How I built a privacy Chrome extension that collects YOUR data — for YOU (not for Big Tech)

How I built a privacy Chrome extension that collects YOUR data — for YOU

The frustration that started it all

Every time I searched on Google, watched YouTube,
or shopped on Amazon, I knew those companies were
collecting data about me.

But I couldn't see it. I couldn't control it.
I couldn't use it for myself.

That frustrated me. So I built My AI Curator.

What it does

My AI Curator is a Chrome extension that:

1. Collects YOUR browsing interests — locally
It watches what you search, watch, and shop for
across 20+ sites including Google, YouTube,
Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Apple Music,
Walmart, Reddit, and more.

But here's the key difference:
Everything stays in YOUR browser only.
No servers. No cloud. No third parties.

2. Blocks 100+ ad trackers automatically
Every page you visit, ad trackers try to
follow you. We block 100+ of them silently
in the background.

3. Smart Cookie Minimizer
Deletes tracking cookies (_ga, _fbp, IDE...)
while keeping your login cookies safe.
No unexpected logouts.

4. Auto-curates your Bluesky & Mastodon feed
Connect to my-curator.vercel.app and your
social feed auto-filters based on YOUR
real interests — not an algorithm's guess.

The technical stack

Chrome Extension: Manifest V3
Content scripts for each supported site
chrome.storage.local for all data
declarativeNetRequest for ad blocking
Vanilla JS — no frameworks
Web app: plain HTML/CSS/JS on Vercel

What I learned building this

1. Privacy is a feature, not a restriction
Users don't want to give up functionality
for privacy. They want both.
That's what we tried to build.

2. Manifest V3 is painful but necessary
Chrome's new extension standard limits
what extensions can do, but it also makes
extensions safer for users.

3. Data ownership is the next frontier
Everyone talks about privacy.
But few talk about actually OWNING your data
and using it for yourself.
That's the gap My AI Curator fills.

4. Non-developers can build real products
I have zero coding background.
I built this entirely with AI assistance.
If I can do it, anyone can.

What's next

React Native mobile app (iOS + Android)
Solid Pod integration for cross-device sync
Premium features for power users
Data marketplace where YOU control what to share and earn from

Try it

🌐 Web app: my-curator.vercel.app
📖 User Manual: my-curator.vercel.app/manual.html
💻 GitHub: github.com/etehero90-web/my-curator
🛒 Chrome Web Store: Search "My AI Curator"

Would love your feedback —
what privacy features are you missing
from other tools?