01What EqualLoud does
EqualLoud is a browser extension that automatically balances the
loudness of audio/video tabs. It injects a content script into web
pages so it can attach a Web Audio graph to each
<video> / <audio> element,
measure its loudness (using the ITU-R BS.1770 K-weighting algorithm),
and apply a gain adjustment so every tab converges on one target
loudness.
All of this happens locally in your browser.
02Permissions, and why each is required
Every permission the extension requests exists for one reason, and none of them move data off your device:
| Permission | Why it's needed |
|---|---|
| host_permissions: <all_urls> | So balancing works automatically on every site, without per-site enablement. The content script must run on the page to reach its media elements. No page content is read or transmitted — only the audio stream is measured locally. |
| tabs | To list open tabs in the popup and show their titles. Tab titles and URLs stay in local memory and are shown only to you in the popup. |
| storage |
To remember your settings (target loudness, limiter config,
UI locale) across browser restarts. Stored only in
chrome.storage.local on your device.
|
| alarms | A periodic housekeeping timer that prunes closed tabs and recovers state after the service worker sleeps. |
| favicon (Chrome 118+) |
Displays each tab's website icon in the popup. Served from
Chrome's local favicon cache via the
_favicon/ API — no network request to the site
or any third party.
|
03Data handling specifics
- Audio: Processed in real time by the browser's Web Audio API. Audio samples are never stored, logged, or sent anywhere. The loudness numbers exist only transiently in memory to drive the gain decision.
- Tab information (title, URL, favicon): Held in the extension's memory only while the popup is open or the service worker is active. Not persisted, not transmitted.
-
Settings: Stored locally via
chrome.storage.local. Never leave your device. -
Favicons: Before v1.1.0 the popup fetched
favicons from
google.com/s2/favicons, which exposed the domains of your open tabs to Google. This was removed in v1.1.0 — favicons now come from Chrome's local cache with zero network egress.
04What EqualLoud does not do
A short list, by design
- No analytics or usage tracking.
- No crash reporting that sends data off-device.
- No advertising or ad SDKs.
- No collection of personal information.
- No communication with any server. The extension has no backend.
- No sale or sharing of data with third parties.
05Children's privacy
EqualLoud does not knowingly collect any data from anyone, including children under 13. It is a general-purpose utility with no audience-targeting features.
06Changes to this policy
Material changes will be reflected in this file and noted in
CHANGELOG.md. The extension version (visible in the
popup footer) tracks the code this policy applies to.
07Source code & contact
EqualLoud is open source. You can audit every claim above at github.com/mzaxd/EqualLoud. Open an issue there for any privacy questions.