GraphTrust

GraphTrust helps students and researchers map web credibility. Add sites, get AI-summarized keywords, and see connections in a D3 graph — all private, local, and insight-driven.

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Inspiration

Researching online often feels chaotic — too many tabs, unclear credibility, and no way to visualize how sources connect. We wanted a tool that helps students and researchers see relationships and trust between the sites they explore.

What it does

GraphTrust is a Chrome extension that lets you add any website to a personal research map. It uses local AI summarization to extract key ideas, connects related pages through shared keywords, and renders an interactive D3.js web graph — all stored fully offline for privacy.

How we built it

I built a Chrome Extension (Manifest V3) using:

  • D3.js for dynamic graph visualization
  • LocalStorage for on-device data
  • Chrome’s built-in AI summarizer for keyword extraction
  • Vanilla JavaScript and HTML for a lightweight interface All computation happens locally, so users can research safely without sharing data online.

Challenges we ran into

  • Getting consistent summaries from the local AI model across different pages
  • Managing dynamic graph updates without heavy performance cost
  • Handling storage limits and persistence between sessions
  • Designing a clean UI that balances readability and graph complexity

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Built a fully local AI tool that respects privacy
  • Achieved smooth real-time D3 visualization inside a Chrome extension
  • Created an intuitive workflow for mapping research sources visually
  • Demonstrated how graph thinking can enhance critical evaluation of information

What we learned

I learned how to combine local AI, visualization, and browser APIs to create useful research tools. I also discovered that visualizing web relationships helps users think critically about credibility, not just content.

What's next for GraphTrust

  • Add trust scoring based on domain references and link density
  • Support graph export/import for collaboration
  • Integrate optional citation databases (e.g., Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex)
  • Explore edge semantics — showing why two sites are connected
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