Termz | It's Time To Stop Blindly Accepting Terms

Termz reads legal documents for you. Auto-detects terms pages, analyzes instantly, explains in plain language. Privacy-first, Chrome-powered AI. Make informed decisions, not blind ones.

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Inspiration

We all do it—click "Agree" on terms we've never read. Every app, every website, every service comes with a wall of legal text designed to protect them, not us. At 11 PM, tired and just wanting to use an app? You hit that agreement wall and the decision paralysis sets in: Read this 50-page document or go to sleep? We realized there's a massive gap here. People deserve to understand what they're agreeing to, but nobody has time for legalese. That's where Termz was born—what if an AI could be your personal legal assistant?

What It Does

Termz is a Chrome extension that automatically reads and explains legal documents so you don't have to. Here's the magic:

  • Auto-Detects Legal Pages: When you land on a terms of service or privacy policy, Termz instantly recognizes it
  • Instant Analysis: Scans entire documents in seconds using Chrome's built-in Gemini Nano AI
  • Plain Language: Translates legalese into normal human words you actually understand
  • Risk Detection: Identifies suspicious clauses and dangerous data-harvesting practices
  • Risk Scoring: Shows you a visual risk level (LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH) so you know what you're getting into
  • Full Glossary: Explains confusing legal terms on demand
  • PDF Support: Upload documents directly for analysis
  • Privacy-First: Everything runs locally on your device. Your data never leaves your computer.

How We Built It

Frontend: Chrome Extension Manifest V3, HTML/CSS/JavaScript AI Engine: Google Chrome's built-in Gemini Nano AI (local inference) Detection: Content script automatically detects terms/privacy pages Processing: Runs completely locally—no servers, no cloud calls, no tracking Styling: Modern UI with Tailwind CSS for clean, accessible design Deployment: Chrome Web Store ready

Tech Stack:

  • Manifest V3 (Chrome Extension standard)
  • Gemini Nano (Chrome's built-in AI)
  • JavaScript, HTML, CSS
  • Tailwind CSS for UI
  • Local-first architecture

Challenges We Ran Into

  1. Local AI Inference: Getting Gemini Nano to work reliably locally without cloud calls took significant optimization
  2. Document Processing: Handling different HTML structures, nested elements, and dynamic content required careful parsing
  3. Token Limits: Working within Gemini Nano's context window while maintaining analysis quality
  4. UI Responsiveness: Making the extension fast enough that users don't wait for analysis
  5. Privacy Constraints: Ensuring absolutely zero data leaves the device meant managing everything locally
  6. Browser Compatibility: Manifest V3 compatibility issues across different Chrome versions
  7. Risk Detection Accuracy: Creating reliable heuristics for identifying dangerous clauses without false positives

Accomplishments We're Proud Of

  • ✅ True Privacy: Built a fully local-processing extension where zero data leaves the user's device
  • ✅ Real AI Integration: Successfully integrated Gemini Nano AI into a production Chrome extension
  • ✅ Instant Analysis: Document analysis completes in seconds, not minutes
  • ✅ Professional Design: Built a complete ecosystem including extension, website, and promotional video
  • ✅ Complete Solution: Not just code—includes marketing video, landing page, legal documentation
  • ✅ User-Centric: Designed specifically for the exhausted 11 PM user scenario that actually happens
  • ✅ Production Ready: Extension can be published to Chrome Web Store immediately

What We Learned

  • Chrome's AI Capabilities: Learned how to leverage Gemini Nano for real-time, local AI processing
  • Extension Architecture: Deep understanding of Manifest V3, content scripts, and extension limitations
  • Privacy-First Development: How to build powerful features while maintaining zero-knowledge architecture
  • User Psychology: The specific friction point of terms acceptance and why people need this
  • Video Production: Created compelling marketing content using AI video generation (Veo 3.1)
  • Full-Stack Hackathon Project: Integrating extension, website, video, and GitHub into one cohesive submission

What's Next for Termz

Immediate:

  • Publish to Chrome Web Store
  • Gather user feedback and iterate
  • Expand document type support (employment contracts, lease agreements, etc.)

Short-term:

  • Multi-browser Support: Firefox, Safari, Edge extensions
  • Enhanced Analysis: Add comparison features (see how terms changed between versions)
  • Community Database: Crowdsourced risk ratings for popular services
  • Mobile App: iOS/Android version for checking terms on the go
  • Document Comparison: Show what changed between old and new terms

Long-term:

  • Enterprise Version: For legal teams and HR departments
  • API: Allow other services to integrate Termz analysis
  • Open Source: Release under MIT license for community contributions
  • AI Improvements: Fine-tune models specifically for legal documents
  • Global Impact: Make terms understanding accessible worldwide

Built With

  • chrome-built-in-ai
  • chrome-extension-manifest-v3
  • css
  • github-(version-control)
  • google-gemini-nano-ai
  • html
  • javascript
  • local-processing
  • next.js-(website)
  • prompt-api
  • summarizer-api
  • tailwind-css
  • veo
  • vercel-(hosting)
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