Privacy policy

Effective 9 November 2026.

Backseater is a free, open-source desktop chat client for Windows, made by an independent developer. This policy covers the Backseater app and this website.

The short version

• There is no Backseater account, and the app has no analytics, telemetry or ads.
• The app talks directly from your computer to the chat platforms you use.
• Logins are stored only on your computer and are never sent to the developer.
• Nothing is sold or shared with anyone.

What the app stores on your computer

• Logins. If you log in to Twitch, Kick or YouTube, the access tokens and your account name and id are saved in Windows Credential Manager. Your password is never seen by the app: you sign in on the platform's own page in your browser.
• Settings and tabs. Your preferences, tab list, highlight and ignore terms.
• An image cache. Emote and badge images, so they load quickly.

Chat messages are kept in memory while the app runs and are not saved to disk. Logging out deletes that login from your computer. Settings stay in the app's folder under %APPDATA%ackseater until you delete it.

What the app connects to

To show and send chat, the app connects from your computer to the services you choose to use. Each of them sees your IP address and handles your data under its own privacy policy.

• Chat platforms: Twitch, Kick, YouTube and TikTok.
• Emote services: 7TV, BetterTTV and FrankerFaceZ.
• Twitch helper services: api.ivr.fi (public channel info) and recent-messages.robotty.de (recent chat history when you open a Twitch channel).
• GitHub: to check for and download app updates.
• Link previews: if enabled, the app fetches the title and thumbnail of YouTube, Twitch and Kick links posted in chat.

Kick login

Kick requires a server to complete its login. When you log in to Kick, the one-time login code, and later your refresh token, pass through a small service run by the developer on Cloudflare. It exchanges them with Kick and returns the result to your app. It stores nothing and logs nothing.

YouTube and Google

Reading YouTube chat needs no login. If you choose to log in to YouTube, Backseater uses YouTube API Services to act on your behalf. By using these features you agree to be bound by the YouTube Terms of Service, and your data is also covered by the Google Privacy Policy.

What Backseater does with your YouTube account:

• Reads your channel's id and name, to show which account is logged in and recognise your own messages.
• Sends live chat messages you type.
• Deletes live chat messages, and times out, bans or unbans users, when you ask it to in a chat you own or moderate.

Google's permission screen describes this access more broadly ("see, edit and permanently delete your YouTube videos, ratings, comments and captions") because YouTube offers no narrower permission for live chat. Backseater does not read, change or delete your videos, ratings, comments or captions.

Your Google access tokens, channel id and channel name are stored only in Windows Credential Manager on your computer. They are sent only to Google. They are never sent to the developer or any third party, and are not used for advertising.

Backseater's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

To remove Backseater's access:

• In the app, open Settings → Account and log out of YouTube. This deletes the stored tokens and revokes them with Google.
• Or remove it in your Google account at security.google.com/settings/security/permissions.

This website

This site sets no cookies and uses no analytics. It is hosted on Cloudflare, which processes standard request data such as IP addresses to deliver and protect the site.

Children

Backseater is not directed at children under 13.

Changes

If this policy changes, the new version will be posted here with a new effective date.

Contact

Questions or requests: lonanche@gmail.com, or open an issue on GitHub.