Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 17, 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy describes how AutoShort Uploader (the "Application"), a Windows desktop application developed by Muhammad Saqib, accesses, uses, stores, and protects information when you use the Application to create and upload content to your authorized YouTube channel through Google's official APIs.

The Application is a local-first desktop tool. This policy explains data handled by the Application itself. Google's handling of information associated with your Google Account and Google's authentication services is governed by Google's own Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Process

A. Information You Choose

When you use AutoShort Uploader, you provide or select information locally on your computer, including:

  • Image paths and image files — files selected for locally generated Shorts.
  • Audio path and audio file — audio selected for local video creation.
  • Pre-recorded video files — user-selected videos for manual uploads, including supported formats such as MP4, MOV, WebM, and AVI.
  • Upload title — text you enter for an upload, including supported template variables such as {number}, {date}, and {time}.
  • Description — text you enter for an upload, including supported template variables.
  • Hashtags — hashtags used by the Application in the title and description according to your saved publishing settings.
  • Privacy selection — the visibility setting you choose for an upload: Private, Unlisted, or Public.
  • Scheduling and application settings — configuration used to create, schedule, render, and upload your content.

B. Google / YouTube Account Information

When you authorize a YouTube channel through Google OAuth, the Application retrieves and stores locally the channel information needed for its documented functionality, including:

  • Channel ID
  • Channel title
  • Channel avatar URL

The Application also retrieves your uploads playlist information and playlist items when needed to validate the channel and check for existing uploads. These playlist responses are processed for the duplicate-check and reconciliation workflow rather than maintained as a separate persistent copy of your complete YouTube uploads list.

C. OAuth Credentials

When you authorize a YouTube account, Google provides OAuth credentials used by the Application. These credentials are stored locally on your Windows computer under the Application's local credentials directory and are used only to perform the authorized Google/YouTube operations described in this policy.

  • The Application does not collect or store your Google Account password.
  • OAuth tokens are refreshed through Google's token refresh mechanism when required.
  • Local OAuth credential data is removed when you remove the associated channel from the Application.

D. Local Application Data

The Application stores operational data locally on your Windows computer, which may include:

  • Settings and publishing configuration — image/audio paths, video settings, title templates, hashtags, descriptions, privacy preferences, scheduling preferences, and selected channel.
  • Image history — local relative paths used to prevent unintended reuse of images.
  • Job state — current job information such as selected images, render path, upload state, and the YouTube video ID returned after a completed upload.
  • Channel registry and channel profile data — information needed to manage connected channels.
  • Activity logs — local records of application operations, including render results, upload outcomes, and errors.

E. Device, Browser, Cookies, and Tracking Technologies

AutoShort Uploader itself does not access, collect, store, or recognize browser cookies, and it does not collect hardware identifiers, device IDs, fingerprinting data, or telemetry identifiers. The Application does not integrate analytics or advertising tracking services.

Google OAuth authorization opens Google's authorization page in your default browser. Google's authentication pages may use cookies or similar technologies under Google's own policies. AutoShort Uploader does not access or receive those browser cookies.

F. Media Processing and Uploads

  • Local processing — images, audio, and user-selected pre-recorded video files may be processed locally by the Application and FFmpeg.
  • Automated Shorts — the Application can render a video locally from selected images and audio and then upload it to your authorized YouTube channel.
  • Manual uploads — user-selected pre-recorded video files may be uploaded to the authorized YouTube channel through the YouTube Data API.
  • Transmission to YouTube — a rendered or selected video file and its upload metadata are transmitted to YouTube only when the Application performs an authorized upload operation.

3. Google OAuth Authorization

AutoShort Uploader uses Google's OAuth 2.0 authorization flow for desktop applications.

  1. You initiate the connection from the Application.
  2. Google's authorization page opens in your default web browser.
  3. You review and grant or refuse the requested permissions.
  4. The Application receives authorization credentials from Google and stores them locally.
  5. The Application uses those credentials only for the authorized YouTube functionality described in this policy.

AutoShort Uploader never receives or sees your Google Account password.

4. Google OAuth Scopes

AutoShort Uploader requests only these two YouTube-related OAuth scopes:

Scope: https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.upload

Purpose: Upload automatically generated Shorts and user-selected manual video files to the YouTube channel you authorize.

Scope: https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.readonly

Purpose: Retrieve channel information, validate the authorization, obtain the uploads playlist, and inspect playlist items for duplicate-upload and reconciliation checks.

The Application does not request additional YouTube OAuth scopes beyond these two.

5. YouTube Data API v3 Usage

AutoShort Uploader uses the official YouTube Data API v3. The documented API operations used by the Application are:

  • channels.list — retrieves channel information and the uploads playlist reference needed for the authorized workflow.
  • playlistItems.list — checks uploads playlist items for duplicate/upload reconciliation purposes.
  • videos.insert — uploads the video and associated title, description, category, and privacy status to the authorized channel.

The Application does not use these API operations to access unrelated Google/YouTube information such as comments, subscriber counts, watch history, or analytics data.

6. How We Use Google / YouTube User Data

Information obtained through the YouTube Data API is used only to provide the functionality you explicitly authorize, including:

  • Identify your connected channel — display the authorized channel identity in the Application.
  • Validate authorization — confirm that the connected channel can still be accessed with the granted authorization.
  • Prevent duplicate uploads — inspect the uploads playlist when needed to reconcile or prevent duplicate publishing.
  • Upload content — send the video and the title, description, and privacy settings you configure to YouTube.
  • Maintain authorization — refresh OAuth tokens through Google's standard token-refresh mechanism when needed.

