Privacy Policy for YouTube Chapters

Effective Date: October 4, 2025
Developer: Shivam Banka (“we,” “us,” or “our”)
Contact: shivam.banka17@gmail.com

1) Overview

YouTube Chapters is a Chrome extension that detects timestamps in YouTube video descriptions (e.g., “00:00 Intro”, “03:45 Topic A”) and displays them in a simple panel alongside the video. The extension is designed to work locally on your device and minimize data access.

2) Summary (TL;DR)

• We do not collect, sell, or share personal data.
• All processing happens locally in your browser.
• No analytics, no advertising, no external servers.
• We store only minimal settings (e.g., layout/theme) locally on your device.
• You can remove all local data by uninstalling the extension or clearing Chrome’s site/extension storage.

3) What Data We Access or Process

A) Content on the page you are viewing:

• Public text of the YouTube video description on the page loaded in your browser (to detect timestamps and labels).
• Video title and channel name may be read only to display context in the panel (on device only).

B) Local preferences (stored on your device only):

• UI settings such as theme (light/dark), panel position/width, sorting, and other non-personal preferences.

C) What we do NOT access:

• We do not access your Google account data, YouTube account data, watch history, subscriptions, comments, or likes.
• We do not collect your IP address, device identifiers, cookies, or browsing history beyond the active YouTube tab where the extension runs.
• We do not use the YouTube Data API or Google OAuth.

4) How We Use Data

• On-device functionality only: we parse the page you are viewing to extract timestamps and render a navigable list.
• No server transmission: we do not send content or settings to our servers or to third parties.
• No profiling or advertising.

5) Data Collection, Sharing, Selling

• Collected: No (no personal or sensitive user data collected).
• Shared: No.
• Sold: Never.
• Processed locally: Yes (parsing and UI rendering happen in your browser).

6) Chrome Permissions We Use

• host_permissions for https://*.YouTube.com/* — required so the content script can read the video description text on the YouTube page you are viewing.
• storage — used only to save local UI preferences (e.g., theme, panel layout).
• activeTab or scripting — to inject/execute the content script on the current YouTube tab so timestamps can be detected and displayed.

We request the minimum permissions needed and do not use them to access data on non-YouTube pages.

7) Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising

• We do not set or read cookies.
• We do not use analytics (no Google Analytics, no telemetry).
• We do not serve or participate in advertising networks.

8) Data Retention & Deletion

• Local only: settings are stored in Chrome’s extension storage on your device.
• Delete any time: uninstall the extension or clear Chrome’s site/extension data (“Site data” includes extension storage).
• We retain no server-side copies of anything.

9) Security

Even though we do not transfer data to our servers, we follow best practices to protect users:

• Principle of least privilege in requested permissions.
• Keep the codebase maintained and updated.
• Review dependencies for supply-chain risks.
• Respond to reported vulnerabilities promptly (contact: shivam.banka17@gmail.com).

10) Children’s Privacy

Our extension is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through our extension, contact us at shivam.banka17@gmail.com and we will address it.

11) Third-Party Services

The extension interacts only with the YouTube pages you load in your browser. We do not integrate third-party SDKs, trackers, or analytics. We do not use the YouTube Data API. If this ever changes, we will update this policy and comply with the YouTube API Services User Data Policy.

12) International Data Transfers

Not applicable. We do not transmit or store user data on our servers.

13) User Controls

• Enable or disable the extension at any time from chrome://extensions.
• Uninstall the extension at any time.
• Clear local settings data via Chrome’s “Clear browsing data.”

14) Changes to This Policy

If we make material changes (for example, begin collecting data, add analytics, or integrate third-party services), we will update this page and revise the Effective Date above. We will also update the Chrome Web Store listing to reflect any changes to data practices.

15) How to Contact Us

Email: shivam.banka17@gmail.com
Developer: Shivam Banka

Chrome Web Store Disclosures (Quick Reference)

• Data collection: No
• Data sharing: No
• Data sold: No
• Location of processing: On device
• Purpose of use: Core functionality only
• User-controlled deletion: Yes (uninstall/clear extension storage)

Notes

• YouTube is a trademark of Google LLC. YouTube Chapters is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google or YouTube.
• Because we do not collect or process personal data, user rights under privacy laws (like GDPR or CCPA) do not apply. If this changes, we will update this policy.