The Obscura FilesHistorical documentaries

Orgo Obscura Analytics

Privacy policy

Effective date: Last updated:

1. About this policy

This policy explains how Orgo Obscura Analytics (“the application”) accesses, uses, stores, shares and deletes information it receives from Google through YouTube API Services, and what happens to the reports produced from that information.

Orgo Obscura Analytics is a private, owner-operated research and performance-analysis tool for The Obscura Files YouTube channel (channel ID UC7nozNG56fpGv72GAgJUjDQ). It is operated by Noah Gandley, the channel's owner, for that channel only. It is not offered to the public and has no sign-ups or user accounts.

2. Current status

As of November 13, 2026
  • Collection is switched off. The application does not retrieve YouTube Analytics data automatically. Collection stays disabled until the owner explicitly activates it.
  • Google authorization is not currently valid. The owner must authorize the application again through Google's consent screen before any collection can resume.
  • Scheduled authorization checks are not running. Automated weekly authorization validation has not been enabled.
  • Information retrieved earlier is still stored, as described in sections 5 and 8.

3. YouTube API Services and Google

Orgo Obscura Analytics uses YouTube API Services. By using the application, you agree to be bound by the YouTube Terms of Service.

Google's own collection and processing of information is governed by the Google Privacy Policy.

Orgo Obscura Analytics is not a Google or YouTube product. Its use of Google APIs does not mean that Google or YouTube endorses, approves or has verified it.

4. Whose information is involved

The application is authorized by the Google account that manages The Obscura Files channel, and it works only with that channel's data. It is configured to accept data only for that channel's ID.

YouTube Analytics reports describe the channel's audience in aggregate, for example total views or watch time. The application does not identify individual viewers.

5. Permissions and information accessed

Permissions requested

The application requests exactly two Google OAuth scopes. Both are read-only. Neither allows the application to upload, publish, edit or delete anything on YouTube.

Requested scopes
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.readonly Read-only access to the authorizing account's YouTube information. This is a broad scope. Besides the channel details the application uses, it could technically allow reading other information linked to the account, such as videos, playlists, comments or subscriptions. What the application actually retrieves is limited by its design, described below, not by this scope.
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/yt-analytics.readonly Read-only access to YouTube Analytics reports for the channel's content, such as views and watch time. Audience information in these reports is aggregated.

The application does not request YouTube's separate monetary (revenue) reporting scope. When the owner authorizes the application, Google issues OAuth credentials that allow these read-only requests. The credentials are stored as described in section 8.

Information already collected

Before collection was switched off, the application retrieved:

  • channel identification and channel metadata;
  • aggregate YouTube Analytics statistics for the channel.

According to the owner's local audit of the stored data, the application has not collected comment text, commenter profiles, the identities of individual viewers, or monetary (revenue) Analytics data.

Information collected after activation

If the owner reactivates collection, the application's design limits retrieval to channel identification and selected aggregate performance metrics. This is enforced in the application's code, which:

  • accepts data only for The Obscura Files' channel ID;
  • calls only an approved list of API methods and requests only an approved list of metrics;
  • checks that the Google authorization is valid before any collection runs.

Using more of the access the scopes allow would require changing that design and updating this policy.

Reports produced from the data

The application also produces analysis results, summaries and reports derived from the information above. These derived materials are covered by this policy in the same way as the original data.

6. How the information is used

The information is used for private, owner-operated performance analysis of The Obscura Files channel and its videos, and for research that informs planning and improving the channel's documentaries. Some of that analysis is done with an OpenAI-based AI model service, and summaries can be delivered to the owner by Telegram (see section 9).

The owner does not:

  • sell Google or YouTube user data, or anything derived from it;
  • use it for targeted advertising, or transfer it to advertising platforms or data brokers;
  • use it to determine creditworthiness or for lending decisions;
  • use it to train generalized AI models;
  • repurpose it for unrelated commercial activities.

These commitments cover the owner's own use of the data. They do not describe what the service providers in section 9 do with the information they receive. Those practices are governed by each provider's own terms.

Google's Limited Use requirements

Data received through these scopes is subject to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements, and to the YouTube API Services Developer Policies. The owner has not yet obtained written confirmation that the AI analysis, the derived outputs, and the Telegram delivery described in this policy are consistent with YouTube's developer policies. That question is open while collection is disabled.

7. Who can access the information

The application is operated by, and for, the owner of The Obscura Files. The owner and the automated tools the owner runs on the owner's behalf can access the information. The service providers listed in section 9 also process it as part of providing their services.

