Privacy policy
Paper Lens helps you find definitions and theorem statements in mathematical papers. Same-paper lookups run in your browser, and saved definition choices remain on your device.
Information the extension handles
On supported arXiv and ar5iv HTML pages, Paper Lens reads paper text, mathematical notation, links, and document structure to locate and display relevant source passages. It processes the symbol, phrase, or reference you select and its surrounding context.
When you choose “Use this definition,” the extension saves the paper's URL, the lookup term or symbol, information identifying its occurrence, the selected source passage, and related text used to recognize the same context on a later visit. These records are stored in your browser using Chrome's local extension storage. Paper Lens does not use Chrome's sync storage.
The extension does not access your browser's general history database or monitor unrelated websites. Supported paper URLs are used to associate saved choices with the correct document.
How information is used
Paper content and saved choices are used only to provide definition lookup, source previews, navigation, and restoration of your selected definitions. Paper Lens does not include advertising, analytics, or telemetry. It does not sell user data, use it for advertising, or use it to determine creditworthiness or make lending decisions.
Requests to arXiv and other websites
When you explicitly choose “Load statement,” the extension requests the specified version of a paper directly from arxiv.org over HTTPS. This request includes the paper identifier and version in the requested URL. As with other web requests, arXiv receives your IP address and standard technical request information. The extension omits cookies from these retrieval requests.
Your saved definition choices and the text you select in the current paper are not uploaded to the developer. The requested statement label is matched locally against the retrieved paper. Recently retrieved papers may be temporarily cached in the extension's memory to avoid repeated requests.
Opening a source link navigates your browser to the relevant website, whose own privacy practices then apply. These ordinary page visits are separate from the extension's cookie-free paper retrieval requests.
Storage, retention, and deletion
Saved definition choices stay on your device until you delete them or remove the extension; they do not have an automatic expiration date. Use “Forget this choice” to remove a saved choice. Removing Paper Lens from Chrome clears its local extension storage. Clearing ordinary browsing history alone does not necessarily remove saved extension choices.
Temporary paper caches are held in memory and are discarded when the extension's background process terminates. The developer does not maintain a server-side copy of your saved choices.
Permissions and security
The storage permission allows Paper Lens to remember your definition choices. Access to supported paper pages allows it to read paper content and show lookup controls. Access to arxiv.org also enables user-requested retrieval of cited papers.
Executable code is included in the extension package. Retrieved HTML is processed as document data; remote scripts and event handlers are not executed. Local data is protected by your browser and device's normal security controls; the extension does not add its own encryption to local storage.
This policy page
This page has no forms, analytics scripts, or advertising trackers added by the Paper Lens developer. Its hosting provider receives the technical information needed to deliver the page, such as your IP address and request details.
Contact
For questions about this policy, contact the developer using the contact email shown on Paper Lens's Chrome Web Store listing. If you contact the developer, the information you choose to send will be used to respond to your request; do not include sensitive information unnecessarily.
Changes to this policy
This page will be updated when the extension's data practices change. The effective date above identifies the latest revision.