GhostTrace — Zero-Trace Privacy Engine (Chrome MV3)

Version 1.0.0 · Manifest V3 · Minimum Chrome: 119 · Zero runtime dependencies · Zero telemetry

GhostTrace is an automated, zero-trace privacy and data cleaner extension for Chromium browsers. When you close a tab or leave an unlisted site, GhostTrace automatically removes all cookies, history, storage remnants, and download records left behind by that site — while keeping your whitelisted logins and sessions intact.

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Features

• 3-Tier Protection Model:
  • Whitelist: Logins, cookies, and local data are permanently preserved. Granular cookie retention (all, session-only, or custom pattern matching like auth_*).
  • Grey List: Preserved only for the current browser session. All data and rules are wiped when the browser closes.
  • Temporary Access: Automatically expires after a set duration (15m, 1h, 24h) and purges data once no tabs remain open.
  • Default (Unlisted): Cleaned automatically after closing the tab or navigating away (configurable 0–600s delay).
• Accurate Domain Scoping: Uses the real Public Suffix List (eTLD+1). Whitelisting user.github.io or sub.example.com never leaks protection to other sibling or parent domains.
• Deep Clean Engine:
  • Cookies: Removed one-by-one (including partitioned CHIPS cookies). Collateral damage to whitelisted parent cookies is prevented with immediate restore.
  • History: Paged and budget-limited deletion of visited URLs via chrome.history.deleteUrl.
  • Download Records: Erases download history entries from chrome://downloads without touching physical files on disk.
  • Site Storage & Cache: Targeted origin-based wiping of LocalStorage, IndexedDB, Service Workers, Cache Storage, OPFS, and HTTP disk cache.
• URL Tracking Parameter Stripping: Strips marketing and analytics identifiers (utm_*, fbclid, gclid, etc.) immediately on page load with zero reload, and cleans the dirty URL from browsing history.
• Startup Full Sweep: Optional setting to automatically sweep all unlisted cookies and browsing remnants whenever the browser starts.
• Privacy Sandbox Hardening: Optional controls to disable third-party cookies, related website sets, network prediction, address bar suggestions, and navigation error helpers.
• 100% Ephemeral Logging: Diagnostic logs and third-party discovery maps live strictly in RAM (chrome.storage.session) and never touch disk.
• Accessible & Responsive: Fully localized in English and Turkish with light/dark/system themes, keyboard traps, WCAG-compliant contrast, and zero layout shift.

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Installation

From Source (Developer Mode)

1. Clone or download this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/StRonKEA/GhostTrace.git

2. Open Chrome/Chromium and navigate to chrome://extensions.
3. Enable Developer mode in the top-right corner.
4. Click Load unpacked and select the GhostTrace project root directory.

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Development & Testing

GhostTrace has zero runtime dependencies and uses Node.js native test runner (node:test) with an in-memory Chrome API emulator.

# Install development tooling (ESLint)
npm install

# Run all 898 unit and integration tests
npm test

# Run code linter
npm run lint

# Run privacy, store, i18n, and UI consistency audits
npm run audit:privacy
npm run audit:store
npm run audit:i18n
npm run audit:ui

# Package extension zip for Chrome Web Store
npm run package

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License

MIT License. See LICENSE or source headers for details.