Privacy Policy
Vidskim does not sell personal data or use transcript or chat content for advertising. This policy explains what is processed when you use the extension, hosted AI, authentication, and the website.
The Vidskim Chrome extension
Transcript and local extension data
The extension reads the captions of the YouTube video you are viewing and displays them in your browser. Transcripts, recent chat state, preferences, anonymous analytics identifiers, authentication sessions, and any optional AI API key are stored in Chrome extension storage on your device.
Transcript text stays on your device while you read, search, copy, or export it. It leaves the device only when you actively trigger an AI feature.
Free hosted AI
When you use summary, chat, takeaways, or AI translation without adding your own API key, the relevant transcript text, your prompt, and the requested operation are sent over HTTPS to vidskim.com/api/ai. Vidskim forwards that content to OpenRouter, which routes the request to an AI model and returns the response.
Hosted-AI content is processed only to answer the request you initiated. Vidskim does not intentionally store transcript text, prompts, or AI responses in its application database and does not send them to product analytics. OpenRouter and the underlying model provider process requests under their own terms and privacy policies.
Authentication and usage limits
Hosted AI uses Vidskim's self-hosted authentication service. Before sign-in, Vidskim creates an anonymous account and session. After the initial free runs, you may sign in with Google. Google provides Vidskim with account information such as your Google account ID, email address, name, and profile image according to the permissions shown during sign-in. Email one-time codes are not currently enabled.
Authentication sessions and tokens are kept in extension storage. Vidskim's hosted-AI server receives the access token, validates it, and uses the resulting user ID and account status to enforce free usage limits. Vidskim stores authentication records and usage counters in its PostgreSQL database; it does not store transcript or prompt content with those counters. If you voluntarily select a 1–5 star rating to claim the one-time daily-limit reward, Vidskim stores that rating and the reward-claim time with the same user ID so the reward cannot be claimed more than once.
Optional bring-your-own-key AI
You can optionally add an API key for OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, or OpenRouter. The key is stored only in Chrome extension storage. In this mode, the relevant transcript and prompt are sent directly from the extension to your selected provider; Vidskim's hosted-AI server does not receive the request.
Product analytics and diagnostics
The extension sends product events to PostHog to understand feature use and reliability. Events may include actions such as opening the panel, loading a transcript, requesting or completing an AI feature, changing a language, reaching a limit, and signing in or out. The hosted-AI server also records whether a request passed the usage gate, completed, failed, or reached a limit. Events may include a random extension identifier or one-way pseudonymous server identifier, extension version, browser/OS type, interface language, model, action type, counts, duration buckets, and coarse performance/error metadata.
Analytics never intentionally includes video titles, transcript text, prompts, chat messages, AI responses, API keys, email addresses, or Google account details. PostHog receives ordinary network metadata such as an IP address and may derive approximate location. These product events are collected when the extension is used.
Extension permissions
- storage: saves preferences, cached state, optional API keys, the anonymous analytics identifier, and authentication sessions locally.
- scripting: inserts or refreshes the panel in YouTube tabs already open when the extension is installed or updated.
- unlimitedStorage: supports bounded local transcript and chat caching.
- offscreen: gives the Manifest V3 service worker a local extension page used by the transitional billing transport; the paywall UI and all executable code are bundled locally.
- identity: opens Google sign-in and returns the OAuth result through Chrome's protected redirect URL.
- youtube.com: reads captions and adds the Vidskim panel to the video page you are viewing.
- vidskim.com: sends only user-triggered hosted-AI requests.
- AI provider domains: sends direct requests only when bring-your-own-key mode is enabled.
- platform.vidskim.com: loads plan configuration and starts checkout through the transitional billing adapter when you choose to view plans or a plan.
- us.i.posthog.com: sends the analytics described above.
The vidskim.com website and free tools
- Video URLs. When you use a web tool, the video ID is sent to the server to fetch public captions. Public-video transcripts may be cached briefly so repeat requests are faster.
- Web summaries. When you request a summary, transcript text is sent to OpenRouter to generate it. Vidskim does not intentionally store the submitted transcript or generated summary.
- Abuse prevention. The website may use short-lived IP-based request counters. Web servers and infrastructure providers also receive ordinary request metadata such as IP address and user agent.
- Website analytics. If enabled, the site sends page views, referrers, tool outcomes, and a random local-storage identifier to PostHog. It does not send pasted video URLs, transcript text, uploaded subtitle contents, or filenames. The site respects browser Do Not Track.
Retention and deletion
Local extension data can be deleted by clearing the extension's storage or removing the extension. Removing the extension stops future extension analytics events. To request deletion of a signed-in hosted-AI account or associated server-side usage counters, contact the support address below. Service providers may retain security, fraud-prevention, or operational records under their own policies and legal obligations.
Contact
Questions or deletion requests: [email protected]. Vidskim is not affiliated with YouTube or Google.