Privacy policy for InvestBeacon Stock Watchlist
Contents
Last updated: 27 October 2026
Product: InvestBeacon Stock Watchlist browser extension
Technical scope: version 1.1.0 and releases with the same data-handling practices
1. Operator and contact details
InvestBeacon Stock Watchlist (the "Extension") is provided by Athanasios Karantonis, a sole proprietor established in Greece, referred to as "InvestBeacon" in this policy. References to "we", "us" and "our" mean the same operator.
- Business address: Sigis 11, Thessaloniki, 55438, Greece.
- Privacy and support contact: compliance@investbeacon.eu.
- Website: investbeacon.eu.
- Operator information: Legal notice.
We are responsible for the Extension and for personal data handled by InvestBeacon as described in this policy. Scanning and watchlist storage take place on your device. Using these features does not send the data to us.
This policy covers the Extension's page scanning, company matching, watchlists, directory search, and JSON import/export features. Section 13 separately explains website visits and support correspondence. It does not replace the privacy policies of your browser provider, websites you visit, your email provider or other services you choose to use.
2. How the Extension uses data
Company recognition and watchlist management run on your device. The Extension does not transmit scanned page text, page titles, source URLs, match results or watchlists to InvestBeacon or to a remote recognition service.
- You click the toolbar icon to open the popup and start a scan. Rescan repeats it at your request.
- The matcher uses company names, ticker symbols and aliases packaged with the Extension. No online ticker lookup, AI service or market-data API is used for recognition.
- A scan does not automatically save detected companies. You choose the companies and press Save.
- Optional article links, titles and short excerpts are saved only when you enable "Save article link & excerpt" for the save operation. The option starts unchecked when a new popup opens.
- Watchlists are stored in the Extension's local browser storage. The Extension does not offer accounts, cloud watchlists or its own cross-device synchronization.
- The Extension contains no analytics, advertising identifiers, tracking pixels, remote crash reporting or telemetry.
Page text, URLs and excerpts may contain personal information. A watchlist can also reveal your interests. This policy therefore covers that information even though it remains on your device.
3. The bundled company directory
The installed Extension contains a static reference directory of 5,000 company entries, based on a ranking snapshot dated 24 October 2026, with company identifiers, names, representative tickers, country information, supported listing or share-class details and selected aliases. The reference directory covers companies globally; the separate limit of 1,000 saved entries applies to each local watchlist. It contains reference information about companies. It contains no user records, holdings or browsing histories.
The directory and matching scripts are loaded from the installed Extension package. An internal request for data/catalog.json reads that packaged file; it is not a request to a market-data provider or an InvestBeacon server.
Directory changes are delivered through software releases. Recognition does not download a fresh ranking, query a remote database, retrieve live prices or connect to a brokerage account. The directory reflects a particular date and has limited coverage. Matches may be incorrect or outdated, including the company identity or listing details. They do not establish exchange availability or investment suitability.
4. When a scan happens and what it can read
When you open the Extension using its toolbar icon, the popup automatically requests a scan of the active tab in the current browser window. The Rescan control can request another scan while the popup remains open, subject to the browser's access restrictions.
The Extension uses Chrome's temporary activeTab access and the scripting API to run a packaged text extractor in an isolated execution world. It does not install a continuously running scanner on every website, monitor tab changes in the background, or automatically scan each page you later visit.
The extractor prefers a main article or main-content region. If a suitable region is unavailable, it can fall back to relevant text in the page body. It attempts to exclude forms, input fields, editable areas, navigation, hidden elements, dialogs and other material outside the main content. Documents in design mode and whole-page editable roots are excluded.
The scan reads page text, including text that has already loaded below the visible area. It does not capture a screenshot. The extraction and matching input is capped at approximately 600,000 characters; oversized text may be shortened.
Only the top-level page is scanned. The Extension does not scan inaccessible iframe contents, perform OCR on images, read local files through file:// access, bypass paywalls or browser protections, or support the browser's built-in PDF viewer. It may be unable to read closed shadow-root content or other inaccessible content.
These extraction rules do not identify or remove all sensitive information. If you invoke it on a signed-in page, private message, confidential document or account page, ordinary rendered text could contain private information even though form fields are excluded. Use the scanner only on pages whose text you intend the Extension to process.
