Press Pass by StayTech - Privacy policy

Press Pass by StayTech processes only the active article information needed to perform the action you request.

Effective: July 16, 2026
Last updated: July 17, 2026

Press Pass by StayTech ("Press Pass," "we," "us," or "our") is a Chrome extension and locally installed macOS helper with one purpose: at your request, open the news article in your active Chrome tab in Apple News on your Mac. This policy covers the extension, helper, Apple News handoff, supported MSN source lookup, installation, support, and removal.

Summary

  • Press Pass runs its article-reading flow only when you open its toolbar popup.
  • It processes the active article's URL and headline metadata and sends them to the Press Pass Helper on the same Mac.
  • On supported MSN article pages, it may request a public source-detail record from MSN over HTTPS.
  • The helper may pass the article URL or headline to Apple News and may use macOS Accessibility to interact only with Apple News.
  • Press Pass has no account, advertising, analytics, telemetry, cloud service, tracking technology, or persistent article history.
  • StayTech does not receive the article URLs, headlines, or Apple News interface content processed by the product.

Information processed

Active article information

When you open the toolbar popup, the extension receives temporary access to the active tab. It examines the page URL and tab title; canonical and Open Graph URL metadata; Open Graph article type and headline metadata; and Article or NewsArticle headline values in publisher-provided JSON-LD metadata.

The extension may parse publisher JSON-LD blocks in memory to locate a headline, but it does not extract article-body values. It does not query browsing history, inspect unrelated tabs, or read form fields, cookies, passwords, authentication tokens, personal communications, downloads, bookmarks, location, clipboard, or payment information. A URL containing an embedded username or password is rejected. If the page exposes no article signal, its URL or title is not sent to the helper as an article request.

Local helper messages

The extension sends the selected article URL, headline, action name, and protocol-version fields to the locally installed Press Pass Helper using Chrome native messaging. The helper returns operational status information. Native messaging is a local interprocess channel on your Mac, not a StayTech network service. The native-host registration allows one exact paired extension origin without a wildcard and contains no article information or secret.

Apple News and Accessibility

For a direct apple.news link, the helper asks macOS to open the URL in Apple News. For an ordinary publisher URL, it asks the macOS "Open in News" sharing service to resolve the URL. These actions may cause macOS or Apple News to send the requested URL and related device, account, or network information to Apple as needed to provide Apple News.

For an ordinary publisher URL, the helper requests macOS Accessibility permission to confirm whether Apple News displays a likely matching headline or to find Apple News Search, place the article headline in its search field, and submit it. The helper examines a bounded set of Apple News interface elements and limited attributes such as role, subrole, identifier, title, description, help, focus state, and value. It writes only the requested headline to Apple News Search.

The implementation does not use Accessibility to inspect other apps, capture the screen, record keystrokes, or read the clipboard. Although macOS Accessibility permission is technically system-level, Press Pass uses it only for these Apple News operations. It does not retain interface values. Direct apple.news links bypass Accessibility. You may revoke permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

Supported MSN source lookup

On a supported msn.com or msn.cn article, and only after you open the popup, the extension may request the matching public detail record from assets.msn.com or assets.msn.cn. The request is sent over HTTPS from the MSN page's main browser context with credentials omitted. Press Pass reads only the original publisher URL and title. If the lookup fails, it uses the locally available page URL and headline or title.

Although credentials are omitted, Microsoft may receive ordinary network and request information such as your IP address, browser or device information, requested detail URL, locale and article identifier, timestamp, and headers such as origin or referrer if Chrome supplies them. Microsoft controls that information under the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

How information is used

Press Pass uses this information only to identify the article you ask it to open, resolve an original publisher URL for a supported MSN article, open or search for it in Apple News, verify extension-helper compatibility, and show an actionable status or error. It does not build a profile, infer interests, track browsing, personalize advertisements, determine creditworthiness, train an AI model, or provide a data brokerage service.

