1. Overview & Privacy Commitment
Welcome to Message Folders ("we", "us", or "our"), accessible via our website at https://messagefolders.com and our Google Chrome Web Store extension.
We created Message Folders to solve conversation chaos on Facebook Messenger, Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Skool. Because your inboxes contain confidential personal and business communications, we built Message Folders from day one with a strict privacy-by-design architecture:
Our Core Privacy Principle
Message Folders operates as a client-side user interface productivity tool. All folder management, filtering, tagging, and triaging happens entirely inside your browser. Your private communications never touch our servers.
This Privacy Policy explains what information is stored, how permissions are utilized, how billing information is processed, and what rights you have regarding your data.
2. Information We DO NOT Collect
To be completely explicit, Message Folders never accesses, reads, collects, transmits, sells, or monetizes:
- Message Contents: We never read your chat messages, sent/received texts, voice memos, attachments, or media files.
- Social Media Credentials: We never collect, see, or request your passwords, login credentials, two-factor codes, or authentication tokens for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Skool.
- Personal Contact Information: We do not harvest names, phone numbers, email addresses, or friend lists from your connected social accounts.
- Browsing History: The extension only activates on the specific messaging domains listed in our manifest and does not observe your browsing on any other websites.
- Keystrokes: We do not log what you type or capture keyboard inputs.
3. Information We Store & How It Is Used
To provide custom folder categorization, Message Folders stores lightweight configuration data in your
browser's
local storage using the standard chrome.storage.local API.
A. Extension Configuration Data (Local to Your Browser)
The extension stores only the structural metadata needed to render your folders:
- Folder Metadata: Folder ID (e.g.
folder_clients), custom folder label (e.g. "Clients"), custom color hex code, and display order. - Conversation Thread IDs: Opaque, platform-generated thread IDs (such as Facebook Messenger thread IDs or Instagram conversation identifiers) mapped to your chosen folder IDs. No message content is associated with these IDs.
- Folder Running Tallies: Numeric counts of conversations tagged in each folder, used to display item counts and optimize DOM triaging.
- UI Preferences: State toggles such as triaging on/off and your chosen Free Plan platform.
Data Isolation
This information is stored directly on your computer's local hard drive within your Google Chrome user profile. It is not transmitted to any server owned or operated by Message Folders.
B. Website Analytics & Server Logs (Landing Page)
When you visit our marketing website (messagefolders.com), our hosting infrastructure (Firebase Hosting / Google Cloud) may log standard technical connection details such as IP address, user-agent string, and requested URL for security and DDoS prevention. We do not use intrusive third-party cross-site advertising trackers.
4. Chrome Extension Permissions Explained
Google Chrome requires extensions to declare specific permissions in their manifest.json.
Here is an honest and transparent breakdown of every permission Message Folders requests and why:
| Permission | Type | Why It Is Needed |
|---|---|---|
storage |
API Permission | Enables the extension to save your custom folders, colors, and assigned thread IDs locally on your
machine via chrome.storage.local. |
https://extensionpay.com/* |
Host Permission | Allows the extension to communicate securely with ExtensionPay's licensing server to verify if you have an active Pro subscription or lifetime license. |
messenger.com/*facebook.com/* |
Content Script Match | Allows the extension to inject the collapsible folder bar above your Messenger and Marketplace conversation lists and filter conversation threads. |
instagram.com/* |
Content Script Match | Enables folder grouping, folder badges, and filtering inside the Instagram Direct Messages web view. |
linkedin.com/* |
Content Script Match | Enables folder categorization and tag dropdowns inside the LinkedIn Messaging web interface. |
skool.com/* |
Content Script Match | Enables custom folder categorization and filtering within the Skool direct chat interface. |
5. Payments & ExtensionPay
We offer both a Free Tier (1 platform of your choice, up to 3 folders) and a Pro Tier (all platforms, unlimited folders).
Pro purchases are securely processed through ExtensionPay (extensionpay.com), which is built on top of Stripe (one of the world's leading, PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant payment gateways).
- No Credit Card Storage: Message Folders never sees, stores, or transmits your credit card numbers, CVVs, or bank account details. All transactions are handled directly through Stripe's encrypted payment fields.
- Licensing Verification: ExtensionPay assigns an anonymous user identifier to verify whether your account has an active paid subscription or lifetime license. ExtensionPay may store your email address to manage your receipt delivery and customer billing portal.
- For more details on how payment data is handled, please consult the Stripe Privacy Policy and ExtensionPay Terms.
6. Third-Party Platforms & Independent Disclaimer
Message Folders enhances the web user interface of third-party services:
- Facebook & Messenger (Meta Platforms, Inc.)
- Instagram (Meta Platforms, Inc.)
- LinkedIn (LinkedIn Corporation / Microsoft)
- Skool (Skool, Inc.)
Independent Software Notice
Message Folders is an independent software application and is not affiliated with, authorized, maintained, sponsored, or endorsed by Meta Platforms, Inc., LinkedIn Corporation, Skool, Inc., or any of their affiliates. All product and company names are the registered trademarks of their respective holders.
7. Data Retention & Portability
Because your folder data is stored in your browser's local storage:
- Data Retention: Your folder configurations and conversation assignments remain on your device for as long as you keep the extension installed, or until you clear your browser cache/storage.
- Built-In Backup & Portability: You can export all your folders, color assignments, and thread mappings into a portable JSON backup file at any time via the extension popup's "Backup & Restore" feature. You can also import this file onto another computer.
- Immediate Data Deletion: You can delete all your stored data at any time by clicking "Reset" in the extension popup or by right-clicking the Message Folders extension icon in Chrome and selecting "Remove from Chrome". Removing the extension immediately wipes all local storage data.
8. Security Architecture
We take security very seriously. Message Folders implements modern security best practices:
- Manifest V3 Compliance: Built strictly according to Google Chrome's Manifest V3 specifications, prohibiting the execution of arbitrary remote code strings.
- Zero Remote Message Processing: By keeping all tagging and sorting local to your browser, your private messages are never exposed to transmission interceptions, server leaks, or external data breaches.
- Encrypted Connections: Any communication with ExtensionPay and Stripe occurs exclusively over HTTPS/TLS 1.3 encrypted channels.
9. Your Privacy Rights (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, CalOPPA)
Depending on your jurisdiction (such as the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or California), you may have statutory rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to Know / Access: You have the right to know what data is stored. All your extension data is openly inspectable in plain JSON format via the popup export tool.
- Right to Erasure / Deletion: You can purge all data at any moment simply by resetting the extension or uninstalling it from Chrome.
- Right to Portability: You can export your configurations into machine-readable JSON format with one click.
- Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We never sell, rent, or trade your personal information or data to data brokers or third parties.
10. Children's Privacy
Message Folders is designed for professionals, creators, and general consumers. It is not intended for or directed at children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in certain jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices, new features, or evolving legal requirements. When updates are published, the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will be revised accordingly. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
12. Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact our privacy and support team: