Your privacy is important to us. This policy describes how we collect, use, and protect your data.
Design Owls ("we," "our," or "us") operates Freebird, a UX audit tool available as a website and Chrome extension. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our services.
When you use Freebird, we may collect the following types of information:
When you create an account, we collect:
We store the following data associated with your account:
We offer two authentication methods: Google OAuth and passwordless login via email (login link). When you sign up or log in using Google OAuth, we receive basic profile information from Google (name, email address, profile picture) as permitted by your Google account settings. We do not access other information from your Google account. For passwordless login, we only collect your email address to send you a secure login link. We do not store passwords.
We use the information we collect to:
For authenticated users, data is stored in Supabase (cloud database and storage). For trial users, data is stored locally in your browser using Chrome Storage and IndexedDB. Screenshots and attachments are stored in private Supabase Storage buckets with Row Level Security (RLS) policies ensuring only you can access your files. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure.
We use the following third-party services:
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We only share information with service providers who help us operate our services and who are bound by confidentiality obligations.
You can use Freebird without creating an account in trial mode. In trial mode, all your data (projects, annotations, screenshots, attachments) is stored locally on your device using Chrome’s storage APIs. This data is not transmitted to our servers and is not accessible to us.
If you later create an account, you can choose to migrate your trial data to your account. This migration is optional and requires your explicit action. Once migrated, your data will be stored in our cloud database and synchronised across your devices.
If you do not migrate your trial data and uninstall the extension, your local data will be permanently deleted.
Freebird includes a Smart Fill feature that automatically analyses webpage elements for design issues (accessibility, colour contrast, typography, spacing, touch targets). This analysis is performed entirely locally in your browser using rule-based algorithms (axe-core, chroma.js, and custom analysers). No element data is sent to external AI services or third parties.
The analysis results are used only to suggest annotation content and are not stored separately or transmitted. You can choose to use, modify, or ignore these suggestions.
You can share your projects with others via shareable links as interactive audit results. When you share a project:
Shared projects are accessible to anyone with the link. Recipients can interact with your annotations, select which ones to include in exports, and use all available features. Do not share links publicly if you wish to keep your annotations private. We recommend sharing links only with trusted recipients.
We use cookies to maintain your session, remember your preferences, and improve our services. For detailed information about our cookie usage, please see our Cookie policy.
You have the following rights regarding your personal information:
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including the right to data portability and the right to object to certain processing activities.
We believe in your right to privacy and data control:
We never retain data longer than necessary. You can delete your account at any time from your account settings, or contact us directly to request deletion.
Our services are not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete such information.
Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have data protection laws that differ from those in your country. We ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with this privacy policy.
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new privacy policy on this page and updating the "Effective date" below. We encourage you to review this privacy policy periodically.
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this privacy policy or our data practices, please use the contact form on our website:
We are committed to running an ethical business that respects your privacy. We will never sell, rent, or monetize your personal data. We do not use your data for advertising purposes unrelated to our service. We only collect and use data that is necessary to provide and improve Freebird, and we give you full control over your information at all times.
Effective date: January 2026