Summary
This policy covers the VerbSurf mobile apps (iOS and Android), the VerbSurf Chrome extension and this website at verbsurf.app (together, "VerbSurf"). Here is the short version:
- No accounts. You don't sign in to VerbSurf, and we don't ask for access to your YouTube or Google account.
- VerbSurf uses YouTube API Services. By using VerbSurf you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service, and Google's handling of your information is covered by the Google Privacy Policy.
- Settings stay on your device. Caption preferences are stored locally, not on our servers.
- Word lookups are the only content sent to us. When you tap a word, we send the word and its caption line to our translation service. We delete those logs after 30 days.
- We never sell your data. We don't use it for advertising, and we don't build profiles of what you watch.
- You can delete your data at any time. See Data retention & deletion.
Who we are
VerbSurf is operated by Mark Ronquillo, an individual developer based in the Philippines ("we", "us"). We are the personal information controller (the "data controller" under the GDPR) for the information described in this policy. Our data protection officer can be reached at privacy@verbsurf.app.
YouTube API Services
VerbSurf uses YouTube API Services to find, display and play YouTube videos and their captions. By using VerbSurf, you agree to be bound by the YouTube Terms of Service. Google's collection and use of information when you watch YouTube content is governed by the Google Privacy Policy.
VerbSurf is an independent app. It isn't affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by YouTube or Google LLC.
What YouTube data VerbSurf accesses
- Public video information: video IDs, titles, channel names, thumbnails and durations, used to show and play videos in your feed.
- Caption tracks: captions uploaded by the creator and YouTube's automatically generated or translated captions, used to show the two caption lines.
- Search results: when you search or when VerbSurf builds a feed in your learning language, the search terms go directly to YouTube and the results come back to your device.
VerbSurf does not request access to your Google account, your YouTube account or any private YouTube data (such as your subscriptions, playlists or watch history). VerbSurf does not read, store or send your YouTube or Google cookies or sign-in information.
How we use, store and share YouTube data
- Use: only to show you videos with dual captions and to translate words you tap. We don't use YouTube data for advertising, profiling or any other purpose.
- Storage: video information and captions are processed on your device and kept in temporary memory while you use VerbSurf. They are cleared when the app or browser tab closes. The only YouTube-derived content that reaches our servers is the caption line sent with a word lookup, and it is deleted within 30 days.
- Sharing: the caption line and the word you tap are processed by our translation service providers (see Sharing & service providers). We share YouTube data with no one else, and we never sell it.
YouTube's own data collection
Videos play in YouTube's own player. When they do, YouTube and Google may collect information and store cookies or similar data on your device, as described in the Google Privacy Policy. VerbSurf doesn't control that collection. You can manage your Google privacy settings at myaccount.google.com.
Revoking access
You can stop VerbSurf from accessing YouTube data at any time by uninstalling the app or removing the Chrome extension. If a future version of VerbSurf asks to connect to your Google account and you allow it, you can revoke that access at any time from the Google security settings page. Any data we stored through that connection will then be deleted as described in Data retention & deletion.
Information we collect
Mobile apps (iOS and Android)
- Settings stored on your device: your language pair, whether captions are on, and caption size. These are saved in the app's local storage and never sent to us.
- Word lookups: when you tap a word, we receive the word, the caption line it appears in, and your language pair. Your IP address is processed briefly to deliver the response and protect the service from abuse. None of this is linked to a name, email or account.
- Crash reports: if the app crashes or hits an error, we receive a technical report through Sentry: app version, operating system, device model, the error and when it happened. Crash reporting is set up so that IP addresses are not stored.
Chrome extension
- Settings stored in your browser: your caption toggle, text size and learning language are saved with Chrome's extension storage on your device.
- Scope: the extension runs only on youtube.com. It doesn't collect your browsing history or read other websites.
- Word lookups: if you use word lookups in the extension, the same information as in the mobile app is sent to our translation service.
This website and the waitlist
- Waitlist sign-ups: your email address, and optionally the platforms you use and the language you want to learn, plus the time you signed up and your consent to receive the launch email.
- Bot protection: the waitlist form uses Cloudflare Turnstile, which processes your IP address and browser signals to check that you're a person. It does not use them for advertising.
- Analytics: we use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which doesn't use cookies or track you across sites. It records totals such as pages viewed, referring sites, browser type and country.
- Emails you send us: if you contact support or privacy, we receive your email address and whatever you include in your message.
What we don't collect
We don't collect your name, phone number, contacts, precise location, photos, microphone audio, payment details, advertising identifiers or YouTube watch history.
How we use information
| Purpose | Information used | Legal basis (GDPR) |
|---|---|---|
| Showing videos with dual captions | YouTube video information and captions (processed on your device) | Providing the service you requested |
| Translating and pronouncing words you tap | Word, caption line, language pair, IP address (processed briefly) | Providing the service you requested |
| Fixing crashes and bugs | Crash reports | Legitimate interests (keeping the app working) |
| Sending the one-time launch email | Waitlist email, platform and language | Consent (you can withdraw it at any time) |
| Deciding which languages to add next | Waitlist language choices (reviewed as totals) | Legitimate interests |
| Protecting the service from abuse and bots | IP address, Turnstile signals, request logs | Legitimate interests (security) |
| Understanding website traffic | Cookieless analytics totals | Legitimate interests |
| Answering your questions | Your emails to us | Legitimate interests / your request |
We don't use your information for advertising, and we don't make automated decisions about you that have legal or similarly significant effects.
