amalic / privacybot

PrivacyBot

PrivacyBot is a simple automated service to initiate CCPA deletion requests with databrokers.

How It Works

1. PrivacyBot comprises of a React Frontend and a Python Flask Backend web architecture
2. After starting the application, PrivacyBot initiates an OAuth authentication request with your Gmail account. You will be asked to allow PrivacyBot to read, compose and send emails from your Gmail account.
3. Once the authentication is successfully completed, depending on the data provided to the Flask API, a CCPA data delete email is drafted and sent to the data brokers chosen.
4. A confirmation email is sent back to you listing all the databrokers to whom the email was sent.

NOTE - google verification in progress

Prerequisites

1. A Gmail account - This is the email from which you will be initiating the data delete requests. PrivacyBot's data deletion process is most effective if this email is the one which you use the most for personal use.
2. Install Python 3 (https://www.python.org/downloads/)
3. Ensure pip3 is installed (https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installing/)
4. Install node https://nodejs.org/en/download/

Usage - Running PrivacyBot

1. Download zip file from Github Repo and unzip

2. Open Visual Studio Code and open the “privacybot-private-main” folder

3. Open split terminal in VS Code (or any two terminals/cmd prompts on your machine). We will be using one terminal to run the Flask app and the other one to run the React app.

Start the Flask Server

1. Create and activate a Python Virtual Environment

The below commands create and activate a virtual environment named "PB_venv".

$ python3 -m venv PB_venv

$ source PB_venv/bin/activate

2. Navigate to app folder and install from requirements.txt

$ cd app

$ pip3 install -r requirements.txt

To confirm required packages are installed - see if “flask_cors” is installed:

$ pip3 list

3: Start the Flask App

Run the below commands within the activated virtual environment.

$ flask run

The above commands will start the flask application. It can now be accessed through http://127.0.0.1:5000/

Leave this terminal instance as is, and open the second terminal instance.

Start the React Application

PFB a step by step list of commands that informs how to install an instance of the React Server.

1. Run the following commands in the second terminal to navigate to the app/PB_UI folder

$ cd app

$ cd PB_UI

2. Check to make sure node and npm is correctly installed

$ node -v

$ npm -v

3. Install the required packages using npm install. Fix any vulnerabilities found.

$ npm install

$ npm audit fix

4. Start the React Application by running the below commands. This may take a moment.

$ npm run build

$ npm start

5. PrivacyBot will now be running on your local machine.

You will now be able to fill in the required details on the browser form that is opened by the above React commands. Once the required details are filled in and your GMAIL account is authenticated successfully, PrivacyBot will automatically send data deletion requests to the chosen list of data brokers! Yay!

6. Remove access to PrivacyBot from your Gmail account