Telltail privacy policy.
Telltail marks online prose as likely human-written, likely AI-written, or uncertain. This policy covers exactly what the extension does with what it reads. Short version: your reading stays yours.
What stays on your device
- Page text you read. The on-device model classifies it locally. It is never uploaded, logged remotely, or shared.
- Your settings and classification cache. Stored only in your browser, in the extension’s own local storage. There is no Telltail account and no server that sees them.
- The optional research log. Off by default. When you turn it on, classifications are kept in your browser’s local storage so you can export them. Exporting sends them nowhere; the file just downloads.
What leaves your device, and why
Classification itself never does: it runs on your device. Telltail connects to CogShift only to check for and download updated model and classifier data (model weights, vocabulary and calibration thresholds; no executable code). Browsing content is never included in those requests.
-
First-run model download. On first run the extension
downloads a signed on-device model (about 36 MB: model weights,
vocabulary, thresholds and n-gram weight tables; data only, no executable
code) from
dl.cogshift.org/telltail/. It verifies the manifest signature and every file’s hash before anything runs, then caches the files in your browser. - Model-update checks. About once a day the extension fetches a small signed version file from the same host to learn whether a newer model exists, and downloads it the same verified way. These requests carry no identifiers, cookies or account data: the same files for everyone. Like any web request they expose your IP address to the file host for the duration of the request; it is not logged against a person, because there is no person to log it against.
-
Problem reports, only if you send one. The popup’s
“Report a problem” opens a pre-filled issue on our public tracker
(
github.com/cogshiftio/telltail-pub) with the site host, the verdict, the extension and model versions, and your description. The post text is included only if you tick the opt-in box. Nothing leaves until you press Submit on GitHub, and what you submit there is public and governed by GitHub’s terms.
What we never do
- No analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting.
- No advertising, no sale or sharing of data. There is nothing to sell.
- No remote code. Every model and library ships inside the extension or arrives through the signed downloads above, which carry data only.
- No account, no sign-in, no API key.
Permissions, in plain language
Reading page text on sites you enable is the product: without it there is nothing to outline. X and LinkedIn are enabled at install; any other site is read only after you enable it in the popup or choose “on for all sites” on the welcome page. The text never leaves your device.
Access to the download host exists so signed model updates can be fetched. Storage holds your settings, the cached model and the classification cache in your browser.
Sharing a result
If you choose to copy or share a result, the result and any excerpt you choose to include go to the destination you pick: your clipboard, or the app you choose from your device’s share sheet. Telltail itself sends nothing. A shared card never includes the author’s name, handle or picture, and always says “Classifier estimate, not proof”.
Children
Telltail is a general browsing aid, not directed at children, and collects no personal data from anyone.
Changes to this policy
If Telltail ever needs to do more than described here, this page changes first, the effective date at the top moves, and the store listings are updated before the change ships. A change that would send any page content off your device would be a different product, and would be announced as one.
Contact
Use “Report a problem” in the extension popup, open an issue on the public tracker, or write to us through the contact form on cogshift.io. Telltail is made by CogShift.