Sharing & service providers
We don't sell or rent your personal information. We also don't "share" it for cross-context behavioral advertising, as California law defines that term. We only share information with the service providers below, who process it on our behalf to run VerbSurf:
| Provider | What they do for VerbSurf | Information involved |
|---|---|---|
| Google / YouTube | YouTube API Services: video playback, captions, search | What YouTube receives when you watch or search (see the Google Privacy Policy) |
| Amazon Web Services | Hosts our word-lookup service (Singapore region); Amazon Polly generates pronunciation audio | Word, caption line, language pair, IP address |
| Anthropic | AI model that produces translations and definitions for words you look up | Word, caption line, language pair (no IP address or identifiers) |
| Sentry (Functional Software, Inc.) | Crash and error reporting | Crash reports (no IP addresses stored) |
| Cloudflare | Website hosting, waitlist database, Turnstile bot protection, Web Analytics | Waitlist data, IP address and browser signals, cookieless analytics |
When we send the launch email, we'll use an email delivery provider that receives your address only for sending that email. We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect the rights and safety of our users or others, or as part of a merger or transfer of VerbSurf. If a transfer happens, this policy will continue to apply to your information.
Cookies & device storage
- This website doesn't set advertising or tracking cookies. Cloudflare may set a short-lived, strictly necessary cookie for security and bot protection (for example, during a Turnstile check).
- The mobile apps store your settings in on-device storage. The videos are YouTube pages and players, and YouTube may store cookies and local storage on your device when you watch them. Those are governed by the Google Privacy Policy.
- The Chrome extension stores your settings in Chrome's extension storage. youtube.com keeps setting its own cookies as usual.
You can clear this data at any time by clearing the app's data, uninstalling the app, removing the extension or clearing your browser's site data.
Data retention & deletion
We keep information only as long as we need it, and we delete it on the schedule below:
| Data | Where it's kept | How long | How to delete it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caption and app settings | Your device only | Until you delete them | Clear app data, uninstall the app or remove the extension |
| YouTube video information and captions | Temporary memory on your device | Cleared when you close the app or tab; never kept longer than 30 days | Close the app or tab; uninstall |
| Word-lookup logs (word, caption line, language pair, IP address) | AWS (Singapore) | Deleted automatically after 30 days | Automatic. Because there are no accounts, we can't match logs to you |
| Translated text and audio for common words | AWS cache | Until refreshed | Contains no personal information |
| Crash reports | Sentry | Deleted automatically after 90 days | Automatic |
| Waitlist sign-up | Cloudflare D1 | Until 12 months after the launch email, or until you ask us to remove it | Email privacy@verbsurf.app from the address you signed up with |
| Support and privacy emails | Our mailbox | Up to 12 months after your request is resolved | Ask us to delete the conversation |
How to request deletion
- Email privacy@verbsurf.app with the subject "Delete my data" from the address you want removed (for waitlist data), or describe the data you're asking about.
- We may ask a simple question to confirm the request is really from you.
- We delete the data within 30 days (usually much sooner) and confirm by email. Backups are overwritten within a further 30 days.
To remove data stored on your device, uninstall VerbSurf or clear its data in your phone's settings. For the Chrome extension, remove it at chrome://extensions. To manage data Google holds about your YouTube activity, use your Google Account and the Google security settings page.
If we ever shut down VerbSurf, we will delete all personal information we hold within 30 days.
Your privacy rights
Everyone
Wherever you live, you can ask us to tell you what we hold about you, correct it, delete it or stop using it, and you can withdraw consent at any time. Email privacy@verbsurf.app and we'll reply within 30 days. Using these rights is free and won't affect how we treat you.
Philippines (Data Privacy Act of 2012, RA 10173)
You have the right to be informed, to access, to object, to erasure or blocking, to damages, to rectification and to data portability, and the right to file a complaint with the National Privacy Commission.
European Economic Area, UK and Switzerland (GDPR)
You have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict and port your personal data, to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to withdraw consent at any time. You can also complain to your local data protection authority. The legal bases we rely on are listed in How we use information.
California (CCPA/CPRA) and other U.S. states
In the past 12 months we have collected these categories of personal information:
- Identifiers: email address for waitlist members, IP address.
- Internet or network activity: word lookups, crash reports, cookieless site analytics.
- Inferences: none.
We collect them for the purposes described above. We don't sell or share personal information and don't collect sensitive personal information. You have the right to know, delete and correct your information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. You can send a request yourself or through an authorized agent at privacy@verbsurf.app.
International transfers
We're based in the Philippines, and our service providers may process data in other countries, including Singapore and the United States. When personal data is transferred, we rely on our providers' contractual safeguards, such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses where they apply, to protect it.
Security
All traffic to our services is encrypted with HTTPS. Access to our systems is limited to the operator and protected by strong authentication, and we collect as little as possible in the first place. No system is perfectly secure. If a data breach affects you, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as the law requires.
Children
VerbSurf is not directed to children under 13, and YouTube requires users to meet its own minimum age. Users under the age of majority where they live should use VerbSurf only with a parent's or guardian's permission. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact privacy@verbsurf.app and we'll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we'll update the "Last updated" date above. We'll announce material changes on this website and in the app before they take effect. If VerbSurf starts collecting new kinds of information, such as through optional sign-in, we'll update this policy first.
Contact us
VerbSurf · Mark Ronquillo, Philippines
Privacy and data protection: privacy@verbsurf.app
General support: support@verbsurf.app
See also our Terms of Service, the YouTube Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy.