Why does PostSnag ask for the permissions it does?

PostSnag asks for a small, specific set of browser permissions, and each one maps to exactly one part of how it works: reading the Facebook page you have open, holding your capture locally, signing you in with Google if you choose, and one narrow rule used only for a Facebook group's name and photo. PostSnag does not request broad access to browse or control other sites, and it never touches your other browsing.

Here is what each permission actually does, in plain terms, plus the exact technical names if you want to check them yourself.

Reading the Facebook pages you view

PostSnag needs to read the Facebook page in front of you so it can collect the public posts already on your screen as you scroll. This only applies to Facebook pages you have open yourself; PostSnag has no reason to, and does not, read any other site you visit. This access is what lets the panel appear on facebook.com and build its running count as posts load.

Local storage

This holds what you have captured on your own device until you click Export To Dashboard. Nothing leaves your device before that click. Close the tab, restart your browser, come back later: whatever you captured is still sitting there locally, waiting to be exported. See How do I send my captured posts to the dashboard? (Export To Dashboard) for what happens next.

Sign-in and identity

This is used only if you choose Continue with Google to sign in. It lets PostSnag confirm it is you through Google's own sign-in flow; PostSnag never sees or stores your Google password. Signing in with email and password does not use this permission at all.

A narrow rule for a group's name and cover image

When you capture posts from inside a Facebook Group, PostSnag needs the group's public name and cover image to label things correctly in your dashboard. This uses one narrowly-scoped network rule that applies only to a single request PostSnag makes to that specific group's own public Facebook page. It is used only for that purpose, and it is never applied to your regular Facebook browsing elsewhere.

Loading post thumbnail images

This lets the photos and video cover images in your captured posts actually display, in the panel and in your dashboard, instead of showing as broken images. These thumbnails load from PostSnag's own cloud storage.

The websites PostSnag can actually reach

Beyond the permissions above, PostSnag is also limited to a short, specific list of websites it can talk to at all:

• facebook.com, so it can read the page you are viewing.

• PostSnag's own systems (api.postsnag.com and app.postsnag.com), so your captures can sync when you export and your dashboard can load.

• A Cloudflare-hosted address used only for images, so captured thumbnails can load and display.

PostSnag cannot read, modify, or interact with any website outside that short list. There is no broad "read and change your data on all websites" access anywhere in what PostSnag requests.

What Chrome shows you when you install PostSnag

When you click Add to Chrome, a confirmation popup lists the permissions above in Chrome's own plain-language wording before you click Add extension. You can review the same list anytime after installing:

1. Open chrome://extensions in your address bar.

2. Find PostSnag in the list and click Details.

3. Scroll to Permissions and Site access to see exactly what is currently granted.

For the technically curious, the underlying permission names Chrome uses internally are storage, activeTab, identity, and declarativeNetRequest, plus the specific site list described above. You do not need to know these names to use PostSnag safely; they are here for anyone who wants to check for themselves.

What these permissions don't do

PostSnag only acts on Facebook pages you open yourself. It does not run in the background when you are not on Facebook, does not reach into other websites, and does not do anything with these permissions beyond the specific jobs described above. See Is PostSnag a bot? Does it automate Facebook? for the fuller picture.

[Screenshot: Chrome's permission confirmation dialog shown when adding PostSnag]

Common questions

Is it safe to grant PostSnag the permissions Chrome asks for?
Yes. Each permission maps to a specific, documented purpose, like storing captured posts locally or reading the Facebook page you have open, not broad access to your browsing.

Does PostSnag use these permissions to browse other websites?
No. PostSnag only acts on Facebook pages you open yourself. It does not touch any other site you visit.

Does the Google sign-in permission give PostSnag my Google password?
No. PostSnag only receives confirmation of your identity from Google, never your Google password.

Why does PostSnag need to read the Facebook page I'm on at all?
That is how capture works: PostSnag reads the public posts already loading on your screen as you scroll. Without that permission, it would have nothing to capture.

How do I review or remove PostSnag's permissions later?
Open chrome://extensions, find PostSnag, click Details, and look under Permissions and Site access. From that same screen you can also remove the extension entirely if you choose to.

PostSnag is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Meta Platforms, Inc.