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Privacy Policy

Don't Let YouTube Track You — Browser Extension

Effective date: March 26, 2026

Overview

"Don't Let YouTube Track You" is a privacy-focused browser extension that records your YouTube browsing history locally on your device. It is designed to work without a Google account and without sending your data to Google. This policy explains what data the extension handles, how it is stored, and what choices you have.

Data Collected

When you visit YouTube pages, the extension records the following information from the pages you visit:

• Page URL
• Page title
• Page type (video, search, channel, shorts, playlist, home)
• Video ID (if applicable)
• Channel name and channel ID (if applicable)
• Search query (if applicable)
• Thumbnail URL (constructed from the video ID)
• Timestamp of the visit
• Duration spent on the page

The extension also generates a random device ID (UUID) that is stored locally and used to identify your device if you enable cross-device sync.

How Data Is Stored

All browsing history is stored locally on your device in a SQLite database using your browser's storage APIs (OPFS, IndexedDB, or in-memory storage depending on your browser). No data leaves your device unless you explicitly enable cross-device sync.

Cross-Device Sync (Optional)

If you choose to enable cross-device sync, the extension uses Supabase (a hosted Postgres service) to synchronize your history across devices. When sync is enabled:

• Sensitive fields are encrypted before transmission. URLs, titles, channel names, channel IDs, search queries, and thumbnail URLs are encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your device before being sent to the server. The server never sees this data in plaintext.
• The encryption key is derived from your 6-character pairing code using PBKDF2 (100,000 iterations, SHA-256). The key and pairing code never leave your device.
• The following fields are sent unencrypted (required for server-side operations): record ID, device ID, sync group ID, page type, visit timestamp, and duration.

Sync is entirely optional. The extension works fully offline without it.

What We Do NOT Collect

• No analytics or telemetry of any kind
• No personal information (name, email, account details)
• No data is sold or shared with third parties
• No advertising or tracking scripts
• No cookies are set by the extension

Extension Permissions

The extension requests the following browser permissions:

Permission	Why it's needed
storage	Store extension configuration
unlimitedStorage	Allow the local history database to grow without browser quota limits
tabs	Open YouTube links when you click history items
offscreen	Chrome only: host the SQLite database worker
*://*.youtube.com/*	Content script runs on YouTube to detect page navigation
https://*.supabase.co/*	Connect to the sync backend (only used when sync is enabled)

Data Retention and Deletion

• The extension automatically deletes history entries older than your configured retention period (default: 90 days).
• You can clear all local history at any time from the extension's Settings tab.
• You can export your history as JSON or CSV before deleting it.
• Uninstalling the extension removes all locally stored data.
• If you used cross-device sync, leaving a sync group removes your device's association. Encrypted data may remain on the server until the sync group is empty or the data expires.

Third-Party Services

Service	Purpose	When used
Supabase	Cross-device sync backend	Only when you enable sync
YouTube thumbnail CDN (i.ytimg.com)	Display video thumbnails in the popup	When viewing your history

No other third-party services, APIs, or SDKs are used.

Children's Privacy

This extension is not directed at children under 13. It does not knowingly collect information from children.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy is updated, the changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Significant changes will be noted in the extension's release notes.

Contact

If you have questions or concerns about this privacy policy, please open an issue on the GitHub repository.