What we read, what we keep,
and what is yours.

This describes what the Mentionaut browser extension and service actually do. It is written to match the code rather than to cover us, so where a section says nothing, it means there is no table for it.

What the extension reads

When you are on a YouTube watch page, the extension reads the video identifier in the address bar and the channel the video belongs to. That is what it sends to our service to ask whether that episode has been indexed.

It does not read the rest of the page, other tabs, other sites, form fields, or anything you type. It requests permission for youtube.com only. It does not run anywhere else.

What the service stores about episodes

For each indexed episode we store the episode's title, channel, duration and published date, together with the references found in it — names, the second each was said, and the public record each resolves to. This information is derived from the episode's published caption track and its public metadata. It describes the episode, not you, and it is not linked to any person.

Descriptions shown in the panel are copied from public reference sources — Wikipedia, Wikidata, Open Library, OpenAlex, IMDb, PubChem, MedlinePlus, MusicBrainz — and each carries a link to the record it came from.

What we store about you

If you never sign in

An installation identifier generated on your device, used to count how many episodes have been indexed against the free allowance. No email, no name, no history.

If you sign in

• Your email address, so we can send the sign-in link and reach you about the account.
• A session token, so you stay signed in.
• Your settings, including whether history is on.

History — off unless you turn it on

If, and only if, you switch history on, we store which episodes you opened the panel on and which references you clicked, with the time. The setting is off by default and it stays off until you change it.

These records are stored against your account. They are never written against the anonymous installation identifier, so there is no way for us to accumulate a browsing record for someone who has not asked for one.

What we never do

• We do not sell or rent your data, and we do not share it for advertising.
• We do not run third-party advertising or analytics trackers in the extension.
• We do not record the pages you visit outside YouTube, because the extension cannot see them.
• We do not build profiles, infer interests, or rate you.

Getting it back, or getting rid of it

From the settings page you can download everything we hold against your account, and delete it. Deleting your data removes your history and your settings. Deleting your account additionally removes your email address and sessions. Indexed episode data is not personal data and is not removed, because it describes the episode rather than you.

Who else touches it

We use a small number of providers to run the service: a hosting and database provider, an email provider to deliver sign-in links, and a model provider used solely to find references in caption text during indexing. Caption text sent for indexing is public; nothing about your account or your viewing is sent with it.

Retention

Sign-in links expire shortly after they are issued. Sessions expire, and you can end them by signing out. History rows are kept until you delete them or close your account.

Children

Mentionaut is not directed at children and we do not knowingly create accounts for anyone under 13.

Changes

If this changes in a way that affects what we collect, we will say so here and date it. A change that would turn history on for anyone who had it off will not happen — that default is the promise, not a setting we intend to revisit.

Contact

privacy@mentionaut.io

Placeholders to fill before launch: the legal entity operating the service, its registered address, the supervisory authority for data-protection complaints, and the named providers in “Who else touches it”. This document reflects the system as built and still needs review by a qualified lawyer, together with the Chrome Web Store data-use disclosures, which must say exactly what this page says.