Privacy
Draft: this policy is not final. Words in [brackets] will be filled in before launch. ⚑ marks features that aren't built yet.
Last updated: [date]
The short version
- Your information stays on your computer. We never see it.
- We have no accounts, no servers that store your data, no ads and no tracking.
- The guide only downloads instructions (like the steps for a renewal). It never sends your information anywhere. It never contacts the government website for you.
- You can see, change, save a copy of, or delete everything at any time.
- Clara Helps is not affiliated with HHSC or the State of Texas.
What the guide stores, and where
Everything is stored only on your device, inside your web browser's storage for this extension. It is not sent to us or to anyone else.
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Your profile: answers you choose to save, like names in your household, income, expenses and dates | So the guide can suggest them next time. The guide never fills a field by itself: you accept each suggestion, one field at a time. |
| Where each answer came from: whether you typed it or saved it from a page you filled in, the date, and an optional note like "from my October pay stub" | So you can always see why the guide is suggesting something. |
| Earlier versions of an answer: up to the last 5 values of each answer you've changed, with their sources | So you can see what you changed and change it back. Deleting an answer deletes its earlier versions too. |
| Reminders: due dates you enter from your letters (for example, a renewal or interview date) | So the guide can remind you before the date. |
| Settings: your language (English or Spanish) and whether public-computer mode is on | So the guide works the way you chose. |
Your profile is not encrypted. It's protected the same way as other data in your browser on your device. If other people use your computer account, they might see it. Use public-computer mode (below) on shared computers.
What we don't store: your passwords, or your full Social Security number (for Social Security numbers and other sensitive boxes, the guide keeps only the last 4 digits, to help you check, and you type the full number yourself). We also don't keep a history of the websites you visit.
What the guide reads on the page
On supported websites only (right now: YourTexasBenefits.com), the guide reads the page on your device to work out which step you're on and which box is which. That way it can explain the step. It does nothing on sign-in pages.
⚑ After you fill in a page yourself, the guide may ask: "Save these answers for next time?" It saves them only if you say yes, and only on your device.
The guide never clicks buttons, submits forms, signs or pays for you. You do every one of those yourself.
What the guide downloads
The guide downloads instructions only: the steps, explanations, document lists and translations for each supported website. It downloads them from our content website, [content host], using plain downloads (HTTP GET). A copy also comes built into the guide, so it works if the download fails.
These downloads contain none of your information. They carry no account, no ID, no cookies and nothing about you in the address. Like any website, the server that hosts the instructions can see the basic information every download reveals: your internet (IP) address, your browser type and the time. [Content host provider] may keep this in its normal server logs for [N days]. We don't use it to identify or track you. [Confirm once the host is chosen.]
The guide never sends requests to YourTexasBenefits.com or any other government website. When you press the website's own Submit button, that is you sending your form to the government, the same as without the guide.
No tracking
No analytics, no advertising, no tracking pixels or cookies, no crash reports and no third-party code. We don't sell, share or rent information, because we never have it.
Notifications
If you set a reminder, the guide uses your browser's notifications to remind you. The reminder is created and shown on your device; nothing is sent.
Public-computer mode
For computers at a library, food bank or other shared place. ⚑ When public-computer mode is on:
- Your profile is kept only in memory, never saved to the computer.
- It's erased when you quit the browser (close every browser window). Closing just one window isn't enough.
Also remember to sign out of YourTexasBenefits.com and close every browser window when you finish. The browser itself may remember things the guide doesn't control (like its own form autofill or history). Ask the staff, or use a private window if one is allowed.
See, change, save or delete your information
In the guide's panel you can:
- See everything saved, with where each answer came from.
- Change or delete any one answer.
- Export everything to a file (JSON) you can keep or move to another computer.
- Forget everything: one button that deletes your whole profile (every answer, its earlier versions and your reminders) from this device. Your language choice and public-computer setting stay as they are.
Removing the extension from your browser also deletes everything it stored. We can't recover deleted information, because we never had a copy.
Donations
The guide and its website may show a donation link. It opens [payment provider]'s page in a new tab. If you donate, that company handles your payment under its own privacy policy. The guide doesn't tell it anything about you.
Children
The guide is meant for adults handling their household's paperwork. It's not directed at children under 13.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the date above and explain the change in the guide's release notes. If a change would ever allow your information to leave your device, we'd ask for your permission first, inside the guide.
Contact
Clara Helps, hello@guide.invalid, [mailing address]. The code is open source, so anyone can check these promises: https://code.invalid/.