Ape LawContact Ape Law
Documentation menu

Ape Law VASP Verify

How VASP Verify works

How VASP Verify reads the active hostname locally, refreshes public tracker data and finds reviewed domain relationships.

Documentation reviewed Tracker data collected Website relationships reviewed

Short answer

VASP Verify reads the URL of the active browser tab, extracts and normalises its hostname on the device, and compares that hostname with a public index of domain relationships reviewed by Ape Law. It returns linked tracker records when an exact domain or permitted subdomain rule matches.

From active tab to result

  1. 1
    Read the active tab URL

    The extension's declared tab permissions allow it to see the URL of the selected tab and during tab changes.

  2. 2
    Extract the hostname locally

    For example, a URL can be reduced to a lower-case hostname with a leading www. removed. The checked hostname is not added to the dataset request.

  3. 3
    Load tracker data

    VASP Verify uses a bundled snapshot and can cache the public domain-index JSON. It may request a refreshed copy from a fixed URL on tracker.ape.law.

  4. 4
    Compare reviewed relationships

    An exact hostname can match. A subdomain can match only where the reviewed relationship permits subdomains; shared hosting domains are not broadly expanded.

  5. 5
    Present related authorisations

    One domain may be linked to multiple entities or authorisations, so the result can contain more than one record.

Refresh and fallback behaviour

On installation or browser startup, Chrome ensures that a daily refresh alarm exists. When a new alarm is created, its first trigger is scheduled after five minutes. Opening the popup also requests a refresh. If a cached or bundled copy is available, a failed remote update does not necessarily prevent a result.

Firefox uses the same local matching logic. A remote refresh occurs only when the user grants its optional technical-data permission; otherwise Firefox uses the bundled snapshot. The extension enforces a request timeout and a maximum response size before accepting updated data.

What it does not do

  • It does not submit the active hostname to a remote search service.
  • It does not infer a licence from a company name, page text, logo or marketing claim.
  • It does not inspect every licence, website, product or jurisdiction in existence.
  • It does not determine that a regulator currently endorses a business.
  • It does not replace review of the official record and applicable restrictions.

Read the methodology for the evidence used to link domains and understanding results before relying on a match.