Storage and sharing

Press Pass does not intentionally store article URLs, headlines, MSN metadata responses, or Apple News Accessibility content. The extension holds article information only in memory while its popup performs the action. The helper handles one native message, responds, and exits. Its diagnostics are designed not to print the URL or headline. The extension does not use Chrome local or sync storage.

The local installation includes the helper app, native-host registration, and macOS installer receipt. These contain product, version, path, and paired-origin configuration—not browsing content. Operating systems, browsers, Apple News, network providers, or third-party services may maintain their own caches, logs, or records outside StayTech's control.

Information is disclosed only as needed to perform the single purpose: locally to the Press Pass Helper; to Microsoft for the optional MSN request; and to Apple through macOS or Apple News for the requested open or search. See Apple News & Privacy and the Apple Privacy Policy. We do not sell personal information, share it for cross-context behavioral advertising, provide it to data brokers, or use it for targeted advertising or lending decisions.

Support information

If you contact support or post a review, StayTech and the platform may receive information you choose to provide, such as your name, contact information, message, screenshots, or troubleshooting details. Do not include sensitive content unless needed and you want a human to review it. Support communications are kept only as long as reasonably needed to respond, maintain security, resolve disputes, or meet legal obligations.

Chrome Web Store and Google Chrome

Google may independently process information related to installing, updating, disabling, removing, reviewing, or supporting the extension under the Google Privacy Policy. The Chrome Web Store may provide StayTech with aggregate install counts and ratings, plus reviews or support messages users choose to submit. Press Pass adds no analytics or telemetry to this platform activity.

Limited Use

Press Pass by StayTech's use of information received from Google APIs, including Chrome APIs, adheres to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Information is used only to provide the extension's disclosed single purpose. It is not sold or used for advertising or creditworthiness, and humans are not permitted to read Chrome-derived user data except with the user's specific consent, for security, to comply with law, or where otherwise allowed by that policy.

Security

Press Pass limits access through user-triggered activeTab permission, uses only packaged extension code, validates URL schemes and message sizes, rejects credential-bearing URLs, communicates through Chrome's local native-messaging channel, restricts the native host to the exact paired origin, and uses HTTPS for the optional MSN request. No method is completely secure, but Press Pass minimizes the data handled and the time it remains in memory.

Your choices and deletion

You may close the popup, revoke Accessibility permission, remove the extension in chrome://extensions, or run Uninstall Press Pass.command from the installer disk image to remove the system-wide helper, native-host registration, and package receipt. A request already handed to Apple News may continue. Use Apple, Microsoft, or Google privacy controls for data those companies hold.

Press Pass has no account or persistent article history to access, correct, export, or delete. For information you submitted directly through support, use the same support channel to request access, correction, or deletion, subject to applicable law and necessary exceptions.

The helper is installed system-wide and is available to local Mac accounts, but only the paired extension origin may launch it. Accessibility approval is separate for each macOS user. Uninstalling the helper affects all local users and does not remove their Chrome extensions; removing an extension does not uninstall the helper.

Children

Press Pass is a general-audience utility and is not directed to children under 13 or any higher minimum age required by local law. It does not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child submitted information through support, contact us so we can review and delete it where required.

Changes

We may update this policy when the product, distribution method, third-party integrations, or legal requirements change. We will post the revised policy with a new "Last updated" date and provide any additional notice or consent required by law. Product behavior changes must be reflected in the Chrome Web Store disclosures and this policy before release.

Contact

For privacy questions or requests, contact StayTech through the Support section of the Press Pass by StayTech Chrome Web Store listing and label the request "Press Pass privacy." The verified publisher contact shown by the Chrome Web Store is the responsible contact for this policy.

Press Pass by StayTech is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, approved by, or endorsed by Apple Inc., Google LLC, or Microsoft Corporation. Apple and Apple News are trademarks of Apple Inc.; Google Chrome and Chrome Web Store are trademarks of Google LLC; MSN is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.