HideTube Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how HideTube ("we," "us," or "our") handles information when you use our Chrome Extension, HideTube.

1. Information We Do Not Collect

HideTube is designed with your privacy in mind. We want to be absolutely clear: HideTube does not collect, store, transmit, or share any of your personal data.

• To perform its core functions (like hiding recommendations), the extension only accesses the content of the currently open youtube.com tab. It does not track or collect any other website visit history or general browsing activity.
• We do not store any personal identifiers.
• We do not send any data to our servers or any third-party servers.

2. How HideTube Works (Data Storage)

HideTube operates entirely locally within your browser. Your preferences and settings (e.g., whether to hide recommendations, comments, etc.) are saved using your browser's storage (chrome.storage.sync). This data:

• Is stored in the browser's storage. If you have Chrome sync enabled, this data may be associated with your Google account to synchronize your settings across devices.
• Is never sent to or accessed by HideTube's servers.

3. Permissions Used

HideTube requests the following permissions to function correctly:

• storage: To save your preferences and settings within your browser's sync storage.
• scripting: To inject and execute our content script on YouTube pages to apply the hiding styles.
• tabs: Used by the "Focus!" button feature to close the current YouTube tab after a countdown, helping you regain focus.
• alarms: This permission is essential for the "Break Mode" feature to function reliably. It allows us to schedule the exact time a user's break ends, ensuring features are re-activated even if the service worker is inactive.
• notifications: We use this permission to display a system notification informing the user that their "Break Mode" has ended. This is critical for a good user experience, as it prevents confusion when the extension's UI-hiding rules are re-applied.
• offscreen: This is required to play an optional audio notification when a user's "Break Mode" timer finishes. Since Manifest V3 service workers cannot play audio directly, we use an offscreen document as the official, Google-recommended method.

These permissions are used solely for the functionality of the extension and not for data collection.

4. Third-Party Services

HideTube does not integrate with any third-party analytics, advertising, or data collection services.

5. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes.