YouTube Sidebar Premium

Privacy Notice

Last updated: 6 October 2026

YouTube Sidebar Premium (the “Extension”) enhances youtube.com with extra sidebar tabs, account-aware upgrades, and optional saved content. This notice lists the limited data we handle, how it flows through Chrome/Firefox storage, Firebase, Google, and Stripe, and the choices you retain.

What Information We Process

  • Google sign-in profile: When you use Chrome/Firefox identity we receive a Google ID token plus profile basics (subject ID, email, display name, photo). Tokens live in memory only until we validate them; a sanitized copy of your profile (no token) is cached in extension storage so you stay signed in between sessions.
  • Device and extension settings: We create an anonymous device ID and store your sidebar layout, tab order, hidden tabs, theme, saved filters, captured videos, exported queue, and premium-only video notes in browser storage sync/local storage.
  • YouTube session context: While you are on youtube.com we read the page's own config (account name, avatar, channel/session IDs, video metadata) to show the correct status inside the sidebar. This copy never leaves your browser unless you explicitly export a JSON file of captured videos.
  • Cloud Sync content (Premium, optional): If you are a Premium subscriber signed in with Google and Cloud Sync is enabled (it can be turned off in Settings → Behavior), your saved video queue (video IDs, titles, channel names, thumbnails, durations) and your timestamped notes (note text, timestamps, and tags), playback positions, and learning projects are uploaded to our Firebase backend and stored against your account so they can sync across your browsers. Cloud Sync requires Premium access, including an active trial. Free users may separately publish a queue only by choosing Share.
  • Shared queues (optional, public): If you click “Share” on your queue, the queue title and its videos’ IDs, titles, channel names, and durations are uploaded and published on a public web page at ytextension83.web.app. Anyone with the link can view that page. Nothing is shared unless you press the Share button.
  • License and payment metadata: When you refresh a license or start checkout we store in Firebase Firestore the user ID, plan, entitlement timestamps, Stripe checkout/session identifiers, Stripe customer/subscription IDs, and billing email needed to link the purchase to your account. We do not collect or see full card numbers.
  • Support communications: If you email ytsidebar@aimixtapes.com we receive your message and reply address so we can respond and follow up on entitlements or refunds.

How Data Moves

  • On-device only: Device IDs, cached Google profile basics, layout settings, watch-time statistics, filter preferences, and YouTube session context remain on your computer. Saved videos and notes also stay on-device for free-plan users, and for Premium users who turn Cloud Sync off. Signing out or switching accounts hides the current account’s saved content but preserves a separate local archive. Clearing extension data or uninstalling removes local copies.
  • Sent to Firebase Cloud Functions: The Extension transmits Google ID tokens (over HTTPS) when checking entitlements, the confirmSecret + sessionId generated by Stripe during checkout, and your selected plan so the API can respond with the correct license. With Cloud Sync enabled (Premium), it also transmits your saved queue and notes as described above; when you use Share, it transmits the shared queue content. The API validates every token with Google's tokeninfo endpoint before storing anything.
  • Shared with processors:
    • Google provides OAuth, Chrome Identity, and the youtube.com page data we read. Our backend also calls oauth2.googleapis.com/tokeninfo solely to verify that the ID token you provided is valid for our OAuth client.
    • Firebase / Google Cloud hosts our HTTPS endpoint and Firestore database located in us-central1 (Iowa, USA) where entitlement documents live.
    • Stripe receives your email, selected plan, price ID, and the confirmSecret embedded in the checkout session. Stripe processes payments and sends us webhooks/metadata so premium features can unlock.

We do not sell personal information, run advertising trackers, or ingest your broader browsing history.

