Is Reading Spotlight safe to install?

What data it declares

The developer declares that it collects these kinds of data:

• Web history the list of pages you visit
• User activity such as clicks, scrolling, keystrokes or network monitoring
• Website content such as text, images or links on the pages you open

The developer also certifies that your data is not sold to third parties outside approved uses, not used for purposes unrelated to the extension's core function, and not used to decide creditworthiness or lending.

The listing links to a privacy policy.

This is the developer's own declaration in the Chrome Web Store. We cannot check it against what the extension does.

What Chrome asks you to allow

From the permissions it declares, Chrome shows no permission warning when you add it.

Derived from the manifest by Chrome's documented rules; the dialog's exact wording depends on your Chrome version and language. Chrome asks again if an update requests more.

What it can reach

No site access is declared in the manifest, so it cannot read the pages you open on its own.

Worth knowing

• Run its own code on the pages it can access scripting

Routine for an extension

• Act on the current tab, but only after you click it activeTab
• Add items to the right-click menu contextMenus
• Store data in your browser storage

How usual this is for its category

In Make Chrome Yours · Functionality, 12% of extensions ask for access to every site. This one: No site access.

The typical extension there declares 2 browser permissions; this one declares 4 browser permissions.

Counted over the live extensions of the same category after our latest full pass of the store. A share is context, not a verdict: what is normal depends on what the extension is for.

Who uses it and how it is kept up

23 users

• Last updated in the store 53 days ago, on 2026-09-08.
• We have seen 1 new version in the last 90 days.

What the store shows

The store shows none of its badges on this listing. Most listings carry none.

Has it asked for more over time?

This is the question a permission list on its own cannot answer. An extension that shipped narrow and widened later is a different proposition from one that always asked for the same thing.

The permissions this extension requests have not changed since we started watching it.

Versions we have seen

1. 2026-09-08Version 2.1.2

Who publishes it

chowxec, who publishes 2 listings we track. This listing has been in the store since 2026-05-04 and was last updated on 2026-09-08.

Similar extensions that ask for less

Listings close to this one in what they say they do, which declare less reach. Less reach is not a verdict on either: compare what each needs for the job.

1. ReadingRuler - Line Focus for Reading Runs its code on every site · 1 permission 27 users
2. TextFocus Runs its code on every site · 2 permissions 13 users ★ 1.0
3. Read Focus No site access · 2 permissions 3 users

How to check or remove it in Chrome

1. Type chrome://extensions in the address bar and find the extension in the list.
2. Open its details. The site access setting shows where it can run; set it to run only on click and it reaches a page only after you press its icon.
3. To uninstall it, choose Remove on the same page.

Questions people ask

What can Reading Spotlight access?

No site access is declared in the manifest, so it cannot read the pages you open on its own. It declares 4 browser permissions.

What data does Reading Spotlight collect?

The developer declares that it collects these kinds of data: Web history, User activity, Website content. This is the developer's own declaration in the Chrome Web Store. We cannot check it against what the extension does.

Has Reading Spotlight asked for more permissions over time?

The permissions this extension requests have not changed since we started watching it.

Does Reading Spotlight publish a privacy policy?

Yes, the store listing links to a privacy policy.