sss@v3.0.0install ⏎
--no-ads · --no-search-content · --pseudonymous-stats-only

Transparency.

Every browser extension asks for permissions you probably won’t read. This page explains what SSS asks for, why, when it talks to the internet, and what it does with your data — in plain language and as a verifiable list.

§01CLAIM

We count searches, never their content

Each search sends one event to Google Analytics: the domain of the engine you used (only the host, like duckduckgo.com — never the full address) and your browser language, under a persistent random install ID — pseudonymous, not anonymous. Your selected text is never part of it. On by default in v3.0 (no opt-out toggle yet — planned); the full honest breakdown is in the privacy policy.

§02CLAIM

No advertising, ever

No ad networks, no sponsored placements in the catalog. Engines are added because users ask for them.

§03CLAIM

Your queries stay between you and the engine

When you search Google, your query goes to Google — same as if you'd typed it in their search box. SSS doesn't see, log, or proxy it.

§04CLAIM

Sync uses your browser, not our servers

When it ships with Pro (v3.1), sync keeps your installs of the same browser in step — Chrome with Chrome, Firefox with Firefox — through the browser's own account. It doesn't sync between different browsers, and your engines and sets never touch a server of ours.

§02PERMISSIONS

What SSS asks for at install.

PermissionWhy we askRisk
contextMenus
To add "SSS" to the right-click menu — and to receive your selection when you click a menu item.
No way to read what's in your menu — only add our own. The selection reaches us only when you invoke a search.
LOW
storage
To save your engines, sets, and preferences locally.
Per-browser storage; never read across origins.
LOW
notifications
To tell you the result of the one-time v2 → v3 data migration.
Used for migration success/failure notices — nothing recurring.
LOW
alarms
To keep the background worker responsive.
A periodic no-op timer; reads nothing.
LOW
sidePanel (Chrome/Edge)
To draw the side panel — shipped as a locked Pro preview in v3.0.
Firefox uses its built-in sidebar instead — no extra permission there.
LOW
host (simpleselectsearch.com)
To load the engine catalog — the engines you can browse and add.
Only our own catalog API. No access to the sites you browse.
LOW
§03NETWORK CALLS

Every time SSS calls out.

On install (once)extension store CDNstandard install — browser-controlled, not us← browser
When you right-click searchthe engine you picked (google.com, reddit.com, …)your query← you
When you right-click searchgoogle-analytics.com (usage counting)one "search_menu" event: the domain of the engine you used (only the host, never the full address) + browser language, under a persistent random install ID — never your selected text. See /privacy.← extension
When you open the popup, settings or side panelgoogle-analytics.com (usage counting)one "popup_open" / "options_open" / "sidepanel_open" event: that the window was opened, plus browser language, under the same persistent install ID — never what is in it. See /privacy.← extension
When you add an engine from the cataloggoogle-analytics.com (usage counting)one "catalog_add" event: which entry of our own catalog you added, so we know what to add next. Never an engine you wrote yourself. See /privacy.← extension
When you browse the engine catalogsimpleselectsearch.com (our catalog API)a plain GET for the engine list← you
Pro (v3.1): license activationsimpleselectsearch.com/api/license/validateyour license key + a per-install device ID← extension
Pro (v3.1): browser syncyour browser's own account sync (same browser only)your config — synced across your installs of that browser, never routed through us← browser
Neverad networks · data brokers · third-party trackers · your search text to anyone but your chosen engine—— never
// Verify yourself: open devtools → Network tab → use SSS. You’ll see the engine you searched plus one POST to google-analytics.com/mp/collect — open its payload and check it against the table above.

Found something we missed?

Tell us. We update this page whenever the network surface changes — and the last commit message goes in /changelog.