GDPR auto mailer

The GDPR Automailer is a browser extension that finds privacy emails on websites and lets users send GDPR data deletion requests instantly—making data rights easy to exercise.

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🧠 Inspiration

I was inspired by how difficult it is for people like me to exercise their privacy rights under GDPR. Even though the law exists to protect users, websites often hide or complicate the process of contacting them. I wanted to build something simple and direct — a tool that would make it easier for anyone to send a GDPR request without digging through dozens of pages or legal text.

🛠️ What it does

This is a browser extension that I built to help users:

  • Detect GDPR-related email addresses directly on the website they're visiting
  • Automatically fill out a GDPR request using their own email address (saved locally)
  • Search a local test database with over 6,000 privacy contact emails
  • Use a Google search fallback when no email is found
  • Customize the email template they send
  • Add, remove, and view email addresses locally
  • All while keeping everything private — no tracking, no servers involved

🧱 How I built it

This was my first time building a browser extension, and I learned everything from scratch. I used:

  • JavaScript and the Chrome Extensions API (Manifest V3)
  • Regex and DOM parsing to find emails
  • localStorage to keep user data and preferences safe on the device
  • mailto: links to generate email drafts
  • A JSON file as a mock database to test internal email search
  • A minimal, clean UI with support for both dark and light mode

🚧 Challenges I ran into

There were quite a few!
Learning how extensions work was a major step, especially debugging permissions and content scripts.
Finding working GDPR contact emails was difficult — most are hidden or use forms — so I had to build my own test dataset manually.
Also, designing something simple yet functional took time and iteration. I wanted the tool to be fast, lightweight, and beginner-friendly.

🎉 Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I'm proud that I:

  • Built a functional and privacy-focused extension from the ground up
  • Made something that can actually help people use their legal rights
  • Designed a scalable structure for adding real, validated data in the future
  • Created a product that respects user privacy at every step — no tracking, no backend, full control

📚 What I learned

This project taught me a lot:

  • How browser extensions work and how to structure one properly
  • How to use JavaScript for DOM parsing and data storage
  • That good UI is about clarity, not just looks
  • How to build something small that solves a real problem
  • How to think critically about privacy, usability, and scale — all at once

🚀 What's next for GDPR Auto Mailer

After the hackathon, I plan to:

  • Replace the test database with a verified, crowdsourced one
  • Add support for CSV upload and export
  • Let users track the status of their requests (opt-in only)
  • Translate the extension and email templates into multiple languages
  • Publish it to the Chrome Web Store and gather real feedback from users

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