Privacy Policy

WhatToWatch ("we", "us") operates whattowatch.app. The service is run by an individual operator, not a company. For the purposes of the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), that operator is the data controller and can be reached at privacy@whattowatch.app.

• Account details you provide (email, display name, profile bio) or receive from sign-in providers (Google, GitHub, Telegram).
• Watch activity you create or import: watchlists, watched history, ratings, lists, and scrobble events from connected services.
• Notification preferences and linked accounts (e.g. Telegram chat id for bot delivery).
• Technical data such as IP address, browser type, and approximate usage patterns needed to operate and secure the service.
• Optional push notification subscription endpoints if you enable browser notifications.

Under the GDPR we rely on the following legal bases for processing:

• Performance of a contract — to provide the core features you sign up for: tracking, recommendations, the social feed, and notifications you enable.
• Legitimate interests — to keep the service reliable and secure, and prevent abuse.
• Consent — for optional things you switch on, such as email/Telegram notifications and non-essential analytics. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation — to comply with valid legal requests and enforce our terms.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

When analytics is configured, we use PostHog for opt-in product analytics with a random browser identifier, and for operational logs containing request categories, status codes, timings, AI token counts, and aggregate payment events. These operational records help diagnose failures and costs and do not contain account identifiers, prompts, message text, or raw request URLs. PostHog browser events are not linked to your WMTW account. See the Cookie Policy for controls.

We also use Google Analytics for visit statistics. Its tag and analytics cookies are enabled only with your consent. Your browser sends page categories and consented feature actions directly to Google using a cookie identifier, without linking your WMTW account. Advertising storage and advertising data sharing require a separate opt-in for campaign measurement. Google signals and ad personalization remain disabled.

We use infrastructure and integration partners to deliver the service — for example a hosting and edge-compute provider, a movie & TV metadata provider, and the OAuth sign-in providers listed above. They process data only as needed to provide the feature you use, under their own agreements. See Copyright & Attributions for data-source notices and our Cookie Policy for storage details.

WhatToWatch runs on globally distributed infrastructure, so your data may be processed on servers outside your home country, including outside the EEA/UK. You can contact us for information about the providers and safeguards applicable to a particular feature. New AI providers remain disabled until their processing arrangements and regional eligibility have been reviewed.

We keep your account data while your account is active. You can delete your account yourself at any time from Settings → Account. Deletion removes account-linked service records and schedules deletion of private import and export files, with retries if storage deletion fails. Active Telegram subscription renewal must be canceled before account deletion completes. Consent records and payment audit records are disconnected from your deleted account. Analytics records already received by providers are not automatically deleted by deleting your account; contact us for assistance with those requests. Provider and backup retention may differ from the live service.

Depending on where you live you have rights over your personal data. Under the GDPR these include:

• Access — get a copy of the data we hold about you. Use Settings → Export to download it yourself.
• Rectification — correct inaccurate data via your profile settings.
• Erasure — delete your account and data via Settings → Account.
• Portability — export your data in a machine-readable format (JSON + CSV).
• Restriction & objection — ask us to limit or stop certain processing.
• Withdraw consent — turn off notifications or analytics consent at any time.
• Complain to a supervisory authority — you may lodge a complaint with your local data protection regulator.

If you are a California resident, the CCPA gives you the right to know what we collect, request deletion, and opt out of the sale of personal information — we do not sell it — without discrimination for exercising these rights.

To exercise any right you cannot complete in-app, email privacy@whattowatch.app. We respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.

We use essential cookies for the service and optional first-party and PostHog and Google Analytics with your consent. PostHog uses browser local storage, while Google Analytics uses cookies. We offer optional advertising measurement with separate consent and do not use personalized advertising or session replay. Full details, and how to opt out of analytics, are in our Cookie Policy.

WhatToWatch is not intended for children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your country). We do not knowingly collect data from them.

We may update this policy; material changes will be reflected in the "last updated" date above. Privacy questions: privacy@whattowatch.app or via the Help Center.