Broken Link & Image Checker
Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 7, 2026
The short version
The extension runs in your browser. There is no account, no analytics, no telemetry, and no server of ours anywhere in it. Nothing about the pages you scan is collected or transmitted to us, because there is nowhere for it to go.
Unlike a tool that only reads a page, this one does make network requests — that is what checking a link means. Those requests go directly from your browser to the site being checked, and never through us. The section below explains exactly what that involves, because it is the one thing about this tool worth understanding before you install it.
What it reads
When you scan, it reads the links and images on the page you are currently viewing — their addresses, link text, rel attributes, alt text, and whether each image actually loaded. This happens locally, and the results are shown to you.
It reads nothing until you ask it to, does not run in the background, and keeps no record of the pages you have visited.
The status check, in detail
Pressing Check status asks each link's own server whether that page still exists.
- The request goes directly from the extension in your browser to the exact destination URL. It starts with
HEAD(headers only) and may retry withGETwhen a server does not supportHEAD. - Status requests use no cookies or saved sign-in credentials. The destination site can still see the request itself, including your IP address and normal network metadata, just as it can for other traffic sent from your connection.
- Many sites refuse automated status requests. A refusal, timeout, or missing Chrome site access is reported as couldn't verify or no site access, never as broken.
- The extension deduplicates URLs, checks no more than six at once, stops each request after ten seconds, and never repeats checks on a timer or schedule.
- No request is ever sent to a server of ours. There isn't one.
Links it deliberately does not check
Affiliate and tracking links are skipped on purpose, and labelled not checked · tracked link.
The reason is worth stating plainly: loading a tracked link completes a real click on it. If you scan your own published page, checking those links would register clicks against your own affiliate account, inflating your click count and depressing the conversion rate your network reports. A tool meant to protect your pages must not quietly damage your numbers, so short links, redirect paths and links carrying tracking parameters are left alone. The bulk "open all" button excludes them for the same reason, and says so when it does.
Opening a single link yourself is always allowed — that is your choice, made one link at a time.
What is stored, and where
Your interface preferences live in Chrome's local extension storage: popup or side panel, selected highlight categories, Full page or Content only, optional per-site content boundaries, and whether Jump controls are shown. These settings stay on your device, are never transmitted to Desk Anvil, and are removed when you uninstall the extension.
Exports (CSV and Markdown) are written by your browser to your own downloads folder. They are not uploaded anywhere.
What we never do
- No analytics, tracking pixels, fingerprinting, or usage statistics
- No account, login, or email collection
- No selling, sharing, or transferring of data — there is no data to transfer
- No changes to your pages. The coloured outlines are a temporary view you switch on and off; nothing is edited or saved, and reloading the page removes every trace.
Permissions, and why each is needed
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
activeTab, scripting | Read the links and images on the page you choose to scan, locate findings, and apply or remove temporary outlines |
storage | Remember your interface, highlight, scan-area, content-boundary, and Jump-control preferences locally |
downloads | Save the CSV/Markdown exports you request |
contextMenus, keyboard command | Toggle the on-page outlines without opening the panel |
sidePanel | The side-panel interface |
Optional site access: <all_urls> | Check external link status only after you deliberately choose Any site in Settings. It is not required at install, and Check status never requests it. |
There are no required host permissions. Optional Any site access is controlled only from Settings and can be revoked there immediately. Without it, scanning and same-site checks still work; external links without access remain unverified. Granting it never allows tracked links through the separate safety guard.
Chrome Web Store Limited Use
The use of information received from Chrome APIs adheres to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Information from Chrome APIs and the current page is used only to provide the extension's prominently described page-inspection features. It is not transferred to Desk Anvil or others, used for advertising, or made available for humans to read.
Children
The extension is a tool for website owners and publishers, and is not directed at children.
Changes
Any change to this policy will be published on this page with a new date. A change affecting what data is handled will also appear in the extension's release notes.