Readingfeed — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 12 September 2026
Readingfeed is a browser extension that reshapes YouTube's feed into a calm, text-first reading view, and can summarise videos using the language model built into Chrome.
This policy describes every piece of data the extension touches. It is written against the code, not from a template — if something is not listed here, the extension does not do it.
There is no Readingfeed account, and no Readingfeed server. We do not operate any backend that receives your data.
1. What Readingfeed reads
To build the reading view, the extension reads the following from the YouTube pages you visit, in your browser:
- video titles, channel names, durations, view counts and upload dates
- video descriptions and chapter lists
- video IDs and thumbnail URLs
When that text is not already present on the page, the extension requests the
video's own YouTube page from youtube.com using your existing YouTube session,
in order to read the description and chapter list from it. It may also request a
transcript from YouTube for the video you are watching. These requests go only
to youtube.com, are for content your account is already able to see, and carry
no information about you beyond the session your browser already holds.
The extension runs only on youtube.com. It cannot read any other site.
2. What is sent to a language model
When summaries are enabled, the video's description and chapter titles are passed to Chrome's built-in Summarizer (Gemini Nano), which runs on your own device.
This text is not transmitted to us, and not transmitted to any third party. No API key, cloud model or external inference service is involved. If your device cannot run the built-in model, no summary is produced and nothing is sent anywhere.
Summaries are only generated after you have given explicit permission in the extension's popup. You can withdraw that permission at any time from the same place, which stops summarisation immediately.
3. What is stored, and where
All of it stays on your device.
| What | Where | Kept for |
|---|---|---|
| Your settings (toggles) | chrome.storage.local |
Until you change or uninstall |
| Whether your device can run the model | chrome.storage.local |
Re-checked every 6 hours |
| Trial start date | chrome.storage.local |
Until you uninstall |
| Your licence key and a random install ID | chrome.storage.local |
Until you remove it |
| Your consent, and its version | chrome.storage.local |
Until you withdraw it |
| Generated summaries | localStorage on youtube.com |
30 days |
| Reader layout preferences | localStorage on youtube.com |
Until you clear site data |
Uninstalling the extension removes everything in chrome.storage.local.
Clearing YouTube's site data removes the cached summaries.
4. The only data that leaves your device
There is exactly one outbound request that is not to YouTube.
Licence validation. If you buy Readingfeed and enter a licence key, the key and a randomly generated install identifier are sent to our payment provider to confirm the purchase and to bind the licence to this installation. This happens when you activate a key, and at most once a week afterwards to re-confirm it.
- Recipient: our payment provider (currently Lemon Squeezy,
api.lemonsqueezy.com) - Sent: the licence key you entered, and a random UUID generated on your device
- Not sent: your name, email, IP-derived profile, browsing history, watch history, video IDs, summaries, or anything about how you use the extension
The install identifier is a random value created locally. It is not derived from your device, your browser, or any account, and it is not used to track you across sites.
If you never enter a licence key, the extension makes no requests to anyone except YouTube.
5. What Readingfeed never does
- No analytics, telemetry, crash reporting or usage tracking of any kind.
- No advertising, and no advertising identifiers.
- We never read, store or transmit your browsing history or your YouTube watch history.
- We never collect your name, email address or any other personal identifier. (Your email is held by our payment provider if you buy a licence; we do not receive it through the extension.)
- We do not sell, rent or share data with anyone, because we do not receive any.
- No remotely executed code. All logic ships inside the extension package.
6. Chrome Web Store limited use
Readingfeed's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Specifically:
- Data is used only to provide the reading view and the summaries you have enabled, as described in the store listing.
- Data is not transferred to third parties except as described in §4, which is required to provide the licensing feature you asked for.
- Data is not used or transferred for advertising, ad personalisation, or creditworthiness.
- No human reads your data. We have no mechanism to.
7. Children
Readingfeed is not directed at children under 13 and collects no personal information from anyone.
8. Your controls
- Turn everything off. The master switch in the popup disables the extension without uninstalling it.
- Withdraw summary consent. In the popup footer. Summarisation stops immediately, on open tabs as well.
- Delete cached summaries. Clear YouTube's site data in your browser.
- Remove your licence. "Remove" in the popup deletes the key from your device.
- Delete everything. Uninstall the extension.
Because we hold no data about you, there is nothing for us to delete on request. If you bought a licence, requests about your purchase record should go to our payment provider, who is the merchant of record for that transaction.
9. Changes
If what the extension reads, stores or sends changes, the consent version inside the extension is incremented, and you will be shown the updated disclosure and asked again before summaries continue. This date will also change.