Privacy Policy — Goal Seek for Google Sheets
1. Who we are
Goal Seek ("the add-on") is operated by Fabian Hönes (contact: kontakt@arbeitstyp.de). For the data the add-on processes inside your spreadsheet we are neither a data controller nor a data processor — that data is processed entirely within your Google account and never reaches us (sections 2–6). We act as a data controller only for support correspondence you choose to send us directly (section 10).
2. Google user data the add-on accesses
The add-on requests exactly two OAuth scopes — the minimum required for its single function:
…/auth/spreadsheets.currentonly — read and modify
only the spreadsheet this add-on is used in. The add-on cannot see
any of your other files.
…/auth/script.container.ui — show its sidebar inside Google
Sheets. Google classifies this scope as sensitive; it displays the
add-on's user interface and grants no access to your data by itself.
Through these scopes the add-on accesses: the value and formula of the target cell and the variable cell you select, the recalculated values during the search, and the sidebar form inputs you type. It accesses nothing else — not your other spreadsheets, not your Drive, not your contacts, not your email, not your account profile.
3. How that data is used
When you run a goal seek, the add-on reads the value of the target cell and of the variable cell you selected, writes trial values into that one variable cell, and reads the recalculated target value until a solution is found. Before the first write it saves the original content of the variable cell into the spreadsheet's own document properties, so it can always be restored — after a cancel, an error, or an interrupted run. It also remembers your last form inputs per spreadsheet, so the sidebar can prefill them next time. That is the only use of the data — providing the goal-seek feature you invoked. There is no secondary use of any kind.
4. Where data is stored, and for how long (retention)
All processing happens inside Google's infrastructure, inside the one spreadsheet the add-on runs in, executed by Google Apps Script under your own Google account. Nothing is copied to any system outside your Google account. We — the developer — operate no servers and no databases, and we never see, receive, store or retain any of your spreadsheet data.
The only data the add-on persists are (a) the saved original value of the variable cell and (b) your last sidebar inputs — both stored in the spreadsheet's own document properties, which live inside that spreadsheet in your Google account. They are retained only as long as the spreadsheet exists: deleting the spreadsheet deletes them, and section 9 describes how to remove them earlier. Because no data ever reaches us, our own retention period for Google user data is zero.
5. Sharing of Google user data
We do not share, transfer, sell or disclose Google user data to anyone — no third parties, no service providers, no advertisers, no data brokers. Technically we could not even do so, because the data never leaves your Google account. The add-on makes no network requests to any external system (no egress) and uses no cookies, analytics, tracking or advertising of any kind.
6. Data protection mechanisms
We protect the data the add-on touches with the following mechanisms:
Encryption in transit. All communication between your
browser, the add-on's sidebar and Google's servers uses HTTPS/TLS,
enforced by Google's infrastructure. The add-on itself opens no other
connections.
Encryption at rest. Everything the add-on reads or writes
(cell values, document properties) is stored in Google Sheets and is
encrypted at rest by Google as described in
Google's default encryption documentation.
Data minimization & least privilege. The add-on requests
the narrowest available scopes (section 2): it can only touch the spreadsheet
it runs in, and only while you use it. It reads only the cells involved in
the goal-seek you configure.
No external attack surface. With no servers, no database and
no egress, there is no system of ours that could be breached to expose your
data. Sandboxing and isolation of the Apps Script runtime are provided and
maintained by Google.
Access control on the developer side. The developer account
that publishes the add-on is protected by strong authentication (two-factor
authentication). No mechanism exists by which the developer can read user
spreadsheets through the add-on.
Change control. The add-on ships as reviewed, versioned
releases through the Google Workspace Marketplace. Any future change to the
requested scopes would trigger a new Google review and a new consent screen —
the add-on's access cannot silently expand.
Incident response. In the unlikely event of a security
incident affecting user data, we will notify affected users and the relevant
authorities without undue delay, in accordance with Art. 33/34 GDPR.
7. No AI/ML training (Workspace API disclosure)
We do not retain or use any data obtained through Google Workspace APIs to develop, improve or train generalized (non-personalized) artificial intelligence or machine-learning models. The add-on contains no AI components; it is a deterministic numerical solver.
8. Limited Use
Goal Seek's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements, and to the Google Workspace Marketplace program policies. In short: data accessed via the scopes above is used only to provide the user-facing goal-seek feature, and is never transferred, sold, used for advertising, or used to train AI/ML models.
9. Revoking access and deleting data
You can revoke the add-on's access at any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions or uninstall it via Extensions → Add-ons → Manage add-ons in Google Sheets — the add-on then loses all access immediately. The small amount of data stored in a spreadsheet's document properties (section 4) is removed by deleting the spreadsheet, and it never leaves that file. Because we hold no copy of your data, there is nothing further for us to delete; if you have any doubt, contact us (section 10) and we will confirm this for your case.
10. Support requests
If you contact us at kontakt@arbeitstyp.de, we use your email address and the content of your message solely to answer your request (legal basis: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR — responding to your inquiry). Support emails are deleted once the request is resolved, unless a longer retention is legally required.
11. Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, data portability and objection regarding personal data we process (which, per the above, is limited to support correspondence). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. For any request, contact kontakt@arbeitstyp.de.
12. Google's role
The add-on runs on Google Apps Script, inside Google Workspace. Google's processing of your data is governed by the Google Privacy Policy and your agreements with Google.
13. Changes
If the add-on ever changes in a way that affects data handling, this policy will be updated before the change ships, with a new effective date.