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Overview

AmbientMeta Privacy Guard is a Chrome extension that automatically detects PII as you type into LLM chat interfaces. It works on: The extension highlights detected entities inline and lets you sanitize text with one click before sending it to the LLM.

How It Works

  1. Real-time scanning — As you type in a chat input, the extension calls the AmbientMeta API to detect PII entities in your text.
  2. Inline highlighting — Detected entities (names, emails, phone numbers, etc.) are highlighted directly in the input field.
  3. One-click sanitize — Click the sanitize button to replace all detected PII with safe placeholders before sending your message.
All detection runs through the AmbientMeta backend API (POST /v1/sanitize), so detection quality is identical to the API and every scan feeds the learning flywheel.

Authentication

The extension supports two modes:

Signed Out (Free)

  • Uses a shared extension key
  • Limited to 50 sanitizations per day (detection/highlighting is unlimited)
  • No account required

Signed In (Google)

  • Sign in with Google via the extension popup
  • The extension authenticates using POST /v1/auth/google-extension
  • An API key is automatically provisioned for your account
  • Unlimited sanitizations on paid plans

Daily Limits

ModeDetection (highlighting)Sanitization
Signed outUnlimited50/day
Signed in (free plan)Unlimited50/day (server-enforced)
Signed in (Pro)UnlimitedUnlimited
Signed in (Pro Plus)UnlimitedUnlimited
Detection calls (for inline highlighting) do not count toward the daily limit. Only full sanitization requests are counted.

Configuration

The extension scans for these entity types by default:
  • PERSON — Names
  • EMAIL_ADDRESS — Email addresses
  • PHONE_NUMBER — Phone numbers
  • SSN — Social Security Numbers
  • CREDIT_CARD — Credit card numbers
  • LOCATION — Places and cities
  • ADDRESS — Physical addresses

Technical Details

  • Manifest V3 Chrome extension
  • Detection debounced at 1.5 seconds after typing stops
  • Minimum 10 characters before scanning triggers
  • All API calls go through the background service worker
  • Credentials stored in chrome.storage.local

Installation

The extension is available from the Chrome Web Store. After installing:
  1. Click the AmbientMeta icon in your toolbar
  2. (Optional) Sign in with Google for higher limits
  3. Navigate to ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
  4. Start typing — PII will be highlighted automatically