PrivacySpy
An open project that grades and monitors privacy policies on a 10-point scale — with a browser extension and API
Website: https://privacyspy.org/ · Source: GitHub · License: GPL-3.0 · Type: Non-profit open project (a project of Politiwatch, a registered 501(c)(3))
Why it exists
Privacy policies are long, deliberately vague, and read by almost no one — yet they govern some of the most sensitive data about your life. Regulators can't keep up and trust alone doesn't scale. PrivacySpy's premise: make privacy legible. A consistent, public rubric turns each policy into a comparable score, and ongoing monitoring catches changes over time, so "informed data privacy decisions" become practical instead of aspirational.
Main features
- A graded directory of privacy policies — each product gets a score on a 10-point scale using a consistent, published rubric. Sample scores from the directory: GitHub 8/10, Wikipedia 8/10, Amazon US 3.9/10, Facebook 3.2/10, Google 4.9/10, Microsoft 4.4/10.
- Plain-language breakdowns — each entry summarizes the policy's key points (what data is collected, sharing, retention, cookies, etc.) with citations to the actual policy text.
- Browser extension — see the PrivacySpy rating of the site you're visiting while you browse.
- Open API — free programmatic access to the entire database for research, dashboards and integrations.
- Community-maintained — completely open source and run by volunteers; anyone can correct an error, add a product or suggest improvements. Content is CC BY licensed.
- Non-profit governance — Politiwatch is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
Who it's for
- Anyone who wants a quick answer to "is this service creepy?" before signing up.
- Journalists, researchers and developers — the API and open dataset make it a solid source for privacy research.
- People who want accountability: scores and corrections happen in public, with an audit trail.
How it compares
| Service | Approach | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| PrivacySpy | Community rubric, 10-point grades, monitoring | Growing directory, open API, extension |
| ToS;DR (Terms of Service; Didn't Read) | Community-graded terms of service (A–E classes) | Larger directory, similar extension |
| Mozilla Privacy Not Included | Editorial product reviews | Buying-guide focus |
PrivacySpy and ToS;DR are natural companions — both community-driven; PrivacySpy leans on a consistent numeric rubric and policy monitoring.
Useful links
- Website: https://privacyspy.org/
- Directory: https://privacyspy.org/products/
- How it works: https://privacyspy.org/rubric/
- API: https://privacyspy.org/api/
- Extension: available for Chrome & Firefox
- GitHub: https://github.com/Politiwatch/privacyspy
Notes
- Built by Miles and Igor; site hosted on Netlify, content CC BY, code GPL-3.0.
- A small but important project — with only ~150 GitHub stars it's genuinely "unknown to many people", which is exactly the point of this list.
- If you maintain software, look your own products up — seeing your policy graded through someone else's rubric is humbling and useful.