Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 8, 2026
Map Along is a Chrome extension that shows the places mentioned in a YouTube video on a map, in sync with playback. This policy explains what data it handles, why, and what you can do about it. The short version: we collect as little as possible, we never sell your data, and there are no ads or trackers.
What we collect
When you sign in
Mapping a new video requires an account. You sign in with Google, and we receive your email address and a user ID. We do not receive your Google password, contacts, YouTube history or any other Google data.
When you map a video
When you click Map this video, the extension reads the video's captions in your browser and sends them, with the video's ID, title and description, to our server. The server sends them to an AI model that finds the places mentioned and returns the map data.
- The map result (places, coordinates, timestamps, outlines) is stored and shared: anyone who opens the same video sees the same map, without mapping it again. It contains information about the video, not about you.
- We record which account mapped which video, so we can investigate abuse and remove bad results.
- The captions are not kept. After a video is mapped we store only a fingerprint of the first lines (a one-way hash), used to catch the extension sending the wrong video's captions.
Videos without captions
If a video has no captions and you choose Transcribe and map, our server sends the public video's YouTube link (not anything from your browser) to Google's Gemini API, which watches and listens to the video and writes a transcript. That transcript is then mapped as above. Because there are no captions to send again later, we keep this transcript with the shared map result, to write the video's quiz. It contains what is said in the video, nothing about you.
Credits
We keep your credit balance, a history of credit changes (trial credits, monthly plan credits, credits spent on videos, refunds for failed maps), and the list of videos you've opened with Map Along, so you can reopen them without using credits again and see them under My videos.
Stored in your browser
The extension keeps your sign-in session and the list of videos you chose to map in Chrome's local extension storage, on your device. Signing out removes the session.
What we don't collect
We don't track which videos you watch. The extension only does something on a video when you choose to map it, or when you open a video that is already mapped (then it asks our server for that video's map by its ID). We use no analytics, advertising or tracking tools, in the extension or on this website.
When you take a quiz
The first time anyone opens a video's quiz, the extension sends that video's captions to our server again, and an AI model writes questions from them. The questions are stored and shared like map results; the captions are not kept. When you finish a quiz we save your score on your account, to show your best score under My videos. The blank-map challenge runs entirely in your browser and sends nothing.
When you subscribe
Payments are handled by Lemon Squeezy, our merchant of record. You enter your payment details on their checkout page; we never see your card number. Lemon Squeezy tells us the subscription and invoice numbers, your plan and its status, the amount, the currency and your email, so we can add each month's credits to your account and show your plan in the extension. We keep these order records as long as the law requires for accounting.
Who processes data for us
We use these providers to run Map Along. Each only gets what it needs for its job.
| Provider | What for | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Sign-in, accounts, credits, stored map results | EU (Frankfurt) |
| Google (Gemini API) | Finding places in the captions you send for mapping; transcribing public videos without captions when you ask | Google Cloud |
| Google (Sign-In) | Signing you in | |
| Lemon Squeezy | Selling subscriptions (checkout, payment, invoices, sales tax, the subscription portal) | USA |
| Hetzner | Hosting our server and this website | EU (Germany) |
| Cloudflare | Domain name and email forwarding | Global |
| Mapbox | Map tiles, loaded directly by your browser | Global |
Some content is loaded directly by your browser from other services, which then see your IP address under their own privacy policies: Mapbox (map tiles in the extension), and on this website Google Fonts (typeface), jsDelivr (an animation library) and YouTube (video thumbnails and the demo video, embedded in YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode).
Why we process it (legal basis)
- To provide the service you asked for (contract): signing in, mapping videos, keeping your credits.
- Legitimate interest: preventing abuse, keeping the shared maps accurate, and keeping the service secure.
How long we keep it
- Your account, email and credits: until you delete your account.
- Map results: kept as long as the service runs, because they contain no personal data. When you delete your account, the link between you and the videos you mapped is removed.
- Server logs (technical, for errors and security): rotated automatically and kept only briefly.
Your rights
You can ask us to see, correct, export or delete your data, or object to how we use it. Email privacy@mapalong.app from the address you signed in with and we'll reply within 30 days. If you're in the EU or UK, you can also complain to your local data protection authority.
Google user data
Map Along's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We use your Google account information only to sign you in, and we don't transfer or sell it.
Children
Map Along is not directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their data.
Changes
If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top. For significant changes we'll also tell signed-in users in the extension.
Contact
Questions about privacy: privacy@mapalong.app. Anything else: hello@mapalong.app.