Cognitive Firewall is a friendly Chrome extension that acts as a real-time "persuasion and hype detector" for your browser. It helps you see when webpages, social media feeds, or video descriptions are using emotional pressure, scare tactics, or exaggerated persuasion to influence how you think.
In today's digital world, content is often designed to make you act quickly by triggering emotions. Cognitive Firewall acts as a gentle helper, highlighting these emotional triggers so you can read objectively, spot high-pressure marketing, and make decisions on your own terms.
- 🛡️ Real-Time Text Scanner: Instantly scans visible text on any webpage to detect persuasion patterns.
- 📊 Simple Hype Scoring: Provides a clear score showing the level of influence pressure (e.g., Low, Medium, High).
- 🔍 Evidence-Linked Explanations: Hover over highlighted phrases to read a simple, clear explanation of why it was marked.
- 🔒 Local & Private: Processes all text directly on your device. Your browsing history and data never leave your browser.
- Highlighting: The extension highlights phrases that use pressure tactics (like creating fake urgency or emotional appeals).
- Deterministic Analysis: Uses custom keyword and phrase matching rules to calculate an objective score.
- Tooltip Explanations: Explains the tactic being used when you move your cursor over the highlight.
- Download the Extension: Clone this repository or download the latest release files.
- Open Extensions Page: Navigate to
chrome://extensions/in your Chrome browser. - Enable Developer Mode: Toggle the Developer mode switch in the top-right corner.
- Load the Extension: Click Load unpacked and select the folder containing these project files.
- Start Scanning: Click the extension icon to begin checking webpages!
Note
A Note on the Name: I always liked the name Boundier and named it at the hackathon. However, the name now suits for another project I built (an autonomous Discord bot). This project has been renamed from Boundier to Cognitive Firewall to make room for it.