The Idle Attention Company Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 27, 2026

The Idle Attention Company is a browser extension that displays a small, clearly-labeled "Sponsored" card above the chat input on supported AI websites (such as ChatGPT, Lovable, v0, Base44, and Bolt) while an AI assistant is generating a response. This policy explains exactly what the extension does and does not collect.

What we collect

The Idle Attention Company collects a minimal amount of anonymous usage data so we can measure how often sponsored cards are shown and clicked:

• A random, anonymous install ID — a randomly generated identifier (e.g. waitads-1a2b3c…) created the first time the extension runs and stored locally in your browser. It is not linked to your name, email, Google account, or any personal identity.
• Ad interaction events — when a sponsored card is displayed ("impression") or clicked ("click"), we record which ad it was (ad ID, brand name, and the advertiser's destination URL) and a generic placement label.

What we do NOT collect

• No names, emails, passwords, or other personally identifiable information.
• No browsing history or the list of pages you visit.
• No page content, prompts, messages, or anything you type on any site.
• No mouse movement, keystrokes, financial, health, or location data.

How the extension works

• It fetches the list of sponsored cards as JSON data from https://the-idle-attention-company.vercel.app/ads.json. No remote code is downloaded or executed — only data.
• Anonymous impression and click events are sent to PostHog (US cloud), our analytics provider, acting as a data processor on our behalf.
• The card is rendered in an isolated Shadow DOM and only reads enough of the page to detect the chat input and whether the AI is responding.

Permissions

• storage — to remember your on/off preference and the anonymous install ID.
• Host access to the-idle-attention-company.vercel.app — to fetch the ads feed.
• Host access to us.i.posthog.com — to send anonymous analytics.
• Content-script access to supported AI sites — to place the sponsored card above the chat input.

Data sharing and selling

We do not sell your data and do not transfer it to third parties except to PostHog as described above, solely to provide aggregate analytics. We do not use any data to determine creditworthiness or for lending purposes.

Data retention

Anonymous event data is retained only for aggregate analytics. You can stop all collection at any time by disabling or removing the extension; removing it also clears the locally stored install ID.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Contact us at chhddaniel+23Jul2025@gmail.com.