[ GOBEAU EXTENSION ]

Privacy policy

Gobeau is a Chrome extension for filmmakers and videographers to capture, study and publish cinematic frames. This policy explains what the extension does with your data. The short version: almost everything stays on your device.

LAST UPDATED: 3 July 2026

What we collect and where it stays

Most of your data is stored locally on your own device and never leaves it. Gobeau keeps your captures, sessions, collections, annotations and settings in your browser's own storage (IndexedDB, the Origin Private File System, and extension storage). It does not send them to To The Cut or to any server by default. Gobeau has no user accounts and no login, and the extension does not run any analytics, tracking or remote logging.

What is stored locally

  • CAPTURES

    Frames and clips you capture

    The still images and short video clips you capture, plus their thumbnails. Stored as binary assets in your browser on your device (IndexedDB / OPFS). They are never uploaded anywhere by default.

  • SESSIONS

    Capture context

    For each capture Gobeau records context such as the source page URL, the page/work title, the video timestamp, and any film metadata it can read from the site. This is stored locally alongside your captures.

  • LIBRARY

    Collections, boards and annotations

    The collections, boards, lookbooks and annotations you create. Stored locally in your browser on your device.

  • SETTINGS

    Your preferences

    Your settings — including whether TMDb enrichment is enabled, your optional TMDb API key, and your optional publishing endpoint — are stored in the browser's local extension storage on your device.

  • MODELS

    Optional analysis models

    If you enable enhanced analysis and install model files, those model assets are stored locally (OPFS) and all inference runs on your device. The model files are fetched from a URL you provide.

When data leaves your device

There are only two ways your data leaves your device, and both are under your control:

  1. Publishing a collection (you initiate it). When you explicitly choose to publish a collection, Gobeau uploads that collection's contents — its title, description, your chosen profile slug, and the captures in it (including the image/video data, thumbnails and their metadata) — to the publishing endpoint you have configured. This only happens when you press publish; it is never automatic. If you have not configured a publishing endpoint, publishing stays entirely local: Gobeau builds the shareable page on your device and there is no upload. The publishing backend is a self-hosted server that you run or configure yourself (the settings screen describes it as an "optional self-hosted endpoint", e.g. https://shots.example.com). To The Cut does not operate a default publishing server for the extension. If we ever offer a managed publishing backend, we will name it here and update this policy before it is used.
  2. TMDb title enrichment (opt-in, off by default). If — and only if — you turn on TMDb enrichment and enter your own TMDb API key, Gobeau will send the film/work title it reads from the page (and your API key) to The Movie Database (TMDb) API at api.themoviedb.org to normalize the captured title and fetch related metadata such as the matched title, year, poster and cinematographer credit. This feature is off by default; clearing the TMDb key returns Gobeau to fully local-only operation. Your use of TMDb is governed by TMDb's own terms and privacy policy.

Gobeau is not endorsed or certified by TMDb. Aside from these two explicit paths, the extension does not transmit your captures, library or browsing data off your device.

Native capture host

On some pages the browser cannot capture a video frame. For those pages Gobeau can use an optional native capture host that you install yourself on your own computer. When used, Gobeau sends the host a request containing the screen-region rectangle to grab, the device pixel ratio, the page URL and the video timestamp, and receives a captured image back. This host is a local program running on your machine — it is not a remote server, and the captured image stays on your device. If you do not install the host, Gobeau degrades to browser-only capture.

Permissions we use and why

Chrome requires the extension to declare the permissions it needs. Here is each one and the feature it serves:

tabCapture
Records a short clip from the active tab's video when you start clip recording. The MediaStream is processed in an offscreen document and the result is stored locally on your device.
activeTab
Reads the page you are actively on (its URL, title and the visible video) so a capture can be tied to the right source, and captures the visible tab as a still frame.
host_permissions: <all_urls>
A capture can be taken on any video site you choose to use Gobeau on, so the content script and frame capture must be able to run on any page. Gobeau does not read or transmit page content beyond what is needed to capture the frame you ask for.
scripting
Injects the on-page capture overlay and the video picker, and reads the current video's timestamp and page metadata at the moment you capture.
nativeMessaging
On pages where the browser cannot capture a frame, Gobeau can hand a screen-region request to an optional native capture host that you install yourself. The host runs locally on your own machine (see “Native capture host” below).
downloads
Saves your own exports (JSON / ZIP of your library, or a captured image) to a location you choose via the browser's Save-As dialog.
clipboardWrite
Copies a frame, a caption, an embed snippet, a share link or an installer path to your clipboard when you ask for it.
storage
Stores your settings (for example, whether TMDb enrichment is on and your optional publishing endpoint) in the browser's extension storage on your device.
tabs
Identifies the tab to capture from and opens the Gobeau library page.
offscreen
Runs an offscreen document to process captured images and to record clip MediaStreams — work that cannot run in the background service worker.
sidePanel
Shows the Gobeau side panel next to the page you are studying.
commands
Provides keyboard shortcuts to capture a frame, capture a burst, toggle clip recording, and open the library.

Data retention and deletion

Because your data lives on your device, you are in control of it. The extension's Settings screen lets you:

  • Export your library as JSON or ZIP to a location you choose.
  • Delete coordinate-only captures, the review queue, or the demo library.
  • Clear all local data, which removes your captures, sessions, collections and published-collection records from your device.
  • Disable and clear your TMDb key, returning Gobeau to local-only mode.

You can also remove the extension from Chrome at any time. Uninstalling removes the extension's local storage. If you published a collection to a publishing endpoint, that uploaded copy is held by whoever operates that endpoint — deleting it is handled there. (To The Cut does not operate a publishing endpoint, so there is no copy held by us to delete.)

Third parties

Gobeau uses no analytics, advertising or tracking SDKs. The only third-party service it can contact is The Movie Database (TMDb), and only if you opt in to TMDb enrichment with your own API key. Any data sent to a publishing endpoint goes to the endpoint you configure.

Children

Gobeau is a professional tool for filmmakers and videographers and is not directed at children. It does not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

If we change how the extension handles data, we will update this page and the "Last updated" date above.

Contact

Questions about this policy or about your data can be sent to [email protected].

Operator: Comprenders UG (haftungsbeschränkt), Kolonnenstr. 8, 10827 Berlin, Germany — represented by the Managing Director (Geschäftsführer) Bogdan Sevriukov. The website's own privacy policy covers tothecut.com itself.