tek.CUT · YouTube data

tek.CUT privacy.

tek.CUT is the HicksNewMedia production tool for podcasts and live shows. It runs on your own computer and uses YouTube API Services. This page explains exactly what it reads from your YouTube account, where that data lives, who else can see it, and how to remove it. It covers tek.CUT only; the HicksNewMedia network privacy policy covers our websites and newsletters.

Effective October 26, 2026
Last updated October 2026
Version 1.0
TL;DR

Five things you should know.

The full policy below covers every detail. These are the commitments in the shortest form that still tells the truth.
RULE 01
tek.CUT runs on your computer. Your YouTube data never reaches HicksNewMedia.
RULE 02
It reads only what you allow on Google's sign-in screen.
RULE 03
It publishes nothing unless you switch publishing on and approve that exact plan.
RULE 04
Your data is never sold, never used for ads, never shared by us.
RULE 05
Revoke access and delete everything any time, in one step.
01

tek.CUT and YouTube API Services.

tek.CUT uses YouTube API Services (the YouTube Data API and the YouTube Analytics API) to read your channel's videos and analytics and, only when you approve it, to publish to your channel.

  • By using tek.CUT's YouTube features you agree to be bound by the YouTube Terms of Service ↗.
  • Google's handling of your data is described in the Google Privacy Policy ↗.
  • Before tek.CUT connects to any channel, it shows these terms and this policy and records your agreement on your computer. No YouTube feature works until you agree.
02

What tek.CUT accesses.

Access is granted by you, per channel, on Google's own consent screen. tek.CUT asks for these permissions:

View your YouTube accountAlways · youtube.readonly
Your channel's name, handle, ID, subscriber and view counts. Your uploads: titles, descriptions, tags, durations, privacy status, publish and live-stream start times, thumbnail addresses, and public view, like and comment counts.
View YouTube Analytics reportsAlways · yt-analytics.readonly
For your own channel: views, watch time, average view duration and percentage, likes, comments, shares, subscribers gained and lost, audience retention across each video, traffic sources, and daily views by content type (Shorts, long-form, live).
Upload videosOnly if you connect with publishing · youtube.upload
Used only to upload the clips you approved in a publish plan, at the visibility and time shown in that plan.
Manage your YouTube accountOnly if you connect with publishing · youtube.force-ssl
Used only to carry out an approved plan: update the title, description and tags of your videos, add caption files, set thumbnails, add a video to a playlist, and mark paid promotion.

tek.CUT does not access comment text, your subscribers' identities, messages, payment information, or any channel you did not connect.

03

How tek.CUT uses it.

  • Dashboards on your computer. Channel, show and clip performance pages that open from a file on your machine.
  • Matching. Linking each YouTube video to the episode or clip tek.CUT made, so you can see how each one performed.
  • Clip suggestions. Using audience retention on your own videos to suggest moments for future clips.
  • Reports you ask for. For example a sponsor performance report you create and decide whether to share.
  • Publishing you approve. tek.CUT never publishes on its own. Publishing is off until you switch it on, and every publish needs your approval code for a plan that names the channel, each video, its title and description, and its visibility. Any change after approval cancels it.

Figures tek.CUT calculates itself (for example "views in the first 7 days" or a median across clips) are marked as calculated by tek.CUT and not reported by YouTube. Everything else shown is YouTube's own number.

04

Where it is stored.

Everything stays on your computer, in your TekCut folder. tek.CUT stores and accesses these files on your device:

  • Analytics database (TekCut/analytics/tekcut.db): the YouTube data listed above, plus your own episodes and clips.
  • Dashboards and reports (.html and .json files) built from that database.
  • Google sign-in tokens (TekCut/secrets/), readable only by your computer user account, and a record of your agreement to these terms.

For YouTube features tek.CUT communicates only with Google's sign-in and YouTube API servers. HicksNewMedia runs no server that receives your YouTube data. tek.CUT uses no cookies, tracking pixels or advertising, and no third party serves content or ads through it.

05

Who else sees it.

HicksNewMedia does not receive, sell, rent or share your YouTube data. Three things to know:

  • Claude Code (Anthropic). tek.CUT runs inside Claude Code. When you use it there, the text tek.CUT shows in your session, including answers about your analytics and episode transcripts, is processed by Claude under your own Anthropic account and Anthropic's terms and privacy policy.
  • Files you share. A report or dashboard file you send to someone contains the numbers in it. Sharing it is your choice.
  • Optional services you turn on. Cloud transcription (Deepgram) and AI voice (VocalLab) receive audio or text only if you enable them, under their own terms. They never receive your YouTube data.
06

Retention and deletion.

  • Refreshed, or deleted. Each analytics pull re-reads every stored video from YouTube (nightly when tek.CUT's auto-run is on). Data for a video that has not been refreshed within 30 days is deleted automatically.
  • Access re-confirmed every 30 days. If tek.CUT has not been able to confirm its access to a channel within 30 days, all stored data for that channel is deleted automatically.
  • Disconnect: tekcut.py connect --disconnect @channel revokes tek.CUT's access with Google and deletes that channel's stored data immediately.
  • Delete without disconnecting: tekcut.py analytics forget --channel @channel (or --all) deletes stored YouTube data at once.
  • Your own files (recordings, transcripts, clips) are yours and stay until you delete them.
07

Revoking access.

You can revoke tek.CUT's access at any time, two ways:

  • In tek.CUT: tekcut.py connect --disconnect @channel (revokes and deletes, as above).
  • In your Google account: open the Google security settings page ↗, choose tekCUT, and remove its access. tek.CUT can then no longer read or publish, and its stored data for that channel is deleted automatically within 30 days, or right away with analytics forget.
08

Children's privacy.

tek.CUT is a production tool for adult creators and is not directed at children under 13. YouTube's own age requirements apply to every connected account.

09

Changes to this policy.

The version and date at the top of this page change with every update. Material changes (new data, new permissions, a new place data goes) are listed in tek.CUT's changelog and take effect only after tek.CUT asks you to agree again.

Privacy questions or requests

Questions, complaints, or want it gone?

Email the developer, James Hicks at HicksNewMedia, about anything on this page: a question, a complaint, or a deletion request. Deletion requests are completed within 7 days. YouTube Terms of Service ↗ · Google Privacy Policy ↗ · tek.CUT Privacy Policy · tek.CUT Terms of Use

Response within 5 business days · Deletion within 7 days