Data the Extension Handles
To find and save videos, the extension has to work with some data on your device. The table lists every kind of data it touches, when, why, and where it is kept. None of it is sent to peartools or to anyone else.
| Data | When | Used for | Where it is kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address and title of the current tab | When you open videofetch from the toolbar, the keyboard shortcut, the side panel, or the right-click menu. | Shows which site is being scanned, and asks that page for the videos it contains. | Not saved, unless you download a video. The page address is then saved in your download history if history is on. |
| Video and audio on the page (video addresses, poster image, title, length, resolution) | As pages load, in every frame of every tab. Only the page's video and audio elements and its title, thumbnail, and duration details are read. | Builds the list of videos you can download. | Session storage, for that tab only. Cleared when the tab loads a new page or closes, and when the browser closes. |
| Addresses and response headers of media requests (Content-Type, Content-Length, Content-Range) | As the page loads video or audio files. | Finds video files whose address has no file extension, and works out their size. | Session storage, for that tab only, as part of the list above. Cleared at the same times. |
| Player data on Facebook and Instagram pages | When you are on facebook.com or instagram.com. | Searches the page's code for the player information it already contains, which states each video's real resolution and which file carries the audio. | Used to build the list above, then discarded. |
| The video and audio files you download | Only when you click Download, Download all, or the right-click menu item. | Saves the file. When the video comes as separate pieces, they are joined into one MP4 inside your browser. | Saved to the folder you choose (or your Downloads folder). Pieces held in memory while joining are discarded as soon as the file is saved. |
| Download history (title, file name, page address, type, quality, size, date, and the browser's download number) | Each time you download, if Keep download history is on (it is on by default). Downloads from incognito windows are never recorded. | Lets you find a past download, open its folder, or go back to the page it came from. | Local storage on this device, up to 200 entries. Remove entries, clear all, or turn history off at any time. |
| Settings (ask where to save, right-click to download, keep download history) | When you change a setting. | Keeps your choices the next time you open the extension. | Browser sync storage. If Chrome Sync is on, your browser copies these three on/off choices to your other computers. |
| Popup or side panel, and light or dark theme | When you dock or undock the extension, or switch the theme. | Opens the extension the way you left it, in the theme you picked. | Local storage on this device, until you change it or remove the extension. |
“Local storage”, “session storage”, and “sync storage” here mean the browser's own extension storage (storage.local, storage.session, and storage.sync). Session storage is kept in memory and cleared when the browser closes. Only the three on/off settings use sync storage. When Chrome Sync is on, your browser copies them to your other computers through your Google account. That is Chrome's own sync, and peartools never receives them. The download history is never synced.
What We Do Not Collect
The extension does not collect, receive, or transmit:
- Personal information such as your name, email address, or location
- Your browsing history or the pages you visit
- The content of web pages
- The videos you watch or download, or their addresses
- Passwords, payment details, health, or financial information
- Usage statistics, crash reports, or analytics of any kind
The extension has no account, sets no cookies of its own, shows no ads, and does not use any tracking or fingerprinting. All of its code, including ffmpeg (from the @ffmpeg/core package, compiled to WebAssembly), is bundled inside the extension. It does not load or run remote code.
Network Requests
The extension makes no requests to peartools servers or to any analytics or advertising service. It only contacts the site that hosts the video, in these cases:
- Reading a stream's playlist and file sizes. When you open videofetch, it may read an HLS or DASH playlist to list the qualities on offer, and ask the video host for a file's size (only the response headers, never the video itself).
- Downloading the video you chose. When you click Download, the extension fetches the video, or each piece of a stream, from the site that hosts it.
- Re-reading a Facebook or Instagram page. If the player data is missing from a Facebook or Instagram page that has already loaded, the extension asks that same site for the page again. This is the same request your browser already made, and it is usually served from the browser's cache.
These requests go out the same way your browser loaded the video for the page, so they can carry that site's cookies and, when the site requires it, the address of the page the video is on. That is needed for sites that only serve video to signed-in visitors or to their own pages. The site sees these requests just as it sees your normal visit. peartools does not see them.
The peartools link in the extension's settings opens peartools.com in a new tab only if you click it. The website is covered by the peartools website privacy policy, not this one.
Permissions and How They Are Used
Each permission is used only for the feature described. The extension does not use any permission to collect data. Chrome and Edge ask for the same permissions, though they may describe them in different words when you install the extension.
