SearchSensei: Featuring Sensitivity-Based Search Customization and Data Minimization Alerts

SearchSensei is a Chrome extension that helps you protect sensitive information in your search queries. It provides options to customize your search input to limit data sharing and alerts you to unnecessary data collection practices.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed:

1. Node.js: Required to run npm commands.
   • Download and install Node.js.
2. Git: Required to clone the repository.
   • Download and install Git.
3. Visual Studio Code (VS Code): Recommended for editing and managing the project.
   • Download and install VS Code.

Getting Started

Step 1: Clone the Repository Using VS Code

You can use Visual Studio Code to clone the repository easily.

1. Open VS Code.
2. Open the Command Palette:
   • On Windows/Linux: Press Ctrl+Shift+P.
   • On macOS: Press Cmd+Shift+P.
3. Run "Git: Clone" Command:
   • In the Command Palette, type Git: Clone and select it.
4. Enter Repository URL:
   • When prompted, paste the repository URL:

     https://github.com/mfarhadhossain/SearchSensei.git

5. Select Local Folder:
   • Choose the local directory where you want to clone the repository.
6. Open the Cloned Repository:
   • When prompted to open the cloned repository, click Open.

Step 2: Install Required Packages

In VS Code:

1. Open a Terminal:
   • Go to Terminal > New Terminal in the menu bar.
2. Install Dependencies:
   • In the terminal, ensure you're in the project directory (you should see the path to SearchSensei).
   • Run the following command to install all necessary packages:

     npm install

Step 3: Set Up the OpenAI API Key

To use SearchSensei, you need a valid OpenAI API key.

1. Obtain Your OpenAI API Key:

   • Sign up or log in to your OpenAI account at OpenAI's API.
   • Generate a new API key.

2. Update background.ts:

   • In VS Code, open the file src/background.ts.
   • Locate the line where the API key is defined:

     const OPEN_AI_API_KEY = 'your_openai_api_key_here';

   • Replace 'your_openai_api_key_here' with your actual OpenAI API key (keep it within the quotes):

     const OPEN_AI_API_KEY = 'sk-...';

   Note: Be cautious with your API key. Do not share it publicly or commit it to any public repositories.

Step 4: Build the Extension

You have two options:

• Development Build:

  • Run:

    npm start

  • This starts a development build process that watches for changes and bundles files into the dist folder.

• Production Build:

  • Run:

    npm run build

  • This generates a minimized production build in the dist folder.

Step 5: Load the Extension into Chrome

1. Open Chrome Extensions Page:

   • Navigate to chrome://extensions/ in your Chrome browser.

2. Enable Developer Mode:

   • Toggle the Developer mode switch in the top right corner.

3. Load Unpacked Extension:

   • Click on Load unpacked.
   • In the dialog that opens, navigate to the dist folder inside your SearchSensei project directory.
   • Select the dist folder and click Select Folder.

4. Verify the Extension is Loaded:

   • You should now see SearchSensei listed among your Chrome extensions.

5. Pin the Extension:

   • Locate the extension icon in Chrome’s toolbar, click the puzzle piece icon (extensions icon 🧩), and pin SearchSensei to ensure easy access.

Using SearchSensei

User Guide

For an in-depth user guide on using SearchSensei’s features, click here to visit the User Guide

Additional Information

• Updating Packages:

  • If you need to install new packages, run:

    npm install --save-dev <package_name>

• Troubleshooting:

  • Ensure you have the latest versions of Node.js and npm.
  • If you encounter issues with the OpenAI API key, double-check that it is correctly entered in background.ts.

Important Notes

• Security:

  • Your OpenAI API key is sensitive information. Do not share it or commit it to public repositories.
  • The extension uses this API key to make requests to OpenAI's services.

• Privacy:

  • SearchSensei is designed to enhance your privacy. Be mindful of the data you share and ensure you trust the sources of any third-party extensions.

License

SearchSensei is licensed for personal, non-commercial use only. Users are not permitted to copy, modify, publish, distribute, sublicense, or sell copies of this software.

For full license terms, see the included LICENSE file.

Thank you for using SearchSensei to enhance your search privacy! We hope it proves to be both effective and easy to use.