Privacy Statement

Last updated: June 13, 2026

This statement describes what information Sermon Searcher (sermonsearcher.com) collects and how it is used.

1. Information we collect

Account information. If you sign in with a Google or Microsoft account, we receive your name, email address, and a unique account identifier from the sign-in provider. Sign-in is handled by Microsoft Entra External ID; we never see or store your password.
Search activity. Search queries are processed to return results and may be retained in server logs for troubleshooting and to improve search quality.
Public video content. The Service indexes transcripts and metadata of publicly available YouTube videos. This is public content about the videos, not personal information about you.

2. Connecting your YouTube account (channel owners)

Channel owners can optionally connect their Google/YouTube account so that Sermon Searcher can import the captions (transcripts) of their own videos through the official YouTube Data API. When you connect:

Sermon Searcher only reads the caption tracks of videos on channels your connected account owns or manages. We never upload, edit, or delete your videos, captions, comments, ratings, or any other channel content.
The app requests the youtube.force-ssl permission because it is the only scope the YouTube API permits for downloading caption content. Despite the broad wording shown on Google’s consent screen, the app uses it solely to read captions.
The resulting access tokens are stored encrypted at rest and are used only to fetch your captions. You can disconnect at any time from within the app, which revokes that access.

Sermon Searcher’s use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

3. Cookies and browser storage

The Service uses browser storage to keep you signed in (authentication tokens managed by the Microsoft sign-in library). We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

4. How we use information

We use the information above solely to operate the Service: signing you in, returning search results, associating channel-management permissions with your account, and diagnosing problems. We do not sell your information or share it with third parties for marketing.

5. Third-party services

Microsoft Entra External ID handles sign-in (Microsoft Privacy Statement).
Google handles sign-in when you choose "Continue with Google" (Google Privacy Policy).
YouTube hosts the videos the Service links to (Google Privacy Policy).

6. Data retention and deletion

Account records are kept while your account is active. If you would like your account and associated data deleted, contact us at the address below and we will remove them.

7. Changes to this statement

We may update this statement from time to time. The "Last updated" date above reflects the most recent revision.

8. Contact

Privacy questions or deletion requests can be sent to [email protected].