Last updated: September 10, 2026
Pretty XML Sitemaps is a browser extension by Joost de Valk. It displays XML sitemaps and sitemap indexes as readable tables. This policy covers the extension itself.
Information processed on your device
The extension checks the type of document you open. When it finds a standard XML sitemap or sitemap index, it reads that document and its address to build a table. This includes page addresses, modification dates, image counts, alternate language codes and addresses, news titles, publication names, languages and publication dates, and video information such as titles, descriptions, tags, durations, publication dates, player links, and thumbnail addresses. The XML view can also display other information already present in the sitemap.
Clicking the extension button requests the current tab’s address again to read the original XML behind an existing XSLT view. The website receives a normal request, including your IP address and browser request information. Your browser’s existing credentials and cookies for that same website apply; the extension does not read them. It replaces the view only after checking that the response is a standard XML sitemap. The extension uses temporary active-tab access and the scripting permission for this action. Refresh the tab to return to the website’s original view.
Search text is used only to filter the entries in the current tab.
How the information is used
The extension uses this information only to display, filter, sort, and navigate the sitemap. It does not read your stored browsing history, inspect cookies, build a browsing profile, or request an account.
Storage and sharing
The extension keeps the working data in the open tab. It does not write sitemap data or search terms to persistent storage or upload them to the developer or an external service. Leaving or closing the page ends that view; the extension keeps no saved record. Normal browser features such as history and caching remain under your browser’s control.
There are no analytics, advertisements, remote scripts, or background data uploads. The developer cannot see the sitemap content or search terms through the extension.
Clicking a sitemap entry navigates your browser to that address in the usual way. The destination website and your browser then handle the request according to their own settings and policies. The extension adds no tracking parameters.
Video thumbnails are loaded directly from the image addresses listed in the sitemap as they approach the visible area. This makes a normal image request to the image host, which receives your IP address and browser request information. The extension sets a no-referrer policy on these requests. Browser cookie, caching, and site settings still apply. Thumbnails are not sent through a developer-operated service. Video players and video files are opened only when you click their links; they are not embedded or played automatically.
Website access and your controls
Sitemap addresses can use any domain or path, so the extension requests website access for automatic detection. It changes only XML documents with the standard sitemap namespace and a sitemap or sitemap-index root. Other XML files, feeds, and ordinary web pages are left unchanged.
You can restrict website access, disable the extension, or uninstall it in Chrome’s extension settings. There is no developer-held usage data to delete.
Limited use
Pretty XML Sitemaps uses data only for its stated sitemap-viewing features, in accordance with the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy and its Limited Use requirements. It does not sell data, use it for advertising or credit decisions, or allow the developer or other people to read it through the extension.
Questions
Contact Joost de Valk at https://joost.blog/contact-me/ for questions about the extension or this policy. Avoid including private sitemap content in a public support request.