Axelium browser companion — Privacy policy

Last updated: 10 June 2026

The Axelium browser companion is a Chrome extension that helps you bring full-text PDFs into your evidence-synthesis reviews on Axelium. This policy explains exactly what data it handles, where that data lives, and the things it deliberately never does. It covers the extension only; the Axelium web service is covered by Axelium’s main privacy policy.

The short version

• The companion fetches PDFs in your own browser session, using access you already have, and uploads them to the review you choose.
• It never sends paywalled content through Axelium’s servers to fetch it, and it never sells or shares your data with advertisers.
• Your sign-in token and any publisher tokens you enter are stored on your device. Publisher tokens are encrypted and never leave your machine.
• You can disconnect or uninstall at any time.

What the companion stores on your device

• Your Axelium connection token. When you click “Sign in” and approve the connection, a token that lets the companion act for you is stored in your browser’s extension storage. It is used only to talk to your Axelium account, expires after 180 days, and can be revoked at any time from Axelium → Settings → Connected applications, or by signing out in the companion.
• Publisher access tokens (optional). If your institution gives you a publisher text-and-data-mining token and you choose to add it in the companion’s Settings, it is encrypted and stored only on your device. It is used solely to request PDFs directly from that publisher and is never transmitted to Axelium or anyone else.
• Per-publisher permission state. Which publisher sites you have allowed the companion to operate on.

What the companion sends to Axelium

• PDFs you capture. When you approve a capture, the PDF is read in your browser and uploaded to the specific review you selected, so it can be parsed for your synthesis.
• Capture outcomes. Which studies were resolved, which still need a manual upload — so your review’s queue stays accurate.
• Your reviews’ “needs full text” list. The companion reads which papers in your reviews still need a PDF so it can offer to fetch them.

What the companion never does

• It never fetches paywalled content from Axelium’s servers — every paywalled retrieval happens in your browser, with your explicit per-capture approval.
• It never reads pages or tabs you have not asked it to act on.
• It never runs in the background on its own — it acts only in response to your clicks.
• It never sells, rents, or shares your data with third parties, and it is not used for advertising or any purpose unrelated to bringing full-text into your reviews.

Permissions, in plain terms

• Publisher sites you allow — so it can read the PDF from a paper you have open. Each publisher must be enabled by you.
• The active tab — to identify the paper you currently have open, only when you click.
• Storage — to keep your connection token and settings on your device.

Retention & deletion

Tokens and settings remain on your device until you sign out or uninstall the extension, which clears them. Your Axelium connection token also expires automatically after 180 days. PDFs you upload are stored with the relevant review in your Axelium account and are governed by Axelium’s main data policy; deleting the review or document there removes them.

Contact

Questions about this policy: privacy@axelium.ai.