Is Selection Reader (Text to Speech) Safe? — Extension Safety Profile

This extension requests permissions that are typical for a text-to-speech tool. The activeTab and scripting permissions let it read selected text from the current page only when you trigger it, such as via the right-click context menu. The tts permission uses Chrome’s built-in speech engine to speak that text aloud locally, without sending it to any remote server. The storage permission saves your preferences, and alarms can schedule tasks. This scope is expected for a selection reader and does not grant broad, always-on access to your browsing.

For any general browser extension that can read page content, a careful user should consider that it could technically access sensitive text visible on the active tab when invoked. Because this extension relies on the local text-to-speech engine rather than a cloud service, your selected text stays on your device, which is a privacy advantage. As with all extensions, it is wise to install only from sources you trust and to be aware that future updates could change behavior, even if the current version appears safe.

The fact sheet shows a strong Maintenance & Ownership score, indicating the extension is actively maintained and ownership is clear. The weakest dimension is Publisher & Identity, which is common for extensions published by individual developers rather than large organizations, and does not by itself signal a problem. Combined with the developer’s declared privacy practices—stating data is not sold or used for unrelated purposes—the overall profile suggests a well-kept tool with a reasonable permission set.