♥ CoWatch Privacy Policy
CoWatch keeps two people's video playback in sync. It has no accounts, no sign-in, and no analytics. This page describes every piece of data the extension handles and where it goes.
Stored on your device, and only your device
CoWatch saves the following with chrome.storage.local. It is
never transmitted to us:
- Your room code and which side of the pair you are.
- An optional display name you choose.
- Your theme preference and the position of the draggable on-screen control.
- A short log of the current session's chat messages, so they survive a page reload.
Uninstalling CoWatch deletes all of it.
Sent directly to the person you are watching with
While a session is active, CoWatch opens an encrypted peer-to-peer connection (WebRTC) between your browser and your partner's, and sends:
- Playback events — play, pause, seek position, playback speed.
- The address and title of the video page you are on, so the other side can follow you to it.
- Your chosen display name.
- Any chat messages you type in the overlay.
This traffic goes between the two of you, not through us. We do not receive, read, or store it. Chat messages are not moderated, scanned, or retained on any server.
Establishing a direct connection requires the two browsers to exchange network addresses, including IP addresses. This is inherent to how WebRTC works and applies to any peer-to-peer video or calling tool. Only connect with people you know.
Sent to CoWatch's servers
- Connection setup. Our signalling server matches the two halves of a room so they can find each other, and issues short-lived relay (TURN) credentials for networks that block direct connections. As with any request to any website, our infrastructure providers see the originating IP address. If a direct connection is impossible and the relay is used, the traffic passing through it stays encrypted and is not recorded.
- Licence checks. If you buy the premium version, the extension sends your licence key to our server to confirm it is valid. Nothing else accompanies it.
Your room code is carried in the fragment of an invite link — the part
after the #, which browsers never transmit. Our servers cannot
see it and it does not appear in any log.
What CoWatch never collects
- No browsing history. The extension only reads the page you are actively syncing, and only on sites you have granted it access to.
- No email address, phone number, or account of any kind.
- No analytics, telemetry, tracking pixels, fingerprinting, or advertising.
- No passwords, cookies, form data, or page content beyond the video's playback state and address.
Site access
CoWatch requests access to YouTube on install. Access to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Hotstar is optional, and is requested only when you turn those services on. Revoking a permission in Chrome immediately stops the extension running on that site.
Payments
Purchases are handled by Paddle, who act as the merchant of record. Card details are entered on Paddle's systems and are never seen by, or transmitted to, CoWatch.
When a purchase completes, Paddle tells us the transaction reference and the buyer's email address. We store those alongside the licence key we issue, and we use the email address for exactly two things: sending you your key, and finding it again if you lose it. It is not used for marketing, is not shared, and you can ask us to erase it at any time — though doing so means we can no longer recover your key for you.
The extension itself never sees or sends your email address. It only ever sends the licence key, to ask whether it is still valid.
Sharing and sale of data
We do not sell or transfer user data to third parties. We do not use it for anything unrelated to keeping two videos in sync, and never for creditworthiness or lending. Data is disclosed only if legally compelled — though as described above, there is essentially nothing to disclose.
Children
CoWatch is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect data from them.
Changes
If what CoWatch handles changes, this page changes with it and the date above is updated. Material changes will also be noted in the extension's store listing.
Contact
Questions, or a request to delete data: cowatchextension@gmail.com.