5. Data handled during ordinary use
| Data | Why it is handled | Where and how long |
|---|---|---|
| Rendered page text | Identify company names, tickers and context | Processed locally in working memory. Full extracted text is not intentionally written to persistent Extension storage. |
| Active tab identifier and page URL | Select the page to scan and display its source | Used locally for the current scan. A sanitized source URL is saved only with the optional source feature or accepted through import. |
| Page title and source domain | Identify the scanned page in the popup | Displayed locally; the title is saved only with optional source information or through import. |
| Candidate companies, matched words, context excerpts, match counts and review status | Explain results and let you choose what to save | Held locally for the popup/session. Only the saved fields described in section 6 enter the persistent watchlist. |
| Directory and watchlist search text | Filter the packaged directory or your local watchlist | Used locally in the open popup. Search queries are not sent to us or retained as a search history by the Extension. |
| Save, remove, selection and share-class choices | Carry out the watchlist actions you request | Reflected in local watchlist entries as described below. No interaction analytics or event log is sent to us. |
| A JSON file you explicitly select | Restore compatible watchlist entries | Read locally, validated and merged into local storage. The selected file is not uploaded. |
Temporary working-memory data may remain until the popup, operation or browser releases the relevant memory. The Extension does not immediately overwrite released memory or control copies that may exist in browser or operating-system diagnostic records.
6. Saved watchlist fields
When you save a company, the Extension can store these fields in chrome.storage.local:
id: the company's identifier in the bundled directory.name: the company's display name.ticker: its representative ticker from the directory.country: the country associated with the company entry, not your location or country of residence.security: the supported listing or share-class symbol selected for that company, or its default symbol.addedAt: the saved-entry date, normally created when first added; a valid date can be preserved from an imported entry.sourceUrl,sourceTitleandsnippet: optional article information, or empty strings when no such information is retained.
The watchlist is limited to 1,000 company entries. Entries with the same company identifier are merged; repeated mentions do not create separate browsing records. A later addition or import can preserve the earlier saved date or source information. The watchlist does not record every page you scan.
Saving a company records your selection. The Extension does not ask for the number of shares you own, purchase prices, portfolio values, balances, transactions, income, payment-card details or brokerage credentials. It does not confirm that you actually hold any security.
7. Optional article links and excerpts
"Save article link & excerpt" is unchecked when a new popup opens. If you check it and press Save, the Extension may retain the scanned page's URL, title and a short excerpt associated with the selected company's match. The choice applies to saves in that popup until you change it or close the popup.
Source titles are limited to 300 characters and saved snippets to 400 characters. Only valid HTTP or HTTPS source links within the accepted length limits are retained; the stored URL is limited to 2,000 characters.
Before retaining a source URL, the Extension removes:
- URL query parameters, such as
?token=...; - fragments, such as
#section; - embedded URL usernames and passwords.
A saved source may still identify a person, account, private document, topic or organisation through its domain, URL path, title or excerpt. The Extension does not redact all personal data, secrets or sensitive context from titles, paths or snippets.
Unchecking the option affects a subsequent save; it does not erase information already saved or imported. An import can include source information regardless of the checkbox's current state. To discard an entry's existing source information, remove that company from the watchlist and add it again through the company directory without source information. To discard all saved entries, use Clear watchlist.
8. Importing and exporting backups
Import
Import opens a dedicated Extension management page. You choose a JSON file through the browser's file picker. The Extension reads the selected file locally, checks the expected schema and maximum entry count, accepts recognised company identifiers and normalises supported fields.
Files above the current limit of 10 MiB are refused. The file picker grants access to the file you select. The Extension does not enumerate other files, read an entire Downloads folder or upload the selected file to us.
Accepted entries are merged with the watchlist. Compatible source links, titles, snippets and dates in the imported file can be retained. Unrecognised company identifiers and unsupported fields are not added to the watchlist. Importing does not delete or modify the original file on disk.
Export
Export creates an investbeacon-watchlist.json file containing a schema version, export timestamp and the current saved watchlist, including any retained source information. Export does not send a backup to InvestBeacon or another cloud destination.
The exported file is not encrypted or password-protected by the Extension. Anyone who can access it may be able to read its contents. Your browser may record the download in its own download history; the Extension does not read that history. Other software may back up or synchronize the destination folder, depending on your settings.
