Effective date: October 17, 2026
Provided by: the-Automator / Joe Glines (“we,” “us,” “our”)
Contact: [email protected]
Website: the-Automator.com/publish-assistant
This Privacy Policy explains what Publish-Assistant does with your data. Short version: we keep it to the minimum needed to upload your videos to your YouTube channel, and we store your sign-in on your computer, not on our servers.
1. What Publish-Assistant is
Publish-Assistant is a desktop application for Windows that uploads video files to your own YouTube channel on your behalf. You connect it to your Google account, pick a video, and it uploads. That’s the whole job.
2. What data we access
When you connect your Google account, you grant Publish-Assistant permission to use the following YouTube Data API scope:
- https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.upload (required). This lets Publish-Assistant upload video files to your channel.
That is the only scope we request. We do not access your Gmail, Drive, Contacts, or any Google data outside of the YouTube upload function above. We do not read, catalog, or export your existing videos.
3. What we store, and where
- OAuth tokens (access and refresh tokens): Stored locally on your own computer, encrypted using the Windows Data Protection API (DPAPI) tied to your Windows user account. These tokens let Publish-Assistant upload without asking you to sign in every time.
- Your video files: Read from your computer and streamed to YouTube during upload. We do not copy your videos to any server we control.
- Upload settings you enter (title, description, tags, privacy setting, etc.): Sent directly to YouTube as part of the upload. Optionally saved locally so you don’t have to retype them.
4. What we do NOT do
- We do not sell your data. Ever.
- We do not share your data with third parties for advertising.
- We do not use your YouTube data to build profiles, train AI models, or for any purpose unrelated to uploading your video.
- We do not read, list, or export your existing YouTube content.
5. Google API Services Limited Use disclosure
Publish-Assistant’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Specifically:
- We only use YouTube API data to provide and improve the upload feature you requested.
- We do not transfer that data to others except as needed to provide the feature, to comply with applicable law, or as part of a merger or acquisition (with continued protection).
- We do not use the data for advertising.
- We do not allow humans to read the data unless (a) you gave specific consent, (b) it’s necessary for security or to comply with law, or (c) the data is aggregated and used for internal operations as the policy allows.
6. YouTube API Services
Publish-Assistant uses YouTube API Services. By using Publish-Assistant you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service. Google’s handling of your data is described in the Google Privacy Policy.
7. Revoking access
You are always in control. You can disconnect Publish-Assistant at any time by:
- Removing the connection inside Publish-Assistant (this deletes the locally stored tokens), and/or
- Visiting your Google Account permissions page and revoking Publish-Assistant’s access.
Once revoked, Publish-Assistant can no longer upload to your channel until you reconnect.
8. Data retention and deletion
Because tokens live on your computer, retention is in your hands. Uninstalling Publish-Assistant or disconnecting your account removes the stored tokens from your machine. We have nothing to delete on our end, because we never received it.
9. Children’s privacy
Publish-Assistant is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from them.
10. Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we’ll post the updated version on this page and update the effective date above. Material changes will be noted clearly.
11. Contact
Questions about privacy? Email me at [email protected].
