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Browser Extension

The extension runs quietly in the background and tracks which SaaS tools your team actually uses. It’s how your agent catches shadow IT and identifies licenses nobody’s opening.

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Why Install the Extension?

Real Usage Tracking

See which apps your team actually uses vs. what they have access to

Shadow IT Detection

Discover SaaS tools being used outside of official channels

License Optimization

Identify underutilized licenses and potential cost savings

Privacy-First

All analysis happens locally - only domain names are shared

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Installation Guide

1

Open Chrome Web Store

Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for “Porcia”
2

Add to Chrome

Click Add to Chrome button on the extension page
3

Confirm Installation

Click Add extension in the confirmation popupThe extension will be installed and you’ll see the Porcia icon in your browser toolbar
4

Sign In

Click the Porcia extension icon in your toolbarSign in with your Porcia account credentials
5

Grant Permissions

The extension will request permissions to:
  • Read your browsing history on SaaS domains
  • Access active tab information
Click Allow to enable usage tracking
6

Start Tracking

The extension will automatically start tracking your SaaS usageVisit any SaaS application to begin collecting data
The extension only works on known SaaS domains. It won’t track personal browsing or non-business websites.

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Browser Compatibility

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Supported Browsers

Fully Supported
  • Chrome 88+ (recommended)
  • All Chrome features available
  • Automatic updates
  • Best performance

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System Requirements

  • Operating System: Windows 10+, macOS 10.14+, Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+)
  • RAM: 4GB minimum (8GB recommended)
  • Storage: 50MB free space
  • Network: Internet connection required for data sync

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Extension Permissions

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What the Extension Can Access

Active Tab Information:
  • ✅ Current tab URL (domain only)
  • ✅ Tab title (for SaaS applications only)
  • ✅ Time spent on tab
  • ✅ Active vs idle time
Browsing History (Limited):
  • ✅ Visits to known SaaS domains only
  • ✅ Visit duration and frequency
  • ✅ Navigation patterns within SaaS apps

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What the Extension CANNOT Access

  • ❌ Page content - Never reads what’s on the page
  • ❌ Form data - Never captures passwords, forms, or inputs
  • ❌ Personal browsing - Only tracks known business SaaS domains
  • ❌ Downloads - Never accesses downloaded files
  • ❌ Bookmarks - Never reads your bookmarks
  • ❌ Other extensions - Cannot interact with other extensions
The extension only activates on known SaaS domains (like salesforce.com, slack.com, etc.). Personal websites and non-business domains are completely ignored.

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Privacy & Security

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Data Collection

What gets tracked:
  • Domain name (e.g., “slack.com”)
  • Time spent on domain
  • Visit frequency
  • Active vs idle time
  • Application category
What doesn’t get tracked:
  • Specific page URLs
  • Page content or text
  • User inputs or forms
  • Personal browsing
  • Non-SaaS websites

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Local Processing

All analysis happens locally in your browser:
  1. Extension monitors active tabs for known SaaS domains
  2. Local analysis determines if domain is a business application
  3. Data aggregation happens locally (no raw data sent)
  4. Summary data is sent to Porcia (domain + duration only)

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Data Transmission

Only aggregated, anonymized data is sent to Porcia: 
{
  "domain": "slack.com",
  "duration": 3600,
  "visits": 5,
  "date": "YYYY-MM-DD",
  "category": "communication"
}
No personally identifiable information or specific page data is ever transmitted.

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Extension Settings

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Accessing Settings

  1. Click the Porcia extension icon
  2. Click the Settings gear icon
  3. Configure your preferences

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Available Settings

Tracking Control:
  • ✅ Pause tracking - Temporarily stop all tracking
  • ✅ Resume tracking - Resume tracking after pause
  • ✅ Auto-pause - Automatically pause during personal time
Domain Management:
  • ✅ Exclude domains - Add domains to never track
  • ✅ Include domains - Add custom business domains
  • ✅ View tracked domains - See all currently tracked domains
Privacy Settings:
  • ✅ Incognito mode - Enable/disable tracking in private browsing
  • ✅ Idle detection - Configure idle time threshold
  • ✅ Data retention - Set local data retention period
Sync Settings:
  • ✅ Sync frequency - How often to sync with Porcia
  • ✅ Offline mode - Continue tracking when offline
  • ✅ Bandwidth usage - Optimize for limited connections
You can pause tracking anytime by clicking the extension icon and toggling “Pause Tracking”.

