YouTubeDVR's Privacy Policy
What YouTubeDVR does
YouTubeDVR is a Chrome extension that lets you track YouTube channels and automatically adds their new uploads to a private playlist on your YouTube account.
What data is collected
YouTubeDVR collects and stores the following data locally on your device:
- YouTube channel information (channel IDs, names, and avatar URLs) for channels you choose to track
- YouTube playlist ID for the playlist that YouTubeDVR creates and manages
- OAuth tokens (access token and refresh token) used to authenticate with your Google account
- Video history (IDs of videos previously added to your playlist, not YouTube watch history)
- User preferences (dark/light mode, filter settings for Shorts and Livestream VODs)
Where data is stored
All data is stored locally on your device using Chrome's built-in storage system (chrome.storage.local and chrome.storage.sync).
No data is stored on any external server owned or operated by YouTubeDVR or its developer.
Settings such as your check interval and playlist ID may sync across your Chrome browsers through chrome.storage.sync, which is managed entirely by Google.
Third-party services
YouTubeDVR communicates only with Google and YouTube services:
- YouTube Data API v3 to look up channel information, check video details, and manage your playlist
- YouTube RSS Feeds (youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml) to check for new uploads without using API quota
- Google OAuth 2.0 (accounts.google.com and oauth2.googleapis.com) to sign you in and manage your authentication tokens
YouTubeDVR does not communicate with any other third-party services.
Permissions and why they are needed
- "identity" allows the extension to launch the Google sign-in flow
- "alarms" allows the extension to schedule automatic checks every minute
- "storage" allows the extension to save your channels, settings, and tokens locally on your device
- "host_permissions: https://www.youtube.com/*" allows the extension to fetch YouTube RSS feeds and resolve channel URLs
- OAuth scope "youtube" allows the extension to create and manage playlists and add videos to them. This is the narrowest scope Google offers that allows playlist writes.
Data sharing
YouTubeDVR does not sell, share, or transmit your data to any third party.
YouTubeDVR does not include any analytics, tracking, telemetry, or advertising.
Data management
- Signing out of YouTubeDVR revokes your OAuth token with Google and clears all stored authentication data
- Uninstalling the extension removes all locally stored data
- You can clear your playlist, delete your playlist, and remove tracked channels at any time from within the extension
Children's privacy
YouTubeDVR does not sell, share, or transmit your data to any third party. YouTubeDVR does not include or collect any analytics, tracking, telemetry, or advertising data. Usage of the YouTubeDVR extension requires a Google account, which is subject to Google's own age requirements.
Changes to this policy
If this privacy policy is updated, the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will be changed accordingly. Continued use of the extension after changes are made constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact
If you have questions about this privacy policy, you can reach out through the extension's support page on the Chrome Web Store here.
Privacy Policy summary
YouTubeDVR stores all data locally on your device, including tracked channel info, your playlist ID, authentication tokens, a temporary video history that auto-deletes after 48 hours, and your preferences like theme and filter settings. The extension only communicates with Google services (YouTube Data API, YouTube RSS feeds, and Google OAuth) and does not send data to any other server. There are no analytics, tracking, ads, or data sharing of any kind. Signing out revokes your token and clears authentication data, and uninstalling the extension removes everything. You can also clear or delete your playlist and remove tracked channels at any time from within the extension.