Privacy Policy

Effective October 9, 2026

Updated October 9, 2026: added the section on the Highlight Reels app and YouTube.

ScottForge is a one-person IT shop in Youngstown, Ohio, operated by Tom Scott. This policy explains what information I collect when you visit scottforge.ai or contact me, how I use it, and what your choices are.

I've tried to write this in plain English. If anything is unclear, email me at tom@scottforge.ai and I'll explain in fewer words.

The short version

  • I collect your name, contact info, business name, and what you tell me about your situation — only when you give it to me through the contact form or email.
  • I use that information to respond to you, follow up on our conversation, and (if you become a client) do the work you've hired me to do.
  • I don't sell your information. I don't share it with anyone for marketing. I don't run ad tracking on this site.
  • You can ask me to delete your information at any time by emailing tom@scottforge.ai.

The longer version follows

What I collect

Information you give me directly. When you fill out the contact form or email me, I receive whatever you choose to share — typically your name, business name, email, and a description of what you're trying to figure out.

Information collected automatically. When you visit scottforge.ai, my web host logs basic server information (IP address, browser type, pages visited, timestamps). This is standard for any website and is used only to keep the site running and secure. I do not run third-party analytics or advertising trackers.

How I use it

I use the information you give me to:

  • Respond to your message and schedule a conversation.
  • Prepare a proposal or scope of work, if relevant.
  • Do the work you've hired me to do.
  • Send follow-ups, appointment reminders, and project updates while we're working together.
  • Keep records of past work for reference (in case you call me again in two years asking what we set up).

I don't use your information for marketing to other people, sell it, or share it for any purpose besides delivering services to you.

Who I share it with

I work with a small number of service providers to run the business. They have access only to what they need, and only to do their job:

  • My website host — serves scottforge.ai. Logs basic visit information.
  • My email provider — sends and receives email through tom@scottforge.ai.
  • My accounting and invoicing tools — for clients only, to send invoices and track payments.

I don't share your information with anyone else. I will share information if required by law (a valid subpoena, for example), but I'll tell you about it unless I'm legally prohibited from doing so.

Cookies

scottforge.ai uses only essential cookies needed for the site to function (things like remembering your form input if you reload the page). No advertising cookies, no cross-site trackers, no analytics that follow you around the internet.

Highlight Reels app and YouTube

Highlight Reels is a small desktop app I built and run on my own computer. It turns sports clips into highlight videos and can publish them to a YouTube channel. It uses the YouTube API Services. By connecting a YouTube channel to it, you agree to the YouTube Terms of Service, and Google's handling of your data is covered by the Google Privacy Policy.

What it accesses. When you press "Connect YouTube channel" and sign in with Google, the app asks for permission to upload videos to your channel and to read your channel's name, so it can show which channel is connected. It does not read your other videos, comments, subscribers, analytics, email, or anything else in your Google account.

How it uses that access. Only to upload the videos you choose, with the title and description you type, and to show you the link to each one afterward.

What it stores, and where. The sign-in token Google issues, your channel's name, the description you typed, and the titles and links of the videos it uploaded. All of this is kept only in a folder on the computer running the app. None of it is sent to me, to ScottForge's servers, or to anyone other than Google.

Sharing. I don't share, sell, or transfer any data from the YouTube API to anyone, and it isn't used for advertising. The app's use of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.

Removing access. Press "Disconnect" in the app to delete the saved sign-in. You can also revoke the app's access at any time from your Google Account's third-party connections page. To have anything else the app stored deleted, email tom@scottforge.ai. Videos already published stay on YouTube until you delete them there.

How long I keep your information

I keep contact and project records as long as we're working together, and for up to seven years afterward — long enough to handle tax records, reference past work, and respond if you reach back out later. After that, I delete what's no longer needed.

You can ask me to delete your information sooner at any time. The exception is anything I'm required to keep for legal or accounting reasons (like invoices and tax records).

Your rights

You can:

  • Ask me what information I have about you.
  • Ask me to correct anything that's wrong.
  • Ask me to delete your information.
  • Unsubscribe from any email I send you that has an unsubscribe option.

To do any of these, email tom@scottforge.ai. I'll respond within a reasonable time, usually within a week.

Children's privacy

ScottForge serves businesses, not children. I don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you believe I have, contact me and I'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

If I update this policy, I'll change the "Effective" date at the top and post the new version here. Material changes (new types of data collection, new sharing partners) will be noted clearly at the top of the page for at least 30 days.

Contact

Questions about this policy, or want me to delete your information?

Tom Scott
ScottForge
Youngstown, Ohio
tom@scottforge.ai