Removing companies, clearing the watchlist or uninstalling the Extension does not delete previously exported files, copies, email attachments or backups. You must manage those separately. If you share a backup, you determine its recipients and should check it for private source information first.
9. Browser permissions and local storage
The Extension requests only the following permissions:
| Permission | Purpose | What it does not mean |
|---|---|---|
activeTab | Temporary access to the active page after your toolbar invocation | No persistent permission to read all websites, other tabs or Chrome's history database |
scripting | Run the bundled extractor in the selected page's isolated world | No remote script execution, advertising injection or ongoing page-content modification |
storage | Keep your selected watchlist and optional saved sources in the Extension's local storage | No InvestBeacon account, backend database or use of chrome.storage.sync |
Watchlist storage belongs to the Extension's browser-profile context. The current build uses chrome.storage.local, not chrome.storage.sync, website cookies or a remote database. It requests trusted-context-only access to local Extension storage where supported by the browser. It does not provide ordinary websites with an interface to read your watchlist.
The Extension does not request browser history, cookies, geolocation, microphone, camera, screen capture, clipboard-reading, password-manager or native-messaging permissions. It does not connect to a trading account or execute orders. Absence of those permissions does not prevent ordinary page text from containing private information if you choose to scan it.
10. Analytics, advertising and AI services
The current Extension does not:
- create or transmit an InvestBeacon user account, advertising ID, tracking ID or device fingerprint;
- send page text, source links, watchlists or search terms to an AI model, language-model provider, cloud processor or market-data API;
- send usage events, performance measurements, browser/device inventories, error reports or crash reports to InvestBeacon;
- run advertising, affiliate-link rewriting, broker redirects or promotional tracking inside scanned pages;
- build server-side profiles of your reading or investment interests;
- use your information to train an AI model, target advertisements, determine creditworthiness or make lending decisions;
- sell, rent, license or disclose your Extension activity to data brokers, advertisers or affiliate partners.
The Extension's internal matching and timing calculations support what you see in the popup. They are not remotely reported. Public reference data packaged with the software is distinct from your own watchlist or reading activity.
11. Recipients, human access and limited use
InvestBeacon does not receive page content or watchlists during ordinary Extension use. We have no cloud processor for that content and no interface through which staff can remotely view, restore or delete your watchlist.
If you send us a backup, screenshot or other material for support, we handle it as explained in section 13. The Extension does not retrieve or send support material automatically. You should share only what is necessary and remove irrelevant personal or confidential information.
InvestBeacon's use of information received through Chrome APIs adheres to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements. Extension data is used only for the disclosed company-recognition and local-watchlist features you request. It is not sold, used for personalised advertisements, transferred for unrelated purposes or used to determine creditworthiness or lending eligibility.
We can respond to a legally binding disclosure request only with information we hold, such as correspondence you have sent us, and only to the extent required by law. Such a request does not give us access to your locally stored watchlist or scan data.
12. Browser services, software updates and links
The local processing described in this policy applies to the Extension's recognition and watchlist features. Your browser and computer can make internet connections independently of those features.
Your browser or extension store may independently process installation, update, security, diagnostic or store-account information under its own terms and privacy policy. Store reviews or support communications you post publicly may also be visible to others. Those services operate independently. The Extension does not upload your watchlist to them.
Opening a saved article link navigates to its website. The "Visit InvestBeacon" link in the popup opens https://investbeacon.eu/ in a new browser tab only when you click it. This is a direct website link without affiliate codes, tracking parameters or an Extension click-reporting request. No watchlist, scan text, company selection or search query is attached to it. A destination may receive normal connection information and process cookies or analytics under its own policies. The Extension uses noopener noreferrer on its saved-article and InvestBeacon website links and does not append watchlist data, a new tracking identifier or a company selection to those links.
Chrome and other browsers may update an installed extension automatically according to their settings. Updates may contain a revised bundled directory or software code. This does not involve sending your saved watchlist to us for matching. Changes to data handling will be described in the applicable release notices and policy updates.
13. Website visits and support correspondence
Visiting investbeacon.eu
When you visit this policy page or another InvestBeacon page, the website's hosting and delivery services process ordinary connection information. The website has its own data-handling practices, separate from the Extension. Website cookies, consent settings, consent-based analytics and any website affiliate features are governed by the separate InvestBeacon website Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.
