PrivacyPolicy

Who is responsible

This policy covers the ClipToGo website and download service. "ClipToGo", "we", "us" and "our" refer to the operator of the service under the ClipToGo name. We are responsible for the personal information described here and act as its controller where that term applies.

You can reach us about privacy through our Contact page. Choose "Privacy request" as the topic.

Information we receive

Links and video information

When you paste a link, we receive it and extract the video's ID. We then ask YouTube for public information about that video, such as its title, channel, length, thumbnail and available formats, and remember which format you picked.

Connection and technical information

Like any website, our servers receive your IP address, the time of each request, the page or address requested and basic browser details. We use your IP address to apply usage limits, such as one download at a time and a number of downloads per hour. For this we keep a short-lived counter in server memory, not in a database. Our servers also keep short technical logs for troubleshooting and security.

Download records

When you start a download, we save a record of it: the YouTube link, the video's title and channel, the format you chose, the time, whether the download finished and whether the file reached your browser. The record also holds the approximate location of your connection (country, region and city), which our server looks up from your IP address in a location database kept on our own server, so your IP address is not sent to anyone for this. We do not store the IP address itself, and the record is not linked to your name, email or any account. We use these records to count downloads and see which videos, formats and places the service is used for.

Messages and legal requests

If you use our Contact or Copyright forms, we receive what you enter: usually your name, email address and message, and for a copyright notice also the details of the work, the videos concerned and any optional organization, phone number or address you add. We store these messages in our database and forward them to our own inbox so we can reply.

Browser storage and measurement

While a download is in progress, your browser keeps its job number in session storage so the page can pick it back up if you reload. We also measure visits in aggregate with cookieless analytics. Both are described below under Cookies, storage and analytics.

How a download is processed

1. Your link is checked in your browser and on our server, and only the 11-character video ID is used from then on.
2. Our server, not your device, requests the video information and media from YouTube. YouTube sees our server, not your IP address, for these requests.
3. The thumbnail on the preview card is loaded by your browser directly from YouTube's image servers, so Google receives your IP address and browser details for that image, as with any image on the web.
4. The file is prepared in a temporary folder on our server and streamed to your browser.
5. The temporary file is deleted automatically, usually 30 minutes after it is ready, or straight away if the download is cancelled or fails. We do not keep a library of downloaded videos.
6. A download record, without your IP address, is saved as described under Download records above.

Why we use information

• To fetch video details and prepare the file you ask for.
• To keep the service fair and protect it from abuse, through usage limits and security monitoring.
• To find and fix errors and keep the service running.
• To answer your messages and handle copyright notices, including blocking videos when a valid notice asks us to.
• To understand how the site is used so we can improve it, including counting downloads by video, format and approximate location.
• To comply with the law and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Legal grounds where required

Where the law requires a legal basis, we rely on: providing the service you ask for when you submit a link; our legitimate interests in running a secure, reliable and fair service, measuring use in aggregate and handling rights complaints; legal obligations, for example when we must keep or disclose information; and your consent where we ask for it. You can withdraw consent at any time without affecting earlier processing.

Cookies, storage and analytics

• No tracking or advertising cookies. We do not show ads and we do not use cookies to follow you across sites. The only cookie we set is a sign-in cookie for our own staff dashboard, which visitors never receive.
• Session storage. The number of an active download is kept in your browser tab so a reload can resume it. It is removed when the download ends, and your browser clears it when you close the tab.
• Cookieless analytics. We count visits to the published site with a privacy-friendly analytics tool provided by our hosting platform. It sets no cookies and shows us only aggregated figures, such as page views, referring sites, countries, browsers, operating systems and device types.

Who receives information

We do not sell personal information or share it for advertising. Information is handled by:

• our hosting and infrastructure provider, which runs our servers, database, file storage, email delivery and analytics on our behalf;
• YouTube, which receives our server's requests for videos, and Google, which serves thumbnails to your browser as described above;
• authorities, courts or other parties when the law requires it, or when needed to protect rights, safety or the service.

How long we keep it

• Prepared files: usually 30 minutes after they are ready, and immediately for cancelled or failed downloads.
• Video details: cached on our server for up to 30 minutes so the same video is not fetched twice.
• Usage limit counters: kept in server memory for up to one hour.
• Download records: kept for 12 months, then deleted automatically.
• Technical logs: kept for a short period and overwritten automatically.
• Messages and copyright notices: kept while we handle them and for up to three years after, so we have a record of requests and decisions, unless we need them longer for a legal claim.

International processing

Our servers and service providers may be located in a different country from you, so your information may be processed outside the place where you live, where data protection rules may differ. Where the law requires it, we rely on appropriate safeguards for these transfers.

Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to its use, and receive a copy of it. To use these rights, send a privacy request through our Contact page. We may need to confirm the request comes from you before acting on it.

Because we have no accounts, we usually cannot link downloads to a person. In most cases the only personal information we can find is a message or notice you sent us, so please include the email address you used. You can also complain to the data protection or privacy authority where you live.

Security and minimization

We collect as little as possible and delete files quickly. The site is served over an encrypted connection, the download engine runs without access to our other systems, and links are reduced to a validated video ID before anything is processed. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect the information we hold.

Age requirements

ClipToGo is not directed at children. You should only use it if you are old enough to agree to our Terms of Use where you live, or with a parent's or guardian's permission. If you believe a child has sent us personal information through one of our forms, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes and contact

We may update this policy when the service or the law changes. The date at the top shows the latest version, and important changes will be highlighted on the site. Questions or requests are welcome through our Contact page.