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Privacy policy

Villow app privacy policy

For the Villow web app. The browser extension has its own policy, and there's a plain-language summary too.

This policy is a draft.

It hasn't been reviewed yet, and anything marked TBD is still to be decided. Don't rely on it as final.

Effective date: TBDdate this policy takes effect

Who this policy covers

This policy covers the Villow web app ("Villow"), made by Fix the Web ("we"). It doesn't cover:

How Villow is run

Villow isn't one central service. Each Villow is set up by a person (its "owner") using Villow Setup, and runs on the owner's own Vercel, Supabase and Google Cloud accounts. The owner can invite a few other people to use it.

That means:

  • Your data is stored in the database of the Villow you use, in its owner's Supabase account.
  • Fix the Web doesn't run your Villow and doesn't receive your viewing data. The only thing Fix the Web receives is feedback you choose to submit (see Feedback check-ins).
  • The owner of a Villow controls the accounts it runs on, including its database. Only join a Villow run by someone you trust.

YouTube API Services

Villow uses YouTube API Services. It uses them to show your subscriptions, channels' uploads, playlists, search results, channel details and country charts, and it plays videos through YouTube's official embedded player.

By using Villow, you agree to be bound by the YouTube Terms of Service. Google's own handling of your data is described in the Google Privacy Policy.

What Villow collects, and why

When you sign in with Google

Villow uses Google sign-in and never sees your Google password. It requests these account details and YouTube permissions: TBDwhich Google account details and YouTube permissions Villow requests, and what each is for

Google access tokens are encrypted before they're stored.

From YouTube

Your subscriptions, the uploads of channels you follow, your playlists, and details of videos and channels (such as titles, thumbnails and lengths), plus country charts for topics you choose. Villow uses these to build your feed, Watch Later and library. Stored video details are refreshed or removed within 30 days.

What you set up

  • Your name, time zone, country and daily limit, chosen when you first sign in
  • Your settings, including limits, schedules, bedtime, breaks and channel filters
  • Your answers to "Was this video worth your time?"
  • Your Things to do list

How you use Villow

Villow measures how you use it so it can show you where your time goes and help you set it up the way you want:

  • Watch time by day, hour, channel and source, to show you where your time goes
  • Browsing time inside Villow, by page type only (never URLs or visit lists), to separate browsing from watching
  • Opens per day, for the optional open limit
  • What you skip, finish and rate, for reflection and suggestions
  • A 30-day viewing timeline, for Viewing Review

Suggestions are worked out from this data by a set of transparent rules inside your Villow. They aren't AI.

Task integrations

If you choose to connect Google Tasks or Todoist, Villow imports your tasks and keeps completion in sync both ways. Access is only requested when you connect one. Todoist isn't given permission to delete tasks.

Friends

  • Videos you recommend to friends, and whether they watched and liked them
  • Anything you choose to share with friends, each item switched on separately: online status, your past fortnight, your daily average, your streak, when you tend to watch, your subscriptions and your settings
  • Grouped streaks, group limits and group blocked hours you agree to share

Daily time on YouTube, recommendations seen, and videos you save. The extension privacy policy describes exactly what it sends.

Feedback check-ins

Villow offers optional check-ins (at first impressions, after two weeks and after three months) and a feedback form. These surveys are hosted on Tally, and responses from every Villow go to Fix the Web to improve Villow's design. The survey link carries a separate participant code, not your name or email address.

What Villow doesn't do

  • No ads, no advertising or analytics SDKs, and nothing sold
  • No tracking of videos made for kids. Saving and recommending them still work.
  • Nothing shared with friends unless you switch that item on
  • Saving a video from YouTube never changes your YouTube account
  • Villow can't see other apps or your device's overall screen time

Who your data is shared with

  • Friends on the same Villow, but only the items you switch on.
  • The services your Villow runs on: Vercel (hosting), Supabase (database) and Google (sign-in and YouTube API Services), plus Google Tasks or Todoist if you connect them. These run on accounts belonging to your Villow's owner.
  • Fix the Web, only for feedback responses you choose to submit, through Tally.

Your data isn't sold, and it isn't shared with advertisers.

Storage on your device

TBDcookies and browser storage the app uses

How long data is kept

  • The viewing timeline is deleted after 30 days.
  • Stored YouTube video details are refreshed or removed within 30 days.
  • Everything else: TBDhow long other data is kept

Your choices

  • Sharing: switch each shared item on or off at any time.
  • Access: the owner of your Villow can remove anyone's access from inside Villow at any time.
  • Deleting your data or leaving a Villow: TBDhow to delete your data or leave a Villow
  • Revoking Google access: you can remove Villow's access to your Google account at any time from Google's security settings page.

Google API Services User Data Policy

Villow's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Children

TBDminimum age

Changes to this policy

If Villow's data handling changes, we'll update this policy and its effective date.

Contact

For questions or complaints about this policy, get in touch. For questions about a particular Villow, you can also ask its owner.

Villow is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by YouTube or Google. YouTube is a trademark of Google LLC.