Websites Can Access Your Location Without You Noticing — I Made a Tool to Catch That
LN Das

LN Das @lndas

About: Web developer · Privacy-focused maker

Joined:
Jun 22, 2025

Websites Can Access Your Location Without You Noticing — I Made a Tool to Catch That

Publish Date: Jun 22
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TL;DR: I created Permission Analyzer, an open-source Chrome privacy extension that logs when websites access your camera, mic, location, clipboard, or notifications using the Chrome Permissions API — with timestamps and local-only storage. View on GitHub


Why You Should Care About Browser Permission Logging

Websites can request powerful permissions — like your microphone, camera, or location — and once granted, they can often use them in the background without you noticing.

There's no native Chrome feature to:

  • Notify you when permissions are accessed
  • Log usage history
  • Export access records

As a privacy-conscious developer, I wanted to see exactly what was accessed, when, and by which website — without compromising my own data security.

So I built Permission Analyzer.


Introducing: Permission Analyzer

Permission Analyzer is a focused, open-source Chrome permission logger that gives you visibility into what’s happening behind the scenes in your browser.

What It Tracks:

  • Camera access
  • Microphone access
  • Geolocation
  • Clipboard read access
  • Notifications

All events are timestamped and logged only to your device, using chrome.storage.local. Nothing ever leaves your browser.

Who It's For:

  • Privacy-focused users
  • Developers testing permission behavior
  • Security auditors
  • Anyone curious about silent browser access

If you're searching for a Chrome extension to track mic and camera access, or to monitor website permissions in real time, this tool fills that exact need.


What Makes It Unique (vs Other Privacy Extensions)

Unlike privacy blockers or managers, Permission Analyzer doesn’t block — it reveals.

Here's what sets it apart:

  • Logs actual access (not just permission requests)
  • Uses the Chrome Permissions API to detect and timestamp activity
  • No analytics, tracking, or external calls
  • Works fully offline
  • Exports your data to Markdown for review or reporting
  • Built with vanilla JavaScript (no frameworks)
  • Open-source and 100% auditable on GitHub

Other tools may hide or restrict access, but almost none let you see who accessed what and when — Permission Analyzer does.


How It Works

  1. The extension listens for permission activity using Chrome’s internal APIs.
  2. When a site accesses a tracked permission, it:
    • Logs the site domain
    • Records the permission used
    • Captures the timestamp
  3. These events are stored in chrome.storage.local
  4. A popup UI displays your log history
  5. One click exports the log to Markdown

Installation (Manual — Chrome Web Store Coming Soon)

To install manually:

  1. Clone the repo:
git clone https://github.com/LnDas/permission-analyzer.git
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  1. Visit chrome://extensions/
  2. Enable Developer Mode
  3. Click Load unpacked and select the extension folder
  4. Done — it starts working instantly

Built for Transparency

I made Permission Analyzer for people like me:

  • Developers
  • Hackers
  • Privacy nerds
  • Open-source believers

You can inspect every line of code. You can run it offline. You can audit your own browsing environment — with no one watching you back.


Try It Now

Looking for a way to:

  • Track site permission access in Chrome?
  • Log camera, mic, or location usage?
  • Use a Chrome privacy extension that doesn’t spy on you?

Then try Permission Analyzer:

https://github.com/LnDas/permission-analyzer

If you like it, give it a star on GitHub or share with others who care about browser privacy.

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