privacy policy
Effective date: July 18, 2026
Is it legit? Reviews trust checker (isitlegitreviews.com) checks whether a business's Google rating is backed by genuine reviews. This policy covers the isitlegitreviews.com website and API, and the "Is it legit? Reviews trust checker" Chrome extension. The short version: there are no user accounts (only optional API keys for those who submit review data), no ads, and no sale of data. We collect the minimum needed to serve verdicts, accept review submissions, and keep the service running.
the chrome extension
The extension runs only on Google Maps pages (google.com/maps and maps.google.com). When a place with a star rating appears on the page, the extension asks our server whether a trust verdict already exists for that place and, if so, shows it under the stars. Places that have not been checked are left untouched.
To do that, it sends our server only the place's public Google identifier as it appears in the Maps page URL. Like any web request, our server also receives your IP address and browser user agent.
The extension does not:
- collect your name, email address, Google account, or contacts;
- read or transmit any page content beyond the place details described above;
- track your browsing outside Google Maps;
- set cookies, or include any analytics or advertising code;
- sell or share any data for advertising.
The only thing the extension stores on your device is an optional technical setting (a development override for the API address) in Chrome's extension storage. Verdicts are cached in memory for about ten minutes to avoid repeat requests, then discarded.
Our use of information received through the extension complies with the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements. The data is used solely to provide the extension's single purpose: showing review-trust verdicts for the places you are already viewing. It is never sold, never used for advertising, and never used to determine creditworthiness or for lending.
the website
The website does not search Google. Review data reaches us when an AI agent or a script submits a listing's reviews through our MCP endpoint or API; each submission is recorded with the submitter's IP address, the API key id if one was used, the agent name it declared, the checks it passed or failed, and the submitted data itself. Our server also keeps standard request logs (IP address, requested page, user agent, referrer, browser language) and service events such as submissions and place lookups. We use these to operate the service, debug problems, prevent abuse, and tell apart independent sources of review data. Log entries are deleted automatically after at most 180 days.
We measure page views with GoatCounter, a privacy-focused analytics service that does not use cookies and does not build cross-site profiles. The site itself sets no cookies and has no user accounts. The site loads the Inter font from Google Fonts, so your browser makes a request to Google's servers, which see your IP address.
public review data
Trust scores are computed from publicly available Google Maps reviews, collected from Google Maps by the agents and scripts that submit them to us: star ratings, review text, dates, reviewer display names and public profile links, and public profile statistics such as review counts and Local Guide status. We store this data to compute and update scores, and short excerpts of public reviews may be shown as evidence for a verdict. Each place's result states how its review data was sourced (a single unconfirmed submitter, several independent submitters, a trusted submitter, or our own collection before October 2026).
Parts of this analysis use third-party AI providers (currently Anthropic and Google), which process review text on our behalf, for example to identify firsthand reports of review solicitation and to translate quoted excerpts.
If you are a reviewer and would like your public review excluded from our analysis, or a quoted excerpt removed, contact us at the address below.
sharing
We never sell personal data. Data is shared only with the service providers that host our infrastructure or perform the AI analysis described above, and with authorities if required by law.
retention
Request and event logs are deleted after at most 180 days. Cached public review data and computed scores are kept for as long as they are needed to serve verdicts, and are refreshed as places are re-submitted. Copies of accepted submissions are deleted after 90 days; rejected submissions are kept for audit.
your choices
The extension and website work without any account, and uninstalling the extension stops all data flow from it. Submitters who used an API key can ask us to disable it. If you are in a jurisdiction that grants you data rights (such as the EU, UK, or California), you can exercise them, including access and deletion requests, by emailing us.
children
The service is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.
changes
If this policy changes, we will post the new version at this address with an updated effective date.
contact
Questions or requests: ben@benknight.me