Privacy policy

At a glance

• Laters has no application backend, advertising or analytics.
• The Laters maintainer cannot see your reading list.
• Saved article details are stored locally on your device.
• Publisher favicons are requested directly from those publishers.
• The optional Google Drive sync stores your reading list in private application data.
• Import reads a local CSV file only after you choose it and confirm the review.
• Export creates a CSV file only when you choose it.
• Laters does not sell personal information.

Data stored on your device

Laters stores each article’s web address, title, local identifier, saved time, bookmark state and any title-edit marker in your browser’s IndexedDB database. A successful Google Drive connection time is stored separately in local browser storage. The short-lived Google access token is held only in memory while the page is open; it is not written to persistent browser storage. A System, Light or Dark appearance choice is stored locally in that browser and is not synced. Pending add, edit, restore and deletion records are stored in IndexedDB until Drive confirms them. The service worker and browser may also cache Laters application files and publisher favicons so the app can load efficiently and work offline.

Laters itself does not set cookies. It can read clipboard text only after you deliberately choose Paste a link. That text is processed locally.

Importing your data

When you choose Import CSV, Laters reads the local file selected through your browser or operating system. It checks article web addresses, titles, saved times and recognised bookmark or title-state tags, then shows a review before saving anything. The file is limited to 1,000 article rows and 10 MB.

Laters does not upload the CSV file or tell the maintainer what it contains. Confirmed new articles are stored locally. If Google Drive is connected, Laters first refreshes its private application data for duplicate checking and then syncs the imported articles as ordinary additions; the CSV file itself is never sent to Google Drive. Cancelling or an invalid file creates no articles or pending changes from that file. A connected Drive refresh may still apply existing changes made on another device.

Exporting your data

When you choose Download CSV from the menu, Laters reads the resolved reading list stored on that device and creates a CSV file containing article web addresses, titles, saved times and namespaced tags for bookmark and title-edit state. It does not include Google credentials, account information, connection history, local article identifiers, pending sync records or Drive housekeeping data.

The browser starts a local download and chooses its normal download location. Laters does not upload the export, send it to Google Drive or tell the maintainer what it contains.

Network requests

Laters is delivered through GitHub Pages. GitHub and the network services involved in delivering the site may receive standard request information such as an IP address, request time, requested path and browser details.

For each saved article, Laters attempts to load the conventional /favicon.ico file directly from that article’s publisher. The publisher can therefore receive the device’s IP address, request time and normal browser request details. Laters does not send the reading list to a central favicon service. Opening an article or sharing it through the system chooser happens only when you choose to do so.

Optional Google Drive connection

Google’s identity script is requested only after you choose Connect Google Drive. Google then handles account selection and permission. Laters requests only the non-sensitive drive.appdata permission, which lets it work with its own hidden application-data folder. Laters does not request your Google profile, email address or access to ordinary Drive files.

Laters creates or updates a hidden laters-connection.json connection record containing a schema version and connection time. It also uses a hidden laters-reading-list.json file containing a schema version, update time and the complete reading list: article web addresses, titles, local identifiers, saved times, bookmark states and title-edit markers. Each later change is stored as a separate hidden laters-operation-*.json file containing an operation identifier and time plus either the changed article details or the identifier of a deleted article.

If no Drive reading list exists at first connection, Laters uploads the list from that browser. Connected devices then combine additions and apply edits, restorations and deletion records over that base list. Laters checks Drive when it opens, returns to the foreground or comes online, and every 20 seconds while it is visible. A deletion record prevents an older copy from restoring the deleted article. Once 100 change records have accumulated, Laters folds them into a new reading-list checkpoint. A later successful check adopts that checkpoint before deleting only the records it covers. Interrupted cleanup is retried without blocking sync.

The short-lived Google access token remains only in page memory until the expiry time Google supplies, with a one-minute safety margin. It is discarded on reload, full close, disconnect, expiry or rejection. Local changes remain queued until you choose Resume Google Drive. Laters does not receive a refresh token and has no server-side access.

Google processes the authorisation and Drive requests under its own privacy terms. Laters’ use of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.

Your controls and deletion

• Delete an article to remove it locally. If Drive cannot be reached, its deletion record remains queued on that device until Google Drive sync resumes.
• Clear Laters’ site data in your browser to remove its local database and preferences.
• Use Disconnect while connected to stop sync in that browser and ask Google to revoke the active permission. You can also revoke Laters’ access from your Google Account permissions.
• Delete all Laters hidden connection, reading-list and operation files through Google Drive’s Settings under Manage apps and Delete hidden app data.

Revoking Google access prevents later connection attempts but may not itself delete the existing hidden data. The Laters maintainer cannot see or delete data held in your browser or private Google Drive.

Disclosure and sale

Laters does not sell personal information or share a reading list with the maintainer. Information reaches third parties only through the hosting, publisher and Google requests described above, or when you deliberately open or share an article or send an export to a chosen destination.

Security

Laters is served over HTTPS and keeps reading-list data on the device and, only when you connect it, in private Google Drive application data. Protecting that data also depends on the security of your device, browser and Google Account. No internet or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Changes and contact

This policy will be updated if Laters changes what it collects, stores or sends. The effective date at the top will change at the same time.

For privacy, sign-in or authorisation questions, email hello@dustyb.in.