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Team Deployment

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IT Administrator Setup

For organizations deploying to multiple users: Chrome Enterprise:
  1. Go to Google Admin Console → Devices → Chrome → Apps & extensions
  2. Click Add Chrome app or extension
  3. Search for “Porcia” in the Chrome Web Store
  4. Set Installation policy to Force install
  5. Configure Extension settings (optional)
  6. Apply to organizational units
Microsoft Edge for Business:
  1. Go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Settings → Microsoft Edge
  2. Add Porcia extension to Allowed extensions
  3. Configure via Group Policy if needed
Deployment Script: 
# Chrome deployment via registry (Windows)
# Replace EXTENSION_ID with the Porcia extension ID from the Chrome Web Store
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist" /v 1 /t REG_SZ /d "EXTENSION_ID;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx"

# Chrome deployment via plist (macOS)
defaults write com.google.Chrome ExtensionInstallForcelist -array "EXTENSION_ID;https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx"

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User Onboarding

For team rollouts:
  1. Send installation guide to all team members
  2. Provide Porcia account credentials or signup links
  3. Set expectations about privacy and data collection
  4. Offer training session on extension features
  5. Create support channel for questions
Subject: Install Porcia Browser Extension - Track Our SaaS UsageHi team,We’re rolling out the Porcia browser extension to help us understand which SaaS tools we’re actually using and optimize our software spending.What it does:
  • Tracks time spent on business applications (like Slack, Salesforce, etc.)
  • Helps identify unused licenses we can cancel
  • Discovers shadow IT tools we should evaluate
Privacy:
  • Only tracks known business domains
  • No personal browsing is monitored
  • No page content or passwords are captured
  • You can pause tracking anytime
Installation:
  1. Go to [Chrome Web Store link]
  2. Click “Add to Chrome”
  3. Sign in with your Porcia account
  4. Start browsing normally
Questions? Reply to this email or ask in #it-support.Thanks! [Your Name]

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Troubleshooting

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Extension Not Working

Extension icon not visible:
  1. Check if extension is installed: chrome://extensions/
  2. Ensure extension is enabled
  3. Pin extension to toolbar: Click puzzle piece icon → Pin Porcia
Not tracking usage:
  1. Verify you’re signed in to Porcia account
  2. Check if tracking is paused in extension settings
  3. Ensure you’re visiting known SaaS domains
  4. Check browser permissions are granted
Data not syncing:
  1. Check internet connection
  2. Verify Porcia account is active
  3. Try manual sync from extension popup
  4. Check for browser console errors

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Performance Issues

Browser running slowly:
  1. Check if multiple tracking extensions are installed
  2. Reduce sync frequency in extension settings
  3. Clear extension local storage
  4. Restart browser
High memory usage:
  1. Check extension memory usage: chrome://task-manager/
  2. Reduce data retention period in settings
  3. Exclude high-traffic domains if needed
  4. Update to latest extension version

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Privacy Concerns

Accidentally tracked personal site:
  1. Add domain to exclusion list in settings
  2. Clear local data for that domain
  3. Contact support to remove from account
Want to review tracked data:
  1. Go to Porcia dashboard → Usage Analytics
  2. View all tracked domains and time spent
  3. Export data if needed
  4. Delete specific entries if required
Need Help? Check our FAQ or contact support@porcia.org for assistance.

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Uninstalling the Extension

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Remove Extension

  1. Go to chrome://extensions/
  2. Find Porcia extension
  3. Click Remove
  4. Confirm removal

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Clear Data

To remove all local data:
  1. Before uninstalling, open extension settings
  2. Click Clear all local data
  3. Confirm data deletion
  4. Then uninstall extension
Uninstalling the extension will stop usage tracking but won’t delete your historical data in Porcia. Contact support if you want to delete all usage data.

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Next Steps

Extension Usage Guide

Learn how to use the extension effectively

Privacy Details

Read detailed privacy information

View Usage Analytics

See your usage data in Porcia

Manage Team

Deploy to your team