Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 2026

    Hackathon Finder is designed with privacy as a default. All data is stored locally on your device. Nothing is sent to any server owned by the extension developer.
  

Overview

Hackathon Finder ("the Extension") is a Chrome browser extension that automatically scans public hackathon platforms and delivers a consolidated list of upcoming hackathons relevant to the user's country. This policy explains what data the Extension accesses, how it is used, and how it is stored.

Data Collected

The Extension collects one category of data: an approximate location in the form of a country name. On first install, the Extension sends a request to ip-api.com, a free public IP geolocation service, to detect the user's country. The response contains only the country name (for example, "Saudi Arabia"). No GPS coordinates, city names, street addresses, or precise location data are collected or stored.

How Location Data Is Used

The detected country name is used solely to filter hackathon search results to events relevant to the user's region. It is stored locally in the browser using the Chrome storage.local API and is never transmitted to any server owned or operated by the Extension developer.

Data Storage

All data — including the detected country, hackathon event listings, scan timestamps, and user preferences — is stored exclusively in the browser's local storage on the user's own device. This data never leaves the device and is not accessible to the Extension developer or any third party.

Third-Party Services

The Extension makes read-only GET requests to the following public services to retrieve hackathon event listings. No user data is submitted to any of these services. All requests are anonymous and contain no personally identifiable information.

eventbrite.com — Public hackathon event listings
lu.ma — Public community tech event listings
devfolio.co — Public hackathon listing API
unstop.com — Public hackathon and competition listings
ip-api.com — Anonymous country detection by IP address (first install only)

Data Sharing

The Extension does not sell, transfer, or share any user data with third parties under any circumstances.

Data Retention

Hackathon event data is automatically deleted from local storage after 7 days. The user may also manually clear all stored data at any time from the Settings panel within the Extension.

User Control

Override the auto-detected country at any time from the Settings panel.
Disable the scanner entirely using the on/off toggle in the popup.
Clear all locally stored data at any time using the "Clear all stored data" button in Settings.

Children's Privacy

The Extension does not knowingly collect any data from children under the age of 13. The Extension does not contain any features directed at children.

Changes to This Policy

If this privacy policy is updated, the revised version will be published at this URL with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Extension after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, please open an issue on the GitHub repository for this extension.