The Application does not use Google user data for unrelated advertising, data brokerage, or general-purpose AI model training.

7. Where Data Is Stored and Transmitted

LOCAL COMPUTER

Channel-specific Application data is stored locally under:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\AutoShortUploader\data\channels\<channel_id>\

Depending on the workflow, channel-local data may include:

  • channel profile and publishing settings
  • upload history
  • jobs and queue state
  • manual upload records
  • rendered output videos
  • other channel-specific operational records

OAuth credential and channel-registry data are stored locally in the Application's credentials area. The exact local files may vary by release.

GOOGLE / YOUTUBE

When the Application performs an authorized operation, information may be transmitted directly to Google or YouTube, including:

  • OAuth authorization and token requests handled through Google's authentication services.
  • Authorized YouTube API requests for channel information and upload reconciliation.
  • The video file and upload metadata when you perform an upload.

The Application does not route YouTube API operations through an intermediary server operated by Muhammad Saqib. Its local backend is bound to 127.0.0.1 on the user's computer.

8. Sharing and Disclosure

AutoShort Uploader does not sell or disclose Google user data to advertisers, data brokers, or unrelated third parties. The Application communicates directly with Google/YouTube where required to perform OAuth and YouTube API operations that you have authorized.

No analytics, advertising, telemetry, or third-party tracking service is integrated into the Application.

9. Data Sale, Advertising, and AI Training

  • We do not sell Google user data.
  • We do not use Google user data for advertising purposes.
  • We do not transfer Google user data to data brokers.
  • We do not use Google user data to train general-purpose AI or machine learning models.
  • Google/YouTube data is used for the authorized Application functions described in this policy.

10. Google API Services User Data Policy

AutoShort Uploader's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs is intended to follow the applicable Google API Services and YouTube API Services requirements, including the Google API Services User Data Policy and YouTube Developer Policies.

Official policies:

11. Data Retention

Different categories of information are retained differently:

  • Local application configuration and operational records — may remain on your computer while needed for the Application's operation and until you remove the relevant channel data, delete local files, or uninstall the Application.
  • User-provided source media — remains under your control in the local folders you select unless you delete or move those files yourself.
  • Rendered output videos — remain locally according to your configured output/retention settings until you delete them or remove the associated channel data.
  • OAuth credentials — remain locally while the associated channel is connected and are removed from local storage when that channel is removed from the Application.
  • YouTube API-derived information — channel information is retrieved when a channel is connected or reconnected, and current uploads information is queried when needed for validation and duplicate reconciliation. The Application does not advertise an automatic 30-day purge timer for every locally stored API-derived record; retention of such data is therefore described here without claiming a universal fixed-period deletion process.

Applicable YouTube API Services Developer Policy requirements govern retention, deletion, and refresh of Authorized Data. The Application does not represent locally retained API-derived information as exempt from those requirements.

12. Deleting Local Data

You can delete local Application data through the Application or through Windows file management.

  • Remove a connected channel — removes the channel's locally stored OAuth credentials, channel registry entry, channel profile/settings, history, jobs, upload queue/manual-upload records, and channel-specific rendered outputs. The removal operation is restricted to the selected channel and does not remove unrelated channels, global settings, or external source media stored outside the channel data directory.
  • Manual deletion — you may close the Application and delete its local data directory through Windows Explorer.

Removing local data from AutoShort Uploader does not delete videos or other content that has already been stored on YouTube. Content already uploaded to YouTube is controlled through YouTube's own services and controls.

13. Disconnecting YouTube from AutoShort Uploader

To remove a connected YouTube channel from AutoShort Uploader:

  1. Open AutoShort Uploader.
  2. Select the connected channel.
  3. Choose Remove Authorization / channel removal.
  4. Confirm the removal.

This removes the channel's local authorization credentials and channel-specific local application data. It does not by itself guarantee that Google has revoked the authorization grant on Google's servers.

14. Revoking Google Access Separately

To revoke AutoShort Uploader's authorization on Google's side, use Google's account permissions controls:

  1. Visit Google Security Permissions.
  2. Alternatively, review connected applications at Google Account Connections.
  3. Locate AutoShort Uploader and remove its access.

After Google-side revocation, the Application will need a new authorization before it can perform API operations that require the revoked credentials.

Revoking Google access does not delete content already stored on YouTube, and removing local Application data does not itself revoke Google's server-side authorization grant.

15. Security

AutoShort Uploader uses reasonable technical measures appropriate to a local desktop application, including:

  • Local OAuth credential storage — credentials are stored on your computer rather than on a developer-operated remote server.
  • Google OAuth — authorization is performed through Google's OAuth flow and the Application does not collect your Google password.
  • Least API access — only the two documented YouTube OAuth scopes are requested.
  • Local backend isolation — the internal application backend listens only on 127.0.0.1 and uses a session authorization token for local API requests.

No method of storage or transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You remain responsible for protecting your Windows and Google accounts.

16. Children's Privacy

AutoShort Uploader is intended for adults who manage their own YouTube channels. We do not knowingly design the Application as a child-directed service or knowingly collect children's personal information. If you believe a child has provided information to the Application, please contact us.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the Application, applicable policies, or legal requirements. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will indicate when the policy was last revised.

18. Contact

If you have questions or complaints about this Privacy Policy or AutoShort Uploader's privacy practices, please contact:

External Policies