Privacy policy

Last updated 18 September 2026

TL;DW is a browser extension that summarizes YouTube videos. This policy explains exactly what it sends, what is stored, and for how long. It is deliberately short, because the extension deliberately collects very little.

What is sent to our server

Data	Why
YouTube video ID — only for videos you explicitly click the TL;DW button on	To generate or look up a summary. Hovering a thumbnail sends nothing; only a click does.
Video duration, when the page shows one	Chooses a faster processing mode for short videos.
A random install identifier generated in your browser	Counts your free daily summaries and links a subscription to your browser. It is a random number. It is not derived from you, your device, or your Google account, and it is never combined with anything that identifies you.

We do not collect your browsing history, the pages you visit, your search queries, your YouTube account, your IP address for any analytical purpose, or any personal identifier. There is no analytics, advertising, tracking, or third-party SDK in the extension.

What we store, and for how long

Summaries are cached by video ID so the same video is not re-analysed for every user. A cached summary contains nothing about who requested it.
Free-usage counts are stored against your install identifier and discarded after 30 days of inactivity.
Subscription records — a licence key, your Stripe customer and subscription identifiers, and the email address you gave Stripe at checkout — are kept while the subscription exists, for support and refunds.

Payments

Payments are processed entirely by Stripe. We never see or store your card details. Stripe sends us your email address, a customer identifier, and the subscription status so that we can activate your licence. There is no account and no password: your licence key is what proves the subscription is yours.

AI processing

To produce a summary, the video's public YouTube URL is sent to Google's Gemini API. Your install identifier is not sent to Google, and nothing about you is sent with it. Google's handling of that request is governed by the Gemini API terms. Only public videos can be summarized. AI summaries and timestamps can be inaccurate.

Stored in your browser

The extension keeps your install identifier, your licence key if you have one, your cached subscription status, and your settings in the browser's own extension storage. The install identifier is synchronised by Chrome across browsers signed in to the same profile, so a subscription follows you without an account.

Sharing

We do not sell your data, and we do not share it with anyone except the two processors named above — Stripe for payments, Google for generating summaries — each only to the extent needed to provide the feature you asked for. We may disclose data if required by law.

Your choices

Uninstalling the extension removes everything it stored in your browser.
To delete your server-side records, including your subscription record and the email Stripe gave us, email us and we will remove them. Cancelling your subscription is done through Stripe.
Clearing extension storage resets your install identifier. Your free allowance is counted on the server and will not reset, and you will need your licence key to restore a subscription.

Contact

Questions, or a deletion request: atrashalex@gmail.com.