Ambient Mode Layout

Chrome Extension Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how the Ambient Mode Layout Chrome extension (“the Extension”) handles information when you use it on YouTube desktop watch pages.

Effective Date

October 6, 2026

Overview

Ambient Mode Layout improves the YouTube desktop watch-page experience by rearranging the existing YouTube video player, comments, and recommendations into a side-by-side cinematic layout in your browser.

Ambient Mode Layout does not operate a server that collects or stores your YouTube content or personal information. The Extension stores certain layout preferences using Chrome’s storage APIs. YouTube page elements are processed locally in the browser solely to provide the Extension’s layout functionality.

Information We Handle

It is helpful to distinguish three categories:

  • Data accessed locally — YouTube page DOM elements inspected or rearranged in your browser so the Extension can apply its layout. This processing happens on your device and is not intentionally transmitted to the Extension developer.
  • Data stored as extension preferences — user-selected layout settings saved with Chrome’s chrome.storage.sync API (described below).
  • Data transmitted outside the browser by the Extension — the Extension does not intentionally send YouTube page content or personal information to a developer-operated backend or to analytics/advertising services.

Extension Preferences

The Extension uses the Chrome permission storage and stores the following configuration preferences via chrome.storage.sync:

  • enabled — whether the layout feature is turned on
  • commentsWidth — preferred width for the comments area
  • relatedWidth — preferred width for the recommendations/related area
  • stickyRelated — whether the related area uses sticky positioning

These values are extension configuration/preferences only. They are not YouTube account credentials, browsing history, or scraped page content.

YouTube Page Content

The Extension may inspect existing YouTube page elements in order to identify layout components such as the video player, comments container, recommendations/related container, YouTube navigation/header elements, and other layout containers. It rearranges existing DOM elements in the page rather than scraping and transmitting their content.

Host access is limited to https://www.youtube.com/* as declared in the Extension’s host permissions. The Extension does not own or control YouTube data; YouTube remains an independent third-party service.

The Extension does not intentionally extract and transmit comments, video titles, descriptions, thumbnails, video IDs, channel information, Google account information, authentication credentials, cookies, passwords, payment information, health information, or location information.

Information We Do Not Collect

Ambient Mode Layout does not intentionally collect or transmit the following as collected data to the Extension developer or to third-party analytics/advertising services:

  • Personally identifiable information
  • Names
  • Email addresses
  • Phone numbers
  • Physical addresses
  • Google account credentials
  • Passwords
  • Authentication tokens
  • Payment or financial information
  • Health information
  • Precise location information
  • Personal communications
  • Browsing history
  • User activity analytics
  • YouTube comments (as collected/transmitted data)
  • Video titles (as collected/transmitted data)
  • Video descriptions (as collected/transmitted data)
  • Channel information (as collected/transmitted data)

Local inspection of DOM elements for layout purposes is not the same as server-side collection or transmission of that content.

How Information Is Used

Information handled by the Extension is used only to:

  • Enable, disable, and apply the cinematic side-by-side layout on YouTube watch pages
  • Remember your layout preferences between sessions (via Chrome storage)
  • Identify and rearrange relevant page layout containers in your browser

Preferences and local page manipulation are not used for advertising, profiling, or selling data.

Data Sharing and Disclosure

The Extension developer does not sell your personal information. The Extension does not intentionally share YouTube page content or personal information with third parties for advertising or analytics.

When Chrome Sync is enabled, Chrome itself may synchronize extension settings through your Chrome/Google account. That synchronization is operated by Google/Chrome, not by a developer-operated Ambient Mode Layout server. The Extension developer does not receive those synchronized settings through a developer backend.

We may disclose information if required to do so by law or valid legal process, to the extent any such information is actually in our possession—which, for this Extension’s architecture, is limited because the Extension does not operate a developer-side user database of YouTube content or personal profiles.

Analytics and Advertising

The Extension does not use analytics or advertising/tracking services. It does not use Google Analytics, Firebase, Sentry, PostHog, Mixpanel, Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, or similar services. This Privacy Policy page itself does not include analytics, advertising, or tracking scripts.

Data Retention

The Extension does not maintain a developer-operated database of user information.

Extension preferences may remain in Chrome’s storage according to Chrome’s storage behavior until you change or remove them, uninstall the Extension, or clear extension/browser account data using Chrome’s own mechanisms. No fixed developer-defined retention period is applied on a developer server, because no such server-side user database is operated for this Extension.

Data Security

Reasonable measures are used within the Extension’s architecture, including limiting host permissions to YouTube, avoiding remote executable scripts, and storing only layout preferences through Chrome’s storage APIs rather than operating a custom backend for user content.

No method of electronic storage or transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should also review the security and privacy practices of Chrome/Google and YouTube.

Third-Party Services

The Extension does not use third-party analytics, advertising, tracking, or developer-operated data collection services, and does not load remote JavaScript for its functionality.

YouTube (and Google services you use while signed in) are independent third parties. Their collection and use of data are governed by their own privacy policies and terms. This Privacy Policy does not describe, control, or replace YouTube’s or Google’s practices. You should review the applicable policies for those services.

Users should also review applicable laws in their jurisdiction and the privacy practices of third-party services they use.

Chrome Storage Sync

The Extension stores user-selected layout preferences using Chrome’s storage synchronization mechanism (chrome.storage.sync). The stored preference keys are: enabled, commentsWidth, relatedWidth, and stickyRelated.

If Chrome Sync is enabled for your browser/profile, Chrome may synchronize these settings through your Chrome/Google account so they can be available across your signed-in Chrome instances, subject to Chrome’s own sync behavior and settings.

This does not mean that the Extension’s developer receives these settings, operates a server that stores them, or collects Google account information merely because Chrome Sync may synchronize extension settings.

User Controls

You can control how the Extension affects your experience by:

  • Changing extension settings through the Extension popup
  • Disabling the Extension in Chrome
  • Uninstalling the Extension
  • Managing Chrome Sync and storage through Chrome’s own settings

Children's Privacy

The Extension is not specifically directed at children and does not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information through means related to this Extension in a way that requires attention, please contact us using the details below.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the Extension, packaging requirements, or clarifications. When we do, we will revise the Effective Date above. The updated policy will be posted at this page’s public URL. Continued use of the Extension after an update constitutes awareness of the revised policy as posted.

Contact

Action required before publishing: replace the placeholder below with your real support email.

For privacy-related questions about Ambient Mode Layout, contact:

Email: [YOUR SUPPORT EMAIL]

Chrome Web Store / Third-Party Platform Disclaimer

Distribution through the Chrome Web Store or other platforms does not mean that Google or any marketplace operator endorses this Extension or this Privacy Policy. Platform operators have their own terms and privacy practices. Listing requirements and developer disclosures are your and the platform’s responsibility as applicable; this page is provided to describe the Extension’s privacy practices as implemented.

This Privacy Policy is factual and implementation-based. It does not claim certification or compliance with any specific privacy statute solely by virtue of this document.