Access to all sites- videofetch is a general video downloader, so it has to work on whatever site you are viewing. Host access lets its content script read the video and audio elements on the page (in every frame), lets webRequest see the headers of media requests, and lets it download the video and stream pieces from the site that hosts them, which is often a different domain from the page.
webRequest- Reads the response headers (Content-Type, Content-Length, Content-Range) of the media requests the page makes, to tell video files from other requests. It is read-only: it never blocks, delays, or changes a request, and never reads request or response bodies.
declarativeNetRequest- Some video hosts only serve a file when the request names the page it is embedded on (the Referer and Origin headers). For videofetch's own requests only, it adds a temporary rule that sets these to the video's page. Each rule matches one exact file address and is removed when the request finishes. Your tabs' requests are never changed.
downloads- Saves the file through the browser's download manager, shows progress and speed, cancels a download when you ask, and lets the download history open a file's folder and check whether the file still exists.
offscreen- Runs ffmpeg, compiled to WebAssembly and bundled inside the extension, to join separate video and audio files or the pieces of an HLS stream into one MP4. The offscreen document is only created when a download needs it and never shows anything on screen.
storage- Keeps your settings, your popup or side panel choice, the optional download history, and the list of videos found in each open tab.
webNavigation- Lists the frames in the current tab so videos in embedded players are found, and notices when a tab loads a new page so its list is refreshed. No browsing history is stored or sent.
activeTab- Gives temporary access to the current tab when you open videofetch, to read its address and title.
contextMenus- Adds one item, Download with videofetch, to the right-click menu on pages where a video was found. Turn it off with the Right-click to download setting.
sidePanel- Opens videofetch in the browser side panel when you choose to dock it.
YouTube Is Not Supported
In line with Chrome Web Store policy, videofetch does not download from YouTube. The extension ignores youtube.com, youtu.be, youtube-nocookie.com, ytimg.com, and googlevideo.com at every step: it does not scan these pages, does not record their media requests, and does not download from them. YouTube players embedded on other websites are skipped too.
Chrome and Edge Store Policies
Any data the extension handles is used only for its single purpose: finding the videos and audio on the page you are viewing and saving them to your computer.
- Chrome Web Store: the use of information by this extension complies with the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
- Microsoft Edge Add-ons: the extension follows the Microsoft Edge Add-ons developer policies. It does not collect personal information, so it has nothing to disclose to Microsoft or to you beyond this policy.
Google and Microsoft run their stores under their own privacy policies. They may record things like installs and updates of the extension. We only see the total counts they show to developers, never who you are.
Storage, Retention, and Deletion
Everything the extension keeps is stored in your browser, and you control it:
- Delete one history entry: open settings, click Manage next to Download history, and remove it. You can undo right after. This removes the entry only, not the downloaded file.
- Delete all history: in the same screen, clear all entries.
- Stop saving history: turn off Keep download history in settings. New downloads are no longer recorded.
- Clear the list of found videos: it is cleared on its own when a tab loads a new page or closes, and when you close the browser.
- Delete everything: remove the extension from your browser. The browser deletes all of its stored data.
Files you download are ordinary files on your computer. Removing the extension does not delete them.
Security
Since your data never leaves your device, it is protected by your browser and your operating system account. Keep in mind that the download history lists the titles and page addresses of videos you saved. Anyone who can use your browser profile can open the extension and see them. On a shared computer, turn off Keep download history or clear it when you are done. Downloads from incognito windows are never recorded.
The network rules the extension adds apply only to its own download requests, match a single file address each, and are removed as soon as the request finishes. They never change the requests your tabs make.
Children's Privacy
The extension is not directed at children under 13, and it does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone, including children.
Your Rights
Data protection laws such as the GDPR in the EU and UK and the CCPA in California give you rights to access, correct, delete, and export your personal data. Because peartools does not receive any data from this extension, we hold nothing about you to access or delete. You can view and delete everything the extension stores yourself, as described under Storage, Retention, and Deletion.
If you have a question about your rights, email us at privacy@peartools.com.
Changes to This Policy
If the extension changes how it handles data, we will update this page and the “Last updated” date at the top before the new version is released. If a future version ever needs to collect data, it will ask for your consent first, and this policy will say exactly what is collected and why.
Contact Us
Questions about this policy or the extension? Email privacy@peartools.com and put “videofetch privacy” in the subject line.
Learn more about the extension on the videofetch video downloader extension page.