HalalFlixPrivacy policy
Effective date: TODO: publication date · Applies to the HalalFlix browser extension (version 1.5 and later) and this website.
HalalFlix is a browser extension that skips scenes you choose to avoid in videos you watch on your own accounts. We built it for families, and we try to collect as little as possible. This page explains, in plain language, exactly what the extension and this website handle.
Who we are
HalalFlix is run by TODO: your full legal name or company name, and country, which is the "data controller" for the information described here. Contact us at REPLACE-WITH-CONTACT-EMAIL.
The short version
- Skipping works without an account. Signing in with Google is only needed to save or report scenes, or to ask for a title to be analysed.
- To find skips, the extension sends the ID of the video you open (and sometimes its title) to our server.
- On Netflix, Prime Video and Apple TV+, nothing on your screen is captured. Skips come from timestamps tagged by people, or from analysis on our own server when a signed-in viewer asks for a title to be analysed.
- If you ask for a title to be analysed, the extension sends the title, episode, your account ID and email, and your playback position (every few seconds) to the HalalFlix analysis server.
- Only on YouTube and Plex, and only when the AI filter is on, some video frames are sent to Anthropic (the maker of the Claude AI model) to check whether a scene matches your categories.
- We don't sell your data, show ads, or use advertising or analytics trackers in the extension.
What the extension handles, and why
1. Your Google account (only if you sign in)
When you choose "Sign in with Google", Google shares your name, email address, profile picture and Google account ID with the extension. We use them to show who is signed in and to make sure only signed-in people can add or change skip segments. This information is kept in your browser's extension storage, which your browser may sync to your other devices if you use browser sync.
When you save or report a scene, the extension sends a Google sign-in token to our server with the request so the server can check who you are. TODO: confirm what the server stores about the person who uploads a segment (for example Google account ID or email) and for how long, and update this paragraph.
TODO: the current build also asks Google for the "cloud-platform" permission, left over from an earlier AI setup. Remove that permission before launch (recommended), or explain here why it is needed.
2. The video you're watching
When you open a video on a supported service, the extension sends the name of the service and the video's ID to our server to look up skip segments for it. For some services (for example Prime Video) it may also send the title or episode title, because the ID alone isn't always enough to find the right entry. These lookups do not include your Google account or sign-in token.
Like any website or app, our server receives your device's IP address when the extension contacts it. TODO: state whether server logs keep IP addresses and video IDs, and for how long (for example "deleted after 30 days").
The extension keeps a short-lived copy of segments in your browser so it doesn't have to ask the server again for the same video.
3. Asking for a title to be analysed (Netflix, Prime Video and Apple TV+)
If you're signed in and open a title HalalFlix hasn't covered yet, you can choose "Analyse this title". This only happens when you ask for it. When you do:
- When you start: the extension sends the HalalFlix analysis server the title name, season and episode (which you can check and correct first), the service name and video ID, the title's running time, your current playback position, and your Google account ID and email address.
- While you watch: about every 4 seconds, the extension sends your playback position and whether the video is playing or paused, so the analysis can stay ahead of you. This stops when you close the title or the analysis ends.
- Why: to find the right title and analyse the part you're about to watch. Your account ID and email let us link the request to you and prevent misuse.
- Pausing: if the analysis falls behind where you are, HalalFlix may pause your video briefly until it catches up. You can choose "Watch anyway" to carry on without waiting.
- Results: the skip segments found (timestamps and categories) are saved to the shared database, so every family watching that title gets them. They are not linked to you publicly.
- Nothing is captured from your screen or your player for this feature.
The analysis server is currently at halalflix.169-58-73-17.sslip.io. TODO: replace with the final domain of the HalalFlix analysis server.
TODO: state how long the analysis server keeps request records (title, account ID, email, playback positions) and its logs, for example "deleted 30 days after the analysis ends".
TODO: requests to the analysis server don't currently carry a Google sign-in token, so the server can't check that the account ID and email are genuine. Fix this before launch, then update the Security section.
4. The optional AI filter (YouTube and Plex only)
On YouTube and Plex, HalalFlix can check videos that nobody has tagged yet:
- Your browser takes small still images (frames) from the video as it plays and checks them on your own device with a built-in image model. These frames are not sent anywhere at this stage.
- If a frame looks like it may match one of your categories, that frame (a JPEG image) and nearby frames are sent to Anthropic's API so the Claude AI model can double-check it. No account details are sent with the frames.
- The result is a list of timestamps and categories (for example "1:02–1:15, swimwear"). If you're signed in, those timestamps are saved to our shared database so other families get the same skips. The images themselves are not saved to our database.
You can switch the AI filter off at any time in the HalalFlix panel. When it's off, no frames are sent.
TODO: in version 1.5 the AI filter is switched on by default, but frames are only sent once an Anthropic API key has been entered on the Options page, and requests go straight from your browser to Anthropic using that key. If you move AI checks to your own server or change the default, update this section to match (for example "frames are sent to our server, which forwards them to Anthropic").
