SubVibe — Privacy Policy
Last updated: 20 June 2026
SubVibe is a browser extension that overlays AI-generated subtitles (translated or
same-language) on streaming video. This policy explains exactly what data SubVibe handles
and where it goes.
The short version
- SubVibe has no servers of its own. The developer never receives, sees, or stores any of your data.
- You bring your own OpenAI API key (BYOK). It is stored locally on your device and used only to call OpenAI directly from your browser.
- Subtitle text is sent to OpenAI to translate it. Nothing else is sent anywhere.
- Generated subtitles are cached locally on your device so replays are instant and free.
- SubVibe contains no analytics, no tracking, and sells no data.
What is stored, and where
All of this lives locally in your browser (chrome.storage.local and IndexedDB)
and never leaves your device except as described in the next section:
- Your OpenAI API key — saved locally so SubVibe can call the OpenAI API on your behalf. It is transmitted only to OpenAI (
api.openai.com), as the standard Authorization header on your own requests.
- Your settings — target language(s), whether to show the original line, text size, position, sync offset, and similar preferences (including per-video settings).
- A local subtitle cache — the subtitles SubVibe generates, keyed per video, so re-watching costs nothing and stays in sync.
You can clear the cache at any time from the popup. Removing the extension deletes all of the above.
What is sent to OpenAI
To produce subtitles, SubVibe sends subtitle / caption text from the video you
are watching directly from your browser to OpenAI, authenticated with your
API key, for translation. This data is processed under
OpenAI's API data-usage policy.
SubVibe adds no processing of its own and routes this data through no third party.
What is NOT collected
- No personal identifiers, browsing history, account information, or telemetry.
- No advertising, profiling, data sharing, or data selling.
- SubVibe reads page content only on the streaming sites it supports — YouTube, Netflix, ZDF, Deutsche Welle, and Amazon Prime Video — and only to locate the caption track and draw the subtitle overlay.
Permissions, briefly
- Host access to the supported video sites — to read the video's caption track and draw the overlay.
- api.openai.com — to send caption text for translation with your key.
- storage / unlimitedStorage — your local settings and the local subtitle cache.
Changes
Material changes to this policy will be posted here with an updated date.