Privacy policy

Sift for AO3, version 1.0.0. Last updated 2026-09-26.

Sift is a browser extension that runs on archiveofourown.org. It has no account, no server of its own, no analytics and no ads.

What Sift saves

Sift keeps these in your browser's local extension storage, on your device only:

• the tags you exclude, the authors you mute and the ships you filter
• your settings
• other names for your filtered ships, copied from AO3's public tag pages and kept for up to 7 days
• counts of works hidden and listings filtered, which the popup shows and which decide when a thank-you card appears

This storage isn't synced between devices. Uninstalling Sift deletes all of it, and you can export a copy from the options page first.

What Sift reads

The AO3 pages you open, so it can see each work's title, authors and tags and decide what to fold. It doesn't record which works or pages you view.

What Sift sends, and where

Nothing goes to the developer or to any third party. Sift only talks to AO3:

• Links on AO3 pages that lead to AO3 listings get your excluded tags added to the address, so AO3 leaves those works out. AO3's own filter sidebar sends the same information when you use it.
• When you turn on the ship filter for a ship, Sift loads that ship's public tag page on archiveofourown.org to read its other names. It does this at most once a week per ship, or again after an hour if AO3 didn't answer.

The Ko-fi and store rating links open only when you click them.

Contact

Questions go to GitHub issues.