Chrome Extension Guide

Last Updated: 2026-02-16 Extension Version: 1.0.130

Overview#

The cloak.business Chrome Extension protects your privacy by automatically anonymizing PII before sending messages to AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. Your sensitive data is replaced with anonymized placeholders before it reaches the AI service.

Key Benefits:

• JIT Protection: Intercepts messages before they're sent
• Reversible Encryption: Decrypt responses to see original values
• Multiple AI Services: Works with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini
• Seamless Integration: No copy-paste required

Table of Contents#

1. Installation
2. Quick Start
3. Supported AI Services
4. Features
5. Using the Extension
6. Anonymization Methods
7. Presets & Entities
8. Settings
9. Troubleshooting
10. FAQ

Installation#

Chrome Web Store#

1. Visit the cloak.business Chrome Extension page
2. Click Add to Chrome
3. Click Add extension in the confirmation dialog
4. The extension icon appears in your toolbar

Manual Installation (Development)#

1. Download the extension from your cloak.business dashboard
2. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions
3. Enable Developer mode (toggle in top-right)
4. Click Load unpacked
5. Select the chrome_extension folder

Quick Start#

1. Sign In#

1. Click the extension icon in your Chrome toolbar
2. Enter your cloak.business API key
3. Click Sign In

Getting your API key:

• Sign in at cloak.business
• Go to Dashboard > API Keys
• Create a new API key and copy it

2. Enable Protection#

1. Navigate to a supported AI service (e.g., chatgpt.com)
2. Click the extension icon
3. Toggle Enable Protection for this site

3. Send a Protected Message#

1. Type your message as normal
2. Click Send (or press Enter)
3. The extension intercepts and shows a preview
4. Review detected entities
5. Click Send Protected

Your message is now anonymized before reaching the AI service.

Supported AI Services#

Character Limit: 3,998 characters per message

Why the limit? Claude.ai converts longer text into "content blocks" which cannot be anonymized. This limit ensures consistent protection across all platforms.

Features#

Preview Modal#

When you send a message with PII, the extension shows a preview:

• Detected Entities: Color-coded list of all PII found
• Entity Toggle: Enable/disable specific entity types
• Method Selection: Choose anonymization method
• Preset Selector: Switch to different regional presets
• Encryption Key: Select which key to use for encryption

De-anonymization#

After the AI responds, the extension automatically:

1. Detects encrypted values in both your message AND the AI response
2. Decrypts them using your encryption key
3. Displays original values with green highlighting
4. Shows entity type badges (Person, Email, etc.)

Toggle View#

Click the floating toggle button to switch between:

• Original View: See decrypted values (green highlighting)
• Encrypted View: See the encrypted tokens

Copy Buttons#

• Copy Decrypted Message: Copy your original message
• Copy Decrypted Response: Copy the AI response with original values restored

Using the Extension#

Standard Workflow#

1. Type message with PII     "Email john@example.com about the meeting"
         ↓
2. Click Send               Extension intercepts
         ↓
3. Preview appears          Shows: EMAIL_ADDRESS detected
         ↓
4. Choose method            Select: Encrypt
         ↓
5. Click Send Protected     Message sent with encrypted email
         ↓
6. AI responds              Using encrypted value
         ↓
7. Auto-decrypt             Green highlighting shows "john@example.com"

Preview Modal Options#

Entity List:

• Click the checkbox to include/exclude an entity
• Hover to see the detected value
• Color indicates entity category (Person=blue, Email=purple, etc.)

Anonymization Method:

• Select method for all entities, or per-entity-type
• Default is Encrypt (reversible)

Preset Selection:

• Search by country name
• Switch presets and click Reanalyze to re-detect

Keyboard Shortcuts#

Anonymization Methods#

Recommendation: Use Encrypt for most use cases. It's the only method that allows you to see original values in AI responses.

Presets & Entities#

Using Presets#

Presets are pre-configured entity collections for specific regions or industries:

1. In the preview modal, click the preset dropdown
2. Type to search (e.g., "Deutschland", "Healthcare")
3. Select a preset
4. Click Reanalyze to re-detect with new entities

Popular Presets#

Entity Categories#

• Personal: Names, addresses, phone numbers, emails
• Government IDs: SSN, passport, driver license, tax ID
• Financial: Credit cards, bank accounts, IBAN
• Healthcare: Medical records, insurance IDs
• Technical: API keys, passwords, connection strings

Settings#

Access settings via the extension popup or options page.

General Settings#

Per-Site Settings#

Encryption Keys#

Manage encryption keys for reversible anonymization:

1. Go to Options > Encryption Keys
2. Keys sync from your cloak.business account
3. Select default key for new encryptions

Troubleshooting#

Common Issues#

Debug Mode#

Enable debug logging for troubleshooting:

1. Go to Options > General Settings
2. Set Debug logging to Debug
3. Open browser console (F12 > Console)
4. Reproduce the issue
5. Look for [cloak.business] log entries

Console Commands#

// Enable debug output
window.__ANON_DEBUG__ = true;

// View buffered logs
window.__ANON_LOGS__

// Get connector stats
window.__ANON_STATS__()

// Inspect decryption cache
window.__ANON_CACHE__()

Resetting the Extension#

If issues persist:

1. Go to chrome://extensions
2. Find cloak.business
3. Click Remove
4. Reinstall from Chrome Web Store
5. Re-enter your API key

FAQ#

Is my data sent to cloak.business servers?#

Text only - your text is sent to cloak.business for PII detection and anonymization. The anonymized text is then sent to the AI service. Documents remain on your device.

Can I use this with other AI services?#

Currently supported: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini. More services coming soon. Contact support@cloak.business for requests.

Why is there a 3,998 character limit?#

Claude.ai converts longer text into "content blocks" which cannot be intercepted and anonymized. This limit ensures consistent protection.

Does it work with Claude's file uploads?#

No, the extension only protects text messages. For document anonymization, use the cloak.business web app or desktop app.

Can my employer see my original messages?#

If you use an encryption key, only you (with that key) can decrypt the original values. Without the key, no one can reverse the encryption.

How do I use different presets for different contexts?#

You can switch presets in the preview modal before sending each message, or configure per-site defaults in settings.

Why are some entities not detected?#

Check that:

• Your preset includes that entity type
• The text matches expected patterns
• Language setting matches content language
• Confidence threshold isn't too high

Can I add custom entity patterns?#

Custom patterns are supported via the web app and API. The extension uses your account's configured recognizers.

Privacy & Security#

Security Model#

[Your Browser]  →  [Extension]  →  [cloak.business API]  →  [Anonymized Text]  →  [AI Service]
     │                  │
     │           Only text sent
     │           (no screenshots)
     │
   Documents
   stay local

Data Handling#

• API Key: Stored in Chrome's secure storage
• Decryption Cache: Cleared on tab close
• No Logging: Original values never logged
• HTTPS Only: All API calls encrypted

Permissions Explained#

Support#

• Documentation: cloak.business/docs
• Email: support@cloak.business
• Issues: Report bugs via the extension's feedback option

Document maintained by cloak.business