1. Who operates Zoff
Zoff is a free service for listening and watching together in shared rooms, operated by its developer. Questions, privacy requests, and deletion requests can be sent to privacy@zoff.me.
2. Information Zoff processes
Zoff processes the information needed to run Music and Watch rooms:
- Room names, room type (Music or Watch), settings, queue entries, votes, playback state, chat messages, room activity, and optional participant nicknames.
- Search terms and playlist-generation prompts that users submit.
- A pseudonymous session identifier stored in a cookie so a user can participate in a room and retain room permissions.
- Theme preferences stored in a cookie on the user's device.
- IP address, user agent, request timing, and application logs used for security, abuse prevention, rate limiting, reliability, and debugging.
- Aggregated, privacy-focused usage measurements collected through Zoff's self-hosted Plausible Analytics installation. Zoff does not use this analytics data for targeted advertising.
Room participants can see the shared queue, participant nicknames, chat messages, and room activity. Public rooms can appear in the corresponding Music or Watch room browser with their name, participant count, and queue size. Do not share confidential information in a room.
Room administrator passwords are optional. When provided, they are processed to authenticate room administration and are stored as password hashes rather than readable passwords.
3. Providers
Zoff connects to the media providers enabled for the service. Music rooms support enabled YouTube and SoundCloud integrations; Watch rooms use YouTube only. The room type determines the search and import rules and is fixed when the room is created. Provider-specific processing and terms are described below only when that integration is available.
YouTube
Zoff uses YouTube API Services and the YouTube embedded player to search for and play publicly available videos. Zoff sends user search terms to YouTube and receives public video information such as video IDs, titles, channel names, thumbnails, durations, categories, view counts, and like counts.
YouTube search results are cached for up to three days to reduce duplicate API requests. When a user adds a result to a room, the relevant public video information is stored with that room so the shared queue can function. Queue metadata is scheduled for refresh after 21 days. If it cannot be refreshed, a separate cleanup removes it after 25 days without a successful refresh, including a paused or currently selected video. This leaves time for the search cache, import staging, and event replay before the 30-day retention limit. An expired current video stops playing locally when the room receives the update.
Videos YouTube marks as made for kids are excluded from search, pasted links, playlist imports, and generated selections. Playlist previews explain when these videos have been skipped. If a stored video is later marked as made for kids, Zoff removes it when its metadata is refreshed.
Loading an embedded YouTube player connects your browser to Google and shares information such as your IP address, browser details, and the requested video. YouTube uses this information to display the player, check playback restrictions, and prevent fraud and abuse. Playback shares additional information with YouTube. When autoplay is enabled, this can happen on page load without a separate click on the player.
YouTube and other third parties may serve advertisements and store or access cookies or similar information on your device through their players, under their own policies. These are separate from Zoff's session and theme cookies. Browser privacy controls can restrict third-party storage, although doing so may affect playback. Turning autoplay off in an embed delays playback, but does not prevent the initial connection when its player loads.
Use of YouTube features is subject to the YouTube Terms of Service. Google describes how it processes information in the Google Privacy Policy.
Zoff does not download, extract, rehost, sell, or independently profile users from YouTube audiovisual content or API data.
SoundCloud
Zoff uses the SoundCloud API and player to search for and play publicly available tracks. Search terms are sent to SoundCloud, and Zoff may receive track IDs, titles, uploader names, artwork, duration, genre, and playback information.
SoundCloud search results are cached for up to three days to avoid repeated provider requests. Tracks selected for a room are stored with the room queue. Zoff does not claim ownership of SoundCloud user content.
SoundCloud processes information under its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
4. AI playlist generation
If a user asks Zoff to generate a playlist, the submitted prompt is sent to Google's Gemini API. Music prompts request music suggestions; Watch prompts request videos to watch. For generation within an existing room, titles and publisher names from the current item and queued items may also be sent to avoid duplicate suggestions. Zoff then checks suggested public metadata with the room's supported media provider. Users should not include personal, confidential, or sensitive information in a playlist prompt.
Google processes Gemini API data under its applicable terms and data practices. More information is available in the Google Privacy Policy and Gemini API Additional Terms.
5. Retention and deletion
Search caches expire automatically after three days. Playlist generation job records are retained for up to one day. Room and queue data remain available while the room exists and may be removed by room or service administrators. Security and operational logs are retained only as long as reasonably needed for reliability, troubleshooting, and abuse prevention.
A user may request deletion of data associated with their Zoff session by contacting privacy@zoff.me. Zoff may need information sufficient to identify the relevant session or room. Verified deletion requests are completed within seven days. Deleting data held by Zoff does not delete data held by YouTube, Google, or another media provider; provider data and permissions must be managed directly with that provider.
6. Sharing and international processing
Zoff shares information only when needed to operate the service, including with hosting and infrastructure providers, analytics infrastructure, Google when Gemini playlist generation is requested, and the enabled media providers. Zoff does not sell personal information or use it for targeted advertising.
These providers may process information in countries outside the user's country of residence under their own terms and privacy practices.
7. Security, rights, and changes
Zoff uses reasonable technical and organizational measures intended to protect service data. No internet service can guarantee absolute security.
Depending on applicable law, users may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or objection to the processing of their personal information. Requests can be sent to privacy@zoff.me.
This policy may be updated as Zoff changes. Material changes will be reflected by updating the date shown at the top of this page.