Why We Use This Data

  • Authenticate you with Google so premium plans, device seats, and license revocations stay accurate.
  • Sync sidebar settings between browsers when sync storage is available, and — for Premium subscribers with Cloud Sync on — keep your saved queue and notes consistent across browsers.
  • Publish the queues you explicitly choose to share as public web pages, so the people you send the link to can view them.
  • Display contextual UI such as the active YouTube profile, the queue of captured videos, and Pro-only tabs.
  • Verify and fulfill Stripe payments, handle refunds/chargebacks, and notify you about account issues.
  • Respond to direct support inquiries and enforce abuse prevention (for example, blocking fraudulent entitlements).

Extension Permissions

  • Host access: https://www.youtube.com/* lets us inject the sidebar, read DOM elements required for comments/suggestions, and observe the YouTube account currently in use.
  • Host access: https://us-central1-ytextension83.cloudfunctions.net/* allows secure calls to our Firebase API for license refresh, checkout confirmation, and downgrade requests.
  • identity is required to launch Chrome/Firefox web auth flows with your Google account.
  • storage allows us to persist settings, device IDs, captured videos, and notes within chrome.storage.sync/local.

Retention & Control

  • Local data: Saved content remains in its local account archive when you sign out. Delete content while signed into that account, or clear extension data or uninstall to remove all local archives.
  • Device/identity cache: Removed immediately when you click “Sign out” in the Extension. We also periodically clear stale entries when tokens expire.
  • Cloud Sync content: Retained while your Premium plan is active. Turning Cloud Sync off stops uploads immediately; you can request deletion of the stored copy by emailing support from the Google address on your plan.
  • Shared queues: A shared queue page stays public until removed. Email support with the link to have one taken down.
  • Entitlement and payment metadata: Retained while your plan is active and for up to 90 days after cancellation to resolve disputes, chargebacks, and tax obligations.
  • Support emails: Kept for up to 12 months unless a longer period is legally required.
  • You may request deletion of account-linked server data by emailing ytsidebar@aimixtapes.com from the Google address tied to your plan. Proof of purchase may be required.

Security

  • All communication with Google, Firebase, and Stripe uses HTTPS and verifies TLS certificates.
  • ID tokens are checked against Google's tokeninfo endpoint and discarded after the entitlement response is issued.
  • Firestore denies all direct client access; every read and write goes through our authenticated backend API.
  • Stripe handles all payment credentials; we only see session IDs and metadata.
  • Access to Firebase projects, logs, and Stripe dashboards is limited to the maintainers of the Extension.

Your Choices

  • Use Options → Data controls to clear captured videos or notes, or export a JSON copy for your own use.
  • Turn Cloud Sync on or off anytime in Options → Behavior; it is only active on Premium plans while you are signed in.
  • Share links are public by design — only share queues you are comfortable making public, and email support to remove one.
  • Revoke Google access anytime from https://myaccount.google.com/permissions.
  • Downgrade or cancel premium via Options → License or by contacting support (Stripe's portal link is emailed during checkout).
  • Uninstall the Extension at any time to remove its permissions.

Children & Regions

The Extension is intended for users 13+ and for personal, non-institutional use. If we learn that a child under the minimum age provided Google account data we will delete the associated entitlements.

Learning data and optional usage reporting

Saved videos, playback positions, notes, tags, projects, and focus statistics are stored locally. Account-linked data is kept separate when you switch Google accounts. Premium cloud sync sends saved videos, notes, and projects to the account you choose; watch statistics and focus usage remain local. Pre-sign-in content is imported only when you select the import action.

Optional usage reporting is off by default. You can enable it in Learning notebook → Focus & sync. It sends event type (such as trial started or checkout started), plan, extension version, operating-system category, event time, and a random installation identifier. It never sends note content, video titles, browsing URLs, or Google account details. Opted-in confirmed purchases are associated with that same random identifier. Events are marked for deletion after 90 days; automatic deletion is asynchronous. Disabling stops future reporting and clears unsent events. Local usage diagnostics can be exported from the same page.

Changes

We may update this notice when features or processors change. Material updates appear in the Options page changelog and on this page.

Contact

Questions or data requests? Email ytsidebar@aimixtapes.com.