AI USACO Tutor

Privacy
Policy

Last updated: March 31, 2026 Chrome Extension

AI USACO Tutor is a Chrome browser extension that provides AI-powered hints and guidance while you solve USACO competitive programming problems. This policy explains what data the Extension handles and how.

01.

Data We Collect

The Extension collects and stores only the following, entirely on your device:

  • Gemini API Key – entered voluntarily by you in the Extension's Settings panel and saved to chrome.storage.local on your device.
  • Theme Preference – your chosen UI theme (light / dark / system), also saved to chrome.storage.local.

No personal information, browsing history, or usage analytics are collected.

02.

Data We Do Not Collect

  • We do not collect your name, email address, or any account information.
  • We do not track which USACO problems you view or how you interact with the Extension.
  • We do not use cookies or any form of analytics or telemetry.
  • We do not send any data to our own servers — the Extension has no backend.
03.

How Your API Key Is Used

Your Gemini API key is stored locally on your device and is used solely to make requests to Google's Gemini API on your behalf. The key is transmitted directly from your browser to Google's servers (generativelanguage.googleapis.com) — it is never sent to any server controlled by us.

The content of your conversation (your questions and the AI's responses) is sent to Google's Gemini API to generate replies. Please refer to Google's Privacy Policy for how Google handles API requests.

04.

Editorial Content

When you visit a USACO problem page, the Extension fetches the corresponding editorial from usaco.org to provide context to the AI tutor. This fetch happens in your browser and no editorial content is stored persistently or transmitted to any third party other than Google's Gemini API (as part of the tutoring conversation).

05.

Data Storage & Retention

All data (your API key and theme preference) is stored in chrome.storage.local on your own device. You can delete this data at any time by removing the Extension or by clearing the stored key in the Settings panel.

06.

Third-Party Services

The Extension communicates with the following external service:

  • Google Gemini API (generativelanguage.googleapis.com) – to generate AI responses. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy.
07.

Children's Privacy

The Extension is intended for use by competitive programming students of all ages. It does not knowingly collect any personal information from users of any age.

08.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy is updated, the "Last updated" date above will be revised. Continued use of the Extension after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

09.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, use the form below.