal information (name, email, location, etc.).
• We do not track you across sites or build a profile of your behavior.
• We do not use cookies, fingerprinting, or any cross-site tracking technology.
• We do not sell data to third parties.

What is stored locally on your device

The extension stores a small amount of data in your browser's local and sync storage:

• UI preference: whether you have hidden the search bar (the "Hide Search" toggle). This is synced across your Chrome profile via chrome.storage.sync so your preference persists when you sign in on another device.
• Photo cache: the last several background images fetched from Unsplash are cached in chrome.storage.local so a photo is still displayed when you are offline.

None of this data ever leaves your device except through normal Chrome sync.

Your choices and how to remove the extension

You are always in control:

• Hide the search bar: click the "Hide Search" link at the bottom of the new tab page.
• Uninstall: click the "Uninstall" link at the bottom of the new tab page, or go to chrome://extensions, find the extension, and click Remove. Uninstalling immediately restores your previous new tab page and search engine settings.

When you uninstall the extension, all locally stored data (photo cache and UI preferences) is deleted automatically by Chrome.

Children's privacy

The extension is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes to this policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will update the "last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of the extension after such changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email us at hello@ironclick.network.