Effective date: October 11, 2026 Applies to: Flowt - Distraction Blocker for YouTube, version 1.1.0 and later
This Privacy Policy explains how the Flowt browser extension (“Flowt”, “the extension”, “we”, “us” or “our”) handles information. It covers the extension itself and the support channels linked from it. Please read it together with the Flowt License Agreement.
Flowt stores only what it needs to work. None of this information is sent to us.
| Information | Where it is stored | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Feature settings (for example “Hide Home Feed” or “Hide Comments”), security options, accent color, light or dark mode, and whether first-run setup has been completed | chrome.storage.sync |
To remember your choices. If Chrome Sync is turned on, Chrome copies these settings to your other signed-in browsers. |
| Your 4-digit PIN | chrome.storage.local (this device only) |
To enforce the optional startup lock and the lock on changing settings. |
| Reasons you type before turning Flowt off (at most the 20 most recent, with the date and time) | chrome.storage.local (this device only) |
Only used when you enable “Ask for a Reason Before Disabling”, so you can review them on the settings page. |
| A breakage report: the names of Flowt features that appear to have stopped working on YouTube, with dates | chrome.storage.local (this device only) |
To tell you in the popup when a YouTube change has broken a feature. It contains no page addresses or watch history. |
| A temporary, one-time pass that allows a PIN reset | chrome.storage.session |
Cleared automatically when the browser closes. |
About the PIN. The PIN is a self-control aid, not a security credential. It is stored on your device in readable form and is not encrypted. Anyone with access to your computer or browser profile could read it. Do not reuse a PIN or code that protects anything else, such as a bank card or phone.
About Chrome Sync. Chrome Sync is a Google service, not ours. When it is enabled, Google handles your synced settings under the Google Privacy Policy. Flowt never syncs your PIN, your reason log or the breakage report.
Flowt runs only on https://www.youtube.com/*. On those pages it reads the page structure, and the page data YouTube itself provides, locally in your browser to decide which elements to hide and which controls (such as autoplay) to switch off. This happens as the page loads and is never recorded, stored or sent anywhere. Flowt does not read your watch history, search history, comments, account details, cookies or passwords.
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
storage |
Saves your settings, PIN, reason log and breakage report in your browser, as described in Section 2. |
declarativeNetRequestWithHostAccess |
Powers the optional “Permanently Block” Shorts feature. Flowt registers a single rule that sends youtube.com/shorts addresses to the YouTube home page. Chrome applies this rule itself; Flowt does not see, read or log your web requests. |
scripting |
When Flowt is installed or updated, it adds its own bundled scripts to YouTube tabs that are already open, so they work without a refresh. Flowt never loads or runs code from the internet. |
Host access to https://www.youtube.com/* |
Limits Flowt to YouTube. Within YouTube tabs it also lets Flowt find open Shorts pages and send them to the YouTube home page when you turn on “Permanently Block”. These page addresses are checked at that moment and are never stored. |
Flowt cannot access any other website.
We only receive information when you decide to send it:
We use this information only to reply to you, investigate problems and improve Flowt. We do not sell it, use it for advertising, or share it with anyone except where the law requires us to. We keep support correspondence only as long as it is useful for those purposes, and you may ask us to delete it at any time.
The settings page can export your settings to a file. The file is created in your browser and saved wherever you choose. It is never uploaded anywhere. Your PIN is never included in a backup file. You are responsible for keeping any exported file safe.
Flowt’s use of information complies with the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.
Because Flowt’s data stays in your browser, you control it directly:
For anything you have emailed us, write to contact.flowt@gmail.com to access, correct or delete it.
Flowt relies on the storage Chrome isolates for each extension, and it limits itself to one website with the narrowest permissions that work. No method of storage is completely secure, though. Because we hold no user data on any server, there is nothing of yours on our side that could be breached.
Flowt is a general-audience tool and is not directed at children under 13, or under the age of digital consent where you live. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us personal information by email or through the form, contact us and we will delete it.
Flowt is developed in India, and anyone can use it anywhere. Since the extension does not send personal information to us, it involves no cross-border transfer of user data. If you contact us, your message is handled by our email provider (Google) and may be processed outside your country. Where local data-protection laws give you rights (for example India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the EU/UK GDPR, or US state privacy laws), you may exercise them by contacting us. In most cases we will have no data about you to return.
Flowt links to services we do not control, including YouTube, Google Forms, Chrome Sync and your email provider. Their own privacy policies govern how they handle your information. Flowt only changes how YouTube pages look in your browser. Your use of YouTube itself remains subject to YouTube’s and Google’s terms and policies.
We may update this policy when Flowt changes. The updated version will be published at this address with a new effective date. If a change materially affects how information is handled, we will also mention it in the extension’s release notes or store listing before or when it takes effect. Continuing to use Flowt after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Questions or requests about this policy: contact.flowt@gmail.com