Hosting this policy on investbeacon.eu does not give the website access to Extension scan text or watchlists. The Extension does not automatically open this hosted page on each scan or embed website analytics in the popup. A visit to the policy page does not require installation of the Extension or provision of a watchlist.
Contacting us
If you email compliance@investbeacon.eu, we receive your email address, message content, ordinary email metadata and any files you choose to attach. We use that information to respond to your request, troubleshoot a problem you report, handle a privacy request or comply with applicable obligations. Email delivery and storage providers handle that correspondence as necessary to deliver those services.
Contacting support does not subscribe you to marketing. You can contact us without providing your full browsing history or watchlist. Closed correspondence is normally kept for 24 months, consistent with our published website policy, unless a longer applicable legal obligation or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims requires it.
14. Retention and deletion
| Category | Retention and deletion |
|---|---|
| Full extracted page text | Used transiently for local matching, not intentionally persisted as a full article by the Extension; memory is released through the browser's normal lifecycle |
| Unsaved results, snippets, selections and search input | Maintained for the popup or operation; replaced/reset as the interface is used or closed, subject to normal browser memory management |
| Saved company entries and optional source information | Kept locally until removed, cleared, the relevant Extension/profile storage is deleted, or the browser removes it on uninstall; no automatic age-based expiry |
| Imported source file | Retained wherever you keep the original file; importing does not delete it |
| Exported backups and your copies | Retained until you delete them from their respective locations |
| Support and privacy correspondence actually received by InvestBeacon | Normally 24 months after closure, subject to the legal exceptions in section 13 |
| Website visits and website-level records | Governed by the separate website Privacy and Cookie Policies |
Use the watchlist's remove control for one company or Clear watchlist for all saved companies. Directory search can add companies without article sources. Disabling the Extension stops its normal operation but does not by itself erase saved entries. Uninstalling normally causes Chrome to remove its local Extension storage; browser-profile backups and exported files remain separate.
Clearing ordinary web browsing history or cache is not a reliable way to erase chrome.storage.local. If you want to remove your watchlist, use its own controls or the browser's Extension/profile storage controls. Browser restores, device backups, enterprise tools or filesystem recovery may retain copies outside the Extension's control. The removal controls do not guarantee irreversible physical erasure from storage media.
15. Purposes and legal grounds
To the extent the GDPR applies to personal-data processing for which InvestBeacon is responsible, the grounds used are:
| Processing | Purpose and legal basis |
|---|---|
| User-invoked scanning, local matching, directory search, selected-company storage and requested import/export | Provide the software features you request; Article 6(1)(b), where necessary to provide that service |
| Optional retention of new article links, titles and excerpts through the source checkbox | Your affirmative, specific choice; Article 6(1)(a). You can stop further optional retention by leaving it unchecked and remove earlier entries as described above |
| Responding to a product-support request | Article 6(1)(b) where necessary to provide the requested support, or Article 6(1)(f) for our legitimate interest in answering enquiries and maintaining a reliable service |
| Handling a statutory privacy request or another binding legal obligation | Article 6(1)(c), where required by applicable law |
| Limited retention of correspondence for necessary security investigations or legal claims | Article 6(1)(f), following consideration of necessity and your interests and rights, or Article 6(1)(c) where retention is legally required |
These legal grounds apply only to the processing described in this policy. They do not permit unrelated tracking or remote collection, including analytics, advertising or server-side scan logs.
You can use the ordinary local features without sending personal data to InvestBeacon. Scanning and saving require your actions as described above. You can save companies without their article sources by leaving the source checkbox unchecked. If you contact us for individual support, we need the contact details and information necessary to answer your request.
16. International transfers
The Extension does not transmit locally processed page text or watchlists to InvestBeacon, so its local recognition feature does not initiate a transfer of those records to a country outside the EEA.
This statement does not cover services you separately choose, including browser/store services, email, cloud-synchronized folders, or a website you open. Website visits and support correspondence may involve providers in other countries. For InvestBeacon website or correspondence processing, the applicable transfer information and safeguards are described in our website Privacy Policy; you may contact compliance@investbeacon.eu for details of the relevant recipients and safeguards. The location of data held by your browser provider, backup service or other chosen providers depends on those services.
17. Your data-protection rights
Where applicable, you may request access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing and portability, and object to processing based on legitimate interests. Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing. These rights apply subject to their conditions and exceptions under applicable law.
You can view your local watchlist in the Extension, remove entries, clear it or export it in machine-readable JSON format. You can correct an entry's optional source information by removing it and saving it again or by importing a compatible corrected backup. Company identity fields supplied by the packaged directory cannot be freely edited in the interface.
We cannot remotely retrieve or erase your local watchlist because we do not hold a copy of it. If your request concerns that information, we will explain the controls available on your device. We will not require you to create an account or send unnecessary data to identify yourself. You retain your rights over information we hold, including support correspondence.
Send requests to compliance@investbeacon.eu. Where reasonably necessary, we may seek proportionate information to verify a requester's identity. We normally respond within one month; if the law permits an extension because of complexity or number of requests, we will explain it within the initial month.
You may lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority, in particular in the EEA country of your habitual residence, place of work or the alleged infringement. Our operator is established in Greece; information about complaints to the Hellenic Data Protection Authority is available at dpa.gr. You may contact a supervisory authority whether or not you have contacted us first, subject to its applicable complaint procedure.
18. Security and the limits of local storage
The Extension minimises requested permissions, packages its scripts and reference directory locally, uses an isolated extraction world, restricts script/connection sources through its content security policy, validates imported records and displays dynamic content as text. Watchlist mutations are restricted to expected Extension pages. These measures reduce security risks but cannot eliminate them.
The Extension does not add its own encryption or password protection to chrome.storage.local or exported JSON files. Browser-profile access controls and any operating-system, disk or backup encryption depend on your environment. This storage is not suitable for passwords, credentials or other secrets.
A person or program with sufficient access to your unlocked device, browser profile, exports or backups may be able to read or alter saved information. Keep your browser and operating system updated, secure your device and profile, and avoid saving sensitive source material. The Extension cannot protect stored information against a compromised device, browser vulnerability or software with sufficient access to your profile.
19. Incognito, shared devices and managed browsers
The Extension does not enable itself in incognito/private mode. If you explicitly allow it there, the same local processing and saving rules apply, subject to browser restrictions. Chrome's local Extension storage can be shared between regular and incognito contexts. An entry saved in incognito may appear in your regular watchlist and remain after you close the private window.
Anyone using the same accessible browser profile may be able to open the watchlist. The Extension has no separate InvestBeacon login or password to restrict access within that profile. Employers or administrators may control browser access, software, backups and device monitoring under policies outside our control; the Extension does not bypass their restrictions.
20. Children and automated decisions
The Extension is an investing-research tool intended for adults. It is not directed at children. It does not create child accounts, verify ages or build children's advertising profiles. If a child uses it, the same local-processing design applies; the absence of an account does not constitute age verification.
The Extension is a tool for creating and maintaining a watchlist. It lets you capture a company you encounter while reading and keep it for later reference or research. Saving an entry records your choice; it does not establish that the company is suitable for you or that you should invest in it.
Neither InvestBeacon nor Athanasios Karantonis recommends, endorses or encourages an investment in any company because it is detected, displayed or saved through the Extension. A match, preselected checkbox, review badge or entry in the bundled directory is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. Match labels and preselection concern text-recognition confidence, not investment quality. The order in which companies appear does not constitute an investment ranking.
Company matching is automated text analysis. The Extension does not assess your financial circumstances, objectives or risk tolerance, provide personalised investment advice or live price quotes, execute trades or assess creditworthiness. It makes no decisions about you that have legal or similarly significant effects. You decide which companies to save and whether to investigate them further. Any investment decision is separate from the watchlist feature.
21. Changes to this policy
We will update this policy and its date when the described practices materially change. A future addition of remote processing, telemetry, accounts or synchronization would require an updated description and any disclosures, permissions or consent required before that new processing begins. This policy does not grant advance consent to such changes, and continued use alone is not treated as consent where a separate affirmative choice is legally required.
This policy describes the version and controls identified above. If you stop using or uninstall the Extension, exported files and backups must still be managed separately.
22. Contact
For questions about this policy, the Extension's local data handling, or a data-protection request:
InvestBeacon
Athanasios Karantonis, sole proprietor
Sigis 11, Thessaloniki, 55438, Greece
compliance@investbeacon.eu