MeetingCost Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 1, 2026

MeetingCost is a browser extension that estimates meeting cost in real time, with optional PRO features including analytics, AI-assisted transcription, calendar integration, department tagging, Slack/Teams webhook alerts, and data exports. This policy describes what data is processed, where it stays, and what you control.

Data stored on your device

By default, participant names, salary or rate assumptions, currency, templates, meeting history entries, department/cost-center tags, yearly budget settings, webhook configurations, and all related settings are stored in chrome.storage.local in your browser profile. This data does not leave your device except where you explicitly enable features that call external services (described below).

Meeting pages and metadata

On supported meeting sites (Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex), a content script reads page signals—for example URL patterns and visible controls—to detect when a call is active. It does not read passwords, chat messages, or unrelated site data. Overlay UI is injected only on meeting origins listed in the extension manifest.

Optional AI transcription and summarization

If you use PRO AI features, audio may be captured from your meeting tab or a source you choose, then sent to the third-party AI provider you select using an API key you supply. Supported providers include AssemblyAI, OpenAI, Deepgram, Google (Speech-to-Text / Gemini), HuggingFace, and Rev.ai. The API key is held in the extension service worker memory for your current browser session only and is not written to persistent extension storage. Transcripts and summaries are stored locally according to your retention settings unless you export them yourself.

Google Calendar (read-only)

If you connect Google Calendar, the extension requests read-only access to list upcoming events for calendar cost forecasting displayed in the dashboard. OAuth tokens are handled through Chrome's identity APIs and Google's provider endpoints. MeetingCost does not store calendar event content on any server and does not sell this data.

Google Sheets export

If you use the Export to Google Sheets feature, the extension uses your Google OAuth session to write meeting history data to a Google Sheet in your own Google Drive. MeetingCost does not store or transmit this data to any MeetingCost server. The data goes directly from your device to your Google Drive via Google's API.

Slack and Teams webhook alerts

If you configure a Slack or Microsoft Teams webhook URL, the extension will POST a cost alert message to that URL when a meeting exceeds your configured budget threshold. The webhook URL is stored locally in chrome.storage.local. Alert messages are sent via a Vercel proxy endpoint (meetingcost-success.vercel.app/api/send-webhook) to avoid browser CORS restrictions. Only the alert message content (meeting name, cost, duration) is transmitted — no personal data, transcripts, or participant details are included unless you configure them in your alert template.

Department and cost center tagging

Department and cost center tags assigned to meetings are stored locally in chrome.storage.local and used only for local analytics breakdowns in the PRO dashboard. They are not transmitted to any external server unless you explicitly export your meeting history.

Payments and licensing

Purchases may be processed by Gumroad or via independent on-chain stablecoin payment (USDT on Tron · USDC on Solana · USDC on Base). For Gumroad purchases, Gumroad receives the data required to complete payment (for example your email address for license delivery). For on-chain stablecoin payments, the transaction is recorded on the relevant blockchain network—no personal data is collected by MeetingCost beyond the wallet address and transaction hash required for license verification. License verification calls the MeetingCost Vercel endpoint (meetingcost-success.vercel.app/api/verify-license). See each processor's privacy policy for how they handle payment data.

Firebase and cloud backup

MeetingCost uses Firebase Authentication and Firebase Firestore to provide cross-device sync for signed-in users. The following data is stored in Firestore under your user ID:

• Meeting history (up to 500 meetings) — cost, duration, transcript, AI summary, AI feedback, department tag
• Meeting templates — participant names, roles, and rate configurations
• Dashboard settings — yearly budget, webhook URL and threshold, currency, overhead multiplier

This data is scoped strictly to your user ID and is not accessible by other users. API keys you enter for AI transcription providers are never stored in Firestore — they remain in local extension memory only for your current session. Session tokens needed for refresh are stored locally in chrome.storage.local. No remote Firebase JavaScript SDK is loaded from CDN in the shipped extension.

Data exports

You may export your meeting history as CSV, PDF, Google Sheets, or JSON. These exports are initiated by you and go directly to your chosen destination (download, Google Drive). MeetingCost does not retain a copy of exported data on any server.

Retention and deletion

• Clear meeting history, templates, AI results, or department tags from the extension UI at any time.
• Uninstalling the extension removes all locally stored data from chrome.storage.local.
• AI API keys in memory are cleared when the service worker restarts. Use "Apply AI settings" again after a long idle period if needed.
• To delete cloud backup data from Firebase, contact support or delete your cloud account from within the extension settings.

Contact

For privacy questions, contact: siam_t_paite@icloud.com