Swiper No Swiping

Inspiration

In today’s digital world, we upload files to websites like ChatGPT, Gmail, DeepSeek, and countless other platforms on a daily basis—often without realizing the potential risks. These files may contain personally identifiable information (PII) such as names, phone numbers, addresses, email IDs, and even Social Security Numbers. In the wrong hands, such data could lead to identity theft, phishing scams, or surveillance attacks.

We wanted to create a seamless, intelligent, and proactive solution that empowers users to take control of their data privacy. With Swiper-No-Swiping, you no longer have to worry about large language models (LLMs), AI tools, or any webpage unknowingly harvesting your sensitive details.

What it does

Swiper-No-Swiping is a browser extension that automatically intercepts, scans, and secures any file before it is uploaded to a website. Its key functionalities include:

Real-Time PII Detection – Instantly identifies sensitive data in documents before they reach the web.
Smart Alerts – Notifies users about detected PII with an intuitive pop-up alert.
One-Click Redaction – Offers the option to automatically redact PII and generate a sanitized version of the file for safer uploads.
User-Customized Redaction – Allows users to choose how their data is concealed:
- Full Redaction (completely removes sensitive data)
- Masked Redaction (replaces data with generic placeholders like ’x’)
Enhanced Document Protection – Provides an option to encrypt and password-protect files before uploading.

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How we built it

We leveraged JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to craft a robust, lightweight, and highly efficient browser extension. Our development process involved:

Designing an intelligent scanning engine capable of detecting various forms of PII.
Implementing a mechanism to monitor file uploads in real time.
Developing a user-friendly UI/UX to ensure effortless interaction.
Creating secure redaction algorithms to generate privacy-safe file versions.

Challenges We Overcame

The most complex aspect of this project was precisely detecting and alerting only for PII while ensuring that non-sensitive information remained untouched. The challenge lay in minimizing false positives and false negatives, guaranteeing that every identified PII was genuinely sensitive while avoiding unnecessary alerts. Achieving accuracy, consistency, and efficiency in PII detection—without relying on predefined libraries and instead implementing hardcoded logic—posed a significant hurdle, especially across various document formats and content structures. Despite these challenges, we fine-tuned our detection algorithms to deliver high-precision results while preserving user data integrity.

Our Proud Accomplishments

🚀A Fully Functional Prototype – Swiper-No-Swiping successfully detects and redacts PII in real-time. 🔒 Comprehensive PII Coverage – From basic information like Date of Birth and Emails to more sensitive data like Social Security Numbers and financial details. ⚡ User-First Privacy Protection – Offers flexible redaction and security features tailored to individual needs.

What we learned

This project deepened our understanding of:

Browser Security & Privacy Risks – How user data can be unknowingly exposed during file uploads.
PII Detection & Data Handling – Implementing robust algorithms to scan and secure sensitive information.
Redaction & Encryption Techniques – Ensuring that files remain usable while anonymizing critical data

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What's next for PII protector browser extension

We are pushing the boundaries of online data protection with upcoming features:

Cross-Format Secure File Conversion – The ability to download redacted files in any format (e.g., PDF to DOCX, TXT to CSV) with the click of a button.
Advanced PII Highlighting – Instead of just redacting, we will introduce a visual highlight feature those marks detected PII for user review before modification.
Customizable Redaction Settings – Users will have the power to choose their redaction style:
- Full Removal
- Partial Masking
- Data replacement with placeholders or randomized values
Smart Document Encryption – A feature to automatically generate strong passwords and encrypt files before uploading, adding an extra layer of security.
Personalized Alert Settings – Users will be able to customize PII detection parameters, deciding which types of sensitive data trigger alerts.

Join Us in Making the Web a Safer Place!

With Swiper-No-Swiping, we are redefining digital privacy, document security, and user control over sensitive data. Whether you’re uploading research papers, resumes, financial documents, or personal notes, our extension ensures your information stays in your hands—secure, private, and protected.