Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 6, 2026 · Effective: July 6, 2026

1. Who We Are

VidShook ("we", "us", "our") is an AI-powered YouTube optimization service operated by The Podcasters. We help YouTube creators improve their video metadata through AI-generated rewrites.

Contact: hello@vidshook.com

2. Information We Collect

Account Information

• Email address (if signing up with email)
• YouTube channel ID, channel name, subscriber count, and video count (from Google OAuth)
• Google OAuth access and refresh tokens (stored securely, used only to interact with your YouTube channel on your behalf)

Video Data

• Video titles, descriptions, and tags from your YouTube channel
• View counts, like counts, and comment counts
• Video thumbnails (URLs, not files)
• Published dates and privacy status
• Video transcripts/captions (when available and requested by you)

Usage Data

• Shok runs performed and results
• Thumbnail generation requests
• Features used and timestamps

Billing Data

Payment processing is handled by Stripe. We store only your subscription plan and status. We never see or store your full card number, CVV, or banking details.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To connect to your YouTube channel and perform metadata rewrites on your behalf
• To generate AI-optimized titles, descriptions, tags, and thumbnails
• To score your videos and track performance improvements
• To send transactional emails (confirmations, password resets, billing receipts)
• To improve our AI models and product features
• To prevent fraud and abuse

4. YouTube API Data

VidShook uses the YouTube Data API v3 and YouTube Analytics API. By connecting your YouTube account, you authorize VidShook to:

• Read your channel's video metadata (titles, descriptions, tags, thumbnails)
• Update video metadata on your behalf when you trigger a Shok
• Read analytics data (views, impressions, CTR) for the Impact Dashboard
• Read captions/transcripts for Transcript Intelligence analysis

We do not access your private messages, comments on behalf of your account without your explicit action, or any YouTube data beyond what's listed above.

Your use of VidShook is also subject to YouTube's Terms of Service and Google's Privacy Policy.

4a. Limited Use Disclosure (Google API Services)

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

Specifically:

• We only use Google user data to provide and improve the VidShook features you have connected — reading your video metadata and analytics to recommend and apply optimizations, and writing metadata changes only when a change is warranted by your video's performance.
• We do not use Google user data for advertising, and we do not sell it.
• We do not transfer Google user data to third parties except as necessary to provide the service (see Data Sharing below), to comply with applicable law, or as part of a merger or acquisition.
• We do not allow humans to read your Google user data unless we have your explicit consent to do so for a specific support issue, it is necessary for security or to comply with applicable law, or the data has been aggregated and anonymized.
• Any AI processing of your Google user data (see below) is used solely to power the features you connected — never to train generalized AI or machine-learning models.

4b. AI Processing of YouTube Data

To generate title, description, tag, and thumbnail recommendations, VidShook sends the relevant video metadata and, where applicable, transcript text to our AI providers (Anthropic for text, OpenAI for thumbnail image generation). This data is used only to produce recommendations for your video. Under our agreements with these providers, your data is not used to train their models. We do not send your Google user data to any AI provider for any purpose other than generating the optimization you requested.

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with:

• Anthropic — AI model provider for text (titles, descriptions, tags, briefs). Video metadata and transcripts are sent to generate recommendations. Processed per Anthropic's Privacy Policy; not used to train their models.
• OpenAI — AI provider for thumbnail image generation. Processed per OpenAI's Privacy Policy; not used to train their models.
• Stripe — Payment processing. Subject to Stripe's Privacy Policy.
• Resend — Transactional email delivery.
• Render — Cloud hosting provider where your data is stored.
• Law enforcement — Only when required by law or to protect against fraud or harm.

6. Data Retention

• Account data is retained while your account is active
• Video metadata is retained to power the Impact Dashboard and historical comparisons
• Transcripts are cached for 30 days then refreshed on next request
• Job logs are retained for 90 days
• You can request deletion of all your data at any time

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access — Request a copy of all data we hold about you
• Delete — Delete your account and all associated data from your Settings page, or email us at hello@vidshook.com
• Disconnect YouTube — Revoke VidShook's access to your YouTube account at any time from Google Account Permissions
• Correct — Update inaccurate personal information
• Portability — Request your data in a machine-readable format

8. Security

We take security seriously:

• All data is transmitted over HTTPS/TLS
• OAuth tokens are encrypted at rest
• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt (we never store plaintext passwords)
• Access to production data is restricted to essential personnel only

9. Cookies

VidShook uses minimal cookies and local storage to maintain your session (JWT token) and user preferences. We do not use third-party tracking cookies or advertising cookies.

10. Children's Privacy

VidShook is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us at hello@vidshook.com and we will delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top and notify you via email if the changes are material.

12. Contact

For any privacy questions or data requests:
Email: hello@vidshook.com
Subject line: "Privacy Request"

Cookie Notice

VidShook uses a minimal set of cookies and similar technologies, strictly to make the product work:

• Authentication cookies / tokens — keep you signed in to your VidShook account. Essential; the app cannot function without them.
• Preference storage — remembers local choices such as onboarding completion (stored in your browser's localStorage).
• Payment cookies — set by Stripe when you visit billing pages, used for secure checkout and fraud prevention. Governed by Stripe's privacy policy.

We do not use advertising cookies, cross-site tracking cookies, or sell data derived from cookies. You can clear cookies at any time in your browser settings; doing so will sign you out.