Anthropic processes these images to return a result and handles them under its own commercial terms and privacy policy. TODO: link Anthropic's current data-retention terms for API inputs.
5. What we never capture
On Netflix and other services that use copy protection (DRM), including Prime Video and Apple TV+, HalalFlix does not capture, record or analyse anything on your screen. Skips there come from timestamps tagged by human reviewers or from on-request analysis on our own server (section 3), never from your screen or player. HalalFlix never downloads, copies or re-uploads any video from your account.
We don't read your viewing history, your streaming-service account details, or what you watch outside the supported sites.
6. Settings stored on your device
Your skip categories, keyboard-shortcut settings, AI filter on/off choice and (if you entered one) your Anthropic API key are saved in your browser's extension storage. The API key is kept only on that device and is never sent to us. Some settings may sync between your own devices through your browser's sync feature.
7. Other services the extension contacts
| Service | When | What it receives |
|---|---|---|
| Our server (skip-segment database) TODO: name your hosting provider and region (the current endpoint appears to be Alibaba Cloud Function Compute, Middle East region) | Opening a supported video; saving or reporting a scene | Service name, video ID, sometimes a title; your IP address; a Google sign-in token only when saving |
| HalalFlix analysis server TODO: final domain and hosting provider/region | Only when you choose "Analyse this title", and every ~4 seconds while that analysis runs | Title, season/episode, service and video ID, running time, playback position and playing/paused state; your Google account ID and email; your IP address |
| Google (sign-in) | Signing in | Standard Google sign-in; returns name, email, picture, account ID |
| Anthropic (Claude API) | AI filter on, YouTube or Plex only | Selected video frames; your IP address |
| Google Fonts | When the HalalFlix panel appears on a video page | Your IP address and browser details, to load a typeface. TODO: bundle the font inside the extension to remove this request (recommended). |
This website
- Waitlist: if you join the waitlist, your email address is stored by our email provider, TODO: Kit (ConvertKit) or Tally, and used only to tell you about the launch and new reviewed titles. Every email has an unsubscribe link.
- Hosting: the site is hosted by TODO: Cloudflare Pages / Netlify / Vercel, which processes your IP address to deliver pages and protect against abuse.
- Fonts: pages load a typeface from Google Fonts, which receives your IP address.
- Cookies and analytics: the site sets no cookies and uses no analytics. If we add privacy-friendly analytics later, we'll list them here. A theme choice (light or dark) is remembered in your browser's local storage only.
We don't sell your data
We do not sell, rent or trade personal information, and we do not use it for advertising or to build profiles. We share it only with the service providers listed above, to run HalalFlix, or if the law requires it.
Chrome Web Store user data policy: HalalFlix's use of information received from Google APIs follows the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We use this data only to provide and improve HalalFlix's single purpose (skipping scenes you choose) and never transfer it for advertising, credit checks or any unrelated purpose.
Legal basis (UK and EU)
We process sign-in details, video lookups and "Analyse this title" requests because they are needed to provide the service you asked for (contract). We send AI-filter frames only when you have the feature switched on (consent, which you can withdraw by turning it off). We send waitlist emails with your consent. TODO: have this section checked against UK GDPR / EU GDPR before relying on it.
How long we keep it
- Skip segments (timestamps and categories) are kept while HalalFlix runs, because they're shared with every user.
- Account-linked information: TODO: retention period, or until you ask us to delete it.
- "Analyse this title" requests (title, account ID, email, playback positions): TODO: retention period. The resulting skip segments are kept like all other segments.
- Waitlist emails: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them.
- Data in your browser: until you remove the extension or clear its data.
Children
HalalFlix is meant to be set up by a parent or guardian. Children don't need an account for skipping to work, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country). If you think a child has given us personal information, contact us and we'll delete it. TODO: check obligations under the UK Age Appropriate Design Code and US COPPA with an adviser.
Your choices and rights
- Use HalalFlix without signing in, or sign out from the toolbar popup at any time.
- Switch the AI filter off in the HalalFlix panel.
- Remove the extension to stop all data collection; this also deletes the data it stored in your browser.
- Depending on where you live (for example the UK, EU or California), you can ask to access, correct, delete or get a copy of your personal information, or object to how we use it. Email REPLACE-WITH-CONTACT-EMAIL and we'll reply within one month.
- UK residents can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk); EU residents can contact their local data protection authority.
Security
Connections between the extension, our server and the services above use HTTPS. Only signed-in users can add or change skip segments. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what we hold. TODO: confirm the server verifies Google sign-in tokens before accepting changes.
International transfers
Our providers may process data outside your country, including in the United States TODO: and the server's region. Where the law requires it, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.
Changes to this policy
If we change how HalalFlix handles data, we'll update this page and the date at the top. For significant changes, such as a new type of data or a new provider, we'll also tell you in the extension before the change takes effect.