Privacy Policy

What LinkCage is

LinkCage has two parts: a browser extension (for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox) and a companion host that you install on your own machine. The extension is only a trigger. When you right-click a link and choose “Open in LinkCage,” the extension passes that single URL to the local companion host, which opens it inside a disposable, isolated Docker browser.

What the extension does and does not collect

• The extension does not collect, store, or transmit any personal data, browsing history, or analytics.
• The extension contacts no remote servers. The only thing it sends is the URL you explicitly choose to cage, and it sends it only to the local companion host on your machine, over the browser’s native-messaging channel.
• It has no account, no login, no telemetry, and uses no third-party tracking.

What the companion host does with the URL

The companion host runs on your computer, not in the cloud. Before opening a link, it performs an optional reputation check by querying the URL against URLhaus and Google Safe Browsing. This means the URL you cage is sent from your machine directly to those services to obtain a SAFE / SUSPICIOUS / MALICIOUS verdict. LinkCage does not see or receive those lookups — they go straight to the providers, subject to their own privacy policies.

Everything that happens inside the sandboxed browser stays inside a throwaway Docker container that is destroyed when you close it. In-sandbox browsing is not logged, stored, or transmitted to LinkCage or anyone else.

Permissions the extension requests

• contextMenus — to add the right-click “Open in LinkCage” item. This is the only way you invoke it.
• nativeMessaging — to pass the clicked URL to the local companion host. This is the only channel to the host; no data goes to any remote server.
• notifications — to show the result of an action you triggered (sandbox status, the verdict, or errors such as “Docker not running”). Never used for promotion.

Data retention

The extension stores nothing about you. The sandbox is RAM-based and destroyed on close. The companion host keeps only a local copy of the URLhaus blocklist for offline checks; this contains no personal data and never leaves your machine.

Children’s privacy

LinkCage is a security tool for general audiences and is not directed at children. It collects no data from anyone.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the “Last updated” date above will change with it. Material changes will be noted on this page.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Reach out via the contact form. LinkCage is open-source and auditable.