obben ai - KrumblED

Inspiration

Chrome browser set over 4.2 billion cookies daily across its 3.5 billion users in 2023. 23% of websites set cookies without Secure flag, exposing them to Man In The Middle cyber attacks. 72% of users unaware that cookies enable cross-device tracking.

Every day, we click “Accept All” without reading a single word. In seconds, we hand over information about our location, behavior, preferences, and even our buying habits. What feels like a simple pop-up is actually a data gold mine, these websites quietly collect insights that power advertising, profiling, and long-term tracking

What it does

We built KrumblED as a Chrome extension that scans a website’s cookies in real time and sorts them into clear categories like ads, analytics, or security. It looks at things like the cookie’s name and lifespan to estimate how risky it is, then displays everything in a simple bar at the top of the page where users can review and block what they don’t want. When enabled, it also makes API calls to generate plain-language explanations, turning complicated tracking details into something easy to understand.

How we built it

We built it as a Chrome Extension using Manifest V3. A background service worker handles the core logic and uses the Chrome Cookies API to pull cookies for the active tab, then runs them through a rule based classifier to assign categories and generate short descriptions. We pass that structured cookie data to the popup and the on page UI through Chrome message passing, where the frontend scripts render the list with labels, details, and actions. We iterated a lot on the UI layer using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to keep it clean and readable, and we wired up cookie removal and blocking flows through the background script so the interface can trigger changes reliably.

Challenges we ran into

One of our first challenges was deciding on a project idea that was realistic to build but still meaningful for users. Another challenge was making the extension look clean and professional, and getting cookie blocking working reliably at the start. We spent a lot of time iterating on layout, spacing, and readability so the interface felt simple and trustworthy, and we had to work through permissions and Chrome extension API quirks before blocking and removal behaved the way we expected.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that we built a working Chrome extension that detects a site’s cookies and presents them in a clear, consistent interface instead of a confusing banner. We turned cryptic cookie names into plain English explanations, grouped them into categories like necessary, analytics, advertising, security, and personalization, and added an at a glance view so the riskiest cookies stand out first. We also implemented controls to remove or block selected cookies, even when some sites try to recreate them, and spent time polishing the design so it feels clean, trustworthy, and easy to use. On top of that, we added accessibility touches like language support and spoken summaries while keeping the extension lightweight and responsive on real websites.

What we learned

We learned how to build and ship a Chrome extension, connect background logic to a polished UI, and work with permissions and the Chrome Cookies API. We also learned how important iteration and teamwork are when turning a rough prototype into something usable. What this project demonstrates is that the gap between legal compliance and actual accessible consent is enormous, and that gap falls disproportionately on people who are already disadvantaged: those with cognitive, visual, or language barriers.