8. Where the information is stored and how it is protected

  • OAuth credentials and selected YouTube data are stored on a cloud computer hosted by Orgo.ai. The data is therefore not held only on the owner's own devices, and the hosting provider operates the underlying infrastructure.
  • Credential files are protected with restricted operating-system file permissions, and the application's compliance-state records are accessible only to the owner.
  • Managed YouTube data is kept in separate, dedicated storage.
  • Analysis results and derived reports may also be stored in the application's working files, in earlier report archives, and in the conversation history of Hermes, the AI assistant software the owner uses to run the analysis.
  • Summaries delivered by Telegram are stored in the owner's Telegram account (see section 9).

These measures reduce risk but cannot guarantee that information is never accessed without authorization.

9. Services that process the information

Information is shared with, or processed by, the following services:

Third-party processing
Google / YouTube The source of the authorized channel information. Google processes requests to its APIs under the Google Privacy Policy.
Orgo.ai Cloud-computing infrastructure. The application, its stored data and its credentials are hosted on an Orgo cloud computer.
OpenAI When analytics are submitted for AI-assisted analysis, the submitted data, together with the owner's request, is sent to an OpenAI-based AI model, and the model's response is returned.
Telegram When results or summaries are delivered through the owner's messaging workflow, they are sent to the owner by Telegram, which transmits and stores those messages.

Each provider handles information under its own terms and privacy policy, including how long it keeps information and whether it uses information to improve its services. Their retention and deletion practices have not been independently verified for this application's configuration, and this policy makes no promises on their behalf.

10. Retention

How long information is kept

Managed YouTube data, analysis results and reports are kept until the owner deletes them. There is no automatic expiry that removes all stored information. Metadata freshness checks identify stored channel metadata that is out of date, so it can be refreshed or deleted.

Safeguards in place now

  • Only the two read-only scopes in section 5 are requested.
  • Data is accepted only for The Obscura Files' channel ID, through an approved list of API methods and metrics.
  • The Google authorization is validated before any collection runs.
  • Compliance-state records are accessible only to the owner.
  • Managed data is stored separately from other files.
  • Deletion uses protected commands and a documented deletion procedure, and destructive steps require the owner's explicit confirmation (see section 12).

Not yet in place

  • Automated weekly authorization validation is not enabled. Authorization is only checked when collection is attempted.
  • Earlier report archives and Hermes conversation records are not covered by the automated deletion commands. They need manual or coordinated deletion.
  • Copies and backups held by Orgo, OpenAI or Telegram cannot be deleted or verified with the application's own tools.

What YouTube's policies require

The YouTube API Services Developer Policies set retention and deletion timelines for applications like this one. In summary:

  • YouTube Analytics data may be kept as long as needed for the purpose the owner authorized, but authorization must be re-checked at least every 30 days.
  • Other authorized data must be refreshed or deleted within 30 days.
  • Stored data must be deleted within 7 days of a deletion request.
  • Related data must be deleted within 30 days after access is revoked through Google's account settings.

These are YouTube's requirements, not a description of what the application currently does automatically. Because scheduled validation is not enabled, and some copies sit outside the deletion commands, the application does not currently perform all of these steps on its own.

11. Revoking the application's access

The authorizing account can revoke Orgo Obscura Analytics' access at any time from Google's third-party connections page (myaccount.google.com/connections).

Revoking access stops all future authorized access to the account. It does not automatically erase results, reports, conversation history or messages that were already stored. To have those deleted, send a deletion request (section 12).

12. Requesting deletion

Send deletion requests to cnoahgandley@gmail.com. Requests are handled with the documented deletion procedure, in place since November 13, 2026:

  1. The owner reviews the request and uses the deletion inventory to identify the stored data it covers.
  2. Managed data is deleted with the protected deletion commands. The production deletion step runs only after the owner explicitly confirms it.
  3. Data outside those commands, such as earlier report archives and Hermes conversation records, is deleted manually or in coordination with the relevant service, where that is possible.
  4. For copies held by Orgo, OpenAI or Telegram, the owner uses whatever deletion options those providers offer. Their own copies and backups cannot be independently deleted or verified.
  5. The person who sent the request receives a reply saying what was deleted, and what could not be deleted or verified.

YouTube's policies require stored data to be deleted within 7 calendar days of a request. Managed data can be deleted with the procedure above. Complete deletion of every copy within that period, including archives, Hermes records and provider-held copies, cannot currently be guaranteed.

Deleting information held by this application does not affect anything stored on YouTube itself.

13. Cookies, device storage and advertising

The application is not offered to the public as a website or app. It does not place cookies or similar technologies on anyone else's devices, does not display advertising, and does not serve third-party content. Summaries delivered by Telegram are stored in the owner's Telegram app, as described in section 9.

The public website at theobscurafiles.com, which hosts this policy, is covered by the separate website privacy notice.

14. Contact

Orgo Obscura Analytics is operated by Noah Gandley. For questions or complaints about this policy or the application, or to request deletion, email cnoahgandley@gmail.com.

15. Related policies

16. Changes to this policy

When this policy changes, the “Last updated” date at the top of the page changes too.

About Orgo Obscura Analytics