Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

Summary: Neither the browser extension nor the Windows application collect, store or transmit personal data to us or third parties. There are no analytics/tracking tools and no cookies for this purpose. Exceptions: both periodically fetch a public, anonymous domain list from our server (see section 4 and 5); if you voluntarily use our support form or set a trusted contact, we process the data entered there exclusively to handle your request or send the notification (see section 3 and 5).

1. Data controller

Responsible under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:

As a free, non-commercial project without advertising or paid offerings, no postal address is required for this under GDPR Art. 13 - a name and a reachable email address are sufficient as contact details. A legal notice ("Impressum") with a summonable address would only be required for a commercial offering (e.g. with advertising or paid features).

2. This website

This website is a purely static information page without forms, login or user accounts. No cookies are set and no analytics or tracking services (e.g. Google Analytics) are embedded.

When you visit the site, the respective hosting provider technically processes server log files (e.g. IP address, date/time of access, page requested, browser used) for technical reasons. This is necessary for the technical operation and security of the website (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) and is outside our control, as it is standard web server functionality. These log files are not combined with other data and not used to evaluate individual persons.

The download files (browser extension as ZIP, Windows app as MSI) are provided as plain file transfers; it is not recorded who downloads a file.

3. Support form

If you create a ticket via our support form, we process the data you voluntarily enter (email address, selected reason, optionally an affected URL, your description) to process your request and reply to you. The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (fulfilling a request you make to us).

When submitted, two emails are sent: a notification to our support mailbox (support@gambling-blocker.de) and an automatic confirmation to the address you provided. Your data is used exclusively to process your request, is not passed on to third parties and is not used for advertising purposes. Transmission takes place directly from this website's server (no external form service).

A hidden "honeypot" field in the form serves solely as spam protection (automated bots often fill it in, real users don't see it) and is not evaluated or stored.

4. Browser extension

All extension settings (password hash, lock mode, custom/automatically detected blocked domains) are stored exclusively locally in the browser (chrome.storage.local). This data never leaves your device, is never transmitted to any server and is not accessible to anyone but you. A password you set is never stored in plain text, only as a salted hash (PBKDF2/SHA-256).

The extension requires the following permissions, exclusively for its core function:

• Access to all websites / tabs / navigation: to detect domains when visited and redirect to the block page if needed.
• declarativeNetRequest: to intercept requests to blocked domains at the network level.
• storage: to store your settings locally.
• notifications: to inform you when a new site has been automatically detected and blocked.

None of these permissions are used to collect or transmit browsing history, form input or other content.

The extension also periodically (every few hours) fetches a current list of known gambling domains from our server (gambling-blocker.de/domains.json) so new providers are detected even without an extension update. No personal data is transmitted in the process - it's a simple, anonymous request for a public file. If the request fails (e.g. no internet connection), the last known or built-in list simply continues to be used.

If you voluntarily set an email address as a trusted contact in the extension's settings, that address is transmitted to our server so we can send a notification on your behalf whenever a blocked site is accessed (max. 1 email per site every 5 minutes, sent via the same mechanism as the support form, see section 3). This address is used exclusively for this purpose and is not passed on to third parties.

5. Windows application

The Windows app stores its configuration (password hash, lock mode, blocked domains) locally in %ProgramData%\GamblingBlocker. There is no telemetry and no automatic error reporting to us. The local web server included in the app (127.0.0.1) is only reachable on your own device and serves only to display the block page.

The Windows app likewise periodically fetches the same public domain list as well as information about the currently available app version from our server. If a newer version is available, the app installs it automatically in the background without any action on your part. No personal data is transmitted in the process.

If you voluntarily set an email address as a trusted contact, that address is transmitted to our server so we can send a notification on the app's behalf whenever the permanent lock is activated, an uninstall attempt is detected, or a blocked site is accessed (max. 1 email per site every 5 minutes, sent via the same mechanism as the support form, see section 3). This address is used exclusively for this purpose and is not passed on to third parties.

So that a blocked site shows a real block page over HTTPS too, instead of just the browser's connection-error screen, the app installs its own locally generated root certificate authority ("Gambling-Blocker Local Block CA") into your device's Windows certificate store the first time it runs. This is used exclusively so the local block-page server (reachable only at 127.0.0.1 on your own device) can issue a valid certificate for each blocked domain; other websites are not affected. This certificate authority is automatically removed again when the app is uninstalled with authorization.

6. Linked external help services

On the block page and this website we link to independent, free counselling services (among others GamCare, National Council on Problem Gambling). These are independent third-party offerings with their own privacy policies; we have no influence over their data processing. Please check directly with these providers if needed.

7. Your rights

Under Art. 15-21 GDPR you have the usual data subject rights (access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, data portability). Since we generally do not permanently store personal data from you outside of a support request, these rights are in most cases moot for lack of stored data. Regarding a request made via the support form, you can request access, rectification or deletion at any time - simply contact us using the contact address given above. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.

8. Changes to this policy

This privacy policy may be updated if the website, extension or app is extended with features that would require data processing. The version published on this page at any given time applies.