Privacy Policy

Overview

Mingbai helps Chinese learners read Chinese text subtitles on supported Netflix and YouTube videos by grouping subtitle lines into phrase chunks, showing pinyin and learner cards, and offering optional AI notes when a learner explicitly asks for them.

This policy explains how the Mingbai website, waitlist and private-alpha browser extension handle data. Mingbai is currently operated by Gary Ho. For privacy questions, contact [email protected].

Mingbai does not sell personal information, does not use personal information for advertising, and does not use personal information to determine creditworthiness or for lending purposes.

Mingbai’s use and transfer of information received from Chrome extension APIs complies with the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Mingbai uses extension data only to provide, secure, support and improve the phrase-first subtitle learning features described in this policy.

The extension uses hosted Mingbai services to provide some features. For the current private-alpha extension, subtitle text from supported Netflix and YouTube text subtitle tracks is processed by Mingbai’s backend services to provide phrase chunks, pinyin, learner cards, account status, quota checks, support features and optional AI responses.

Legal basis

We process personal information where it is necessary to provide and support the private alpha, where we have a legitimate interest in operating, securing, supporting and improving Mingbai, where we need to comply with legal obligations, or where you have given consent, such as when you join the waitlist or choose to submit optional support information.

Website and waitlist

The Mingbai website is a static website. It uses Cloudflare Web Analytics to understand aggregate website traffic and performance. Cloudflare Web Analytics is designed not to use cookies, localStorage or individual visitor fingerprinting for analytics.

Waitlist buttons may link to Tally. If you submit a waitlist or contact form, Tally processes the information you choose to provide under its own terms and privacy policy.

We use waitlist and contact information to manage alpha access, reply to messages, send invite or onboarding information, and understand interest in the product.

Account and sign-in

Private-alpha access uses email sign-in with a one-time password. When you enter your email address, Mingbai uses its account and authentication services to send and verify the one-time password, maintain your session, check private-alpha access, manage entitlement and quota state, and support testers.

Mingbai does not use passwords for private-alpha sign-in. One-time passwords and session credentials are used for authentication, account access and protected service access.

Account records may include email address, account/session metadata, invite or entitlement status, alpha access status and expiry, usage/quota state, support status, and operational records needed to run and protect the private alpha.

Subtitle processing in the extension

The extension is designed around supported video subtitle text and selected subtitle chunks. It is not intended to collect general browsing history or build a profile of websites you visit.

When you use Mingbai on a supported Netflix or YouTube page, the extension may read Chinese text subtitle lines, subtitle timing and limited source information needed to provide the learning feature. For the current private-alpha extension, subtitle text is processed by Mingbai’s backend services to provide phrase chunks, pinyin and learner cards.

Saved Materials, Known state, local lookup history, local Context Explanation cache entries, local Scene Q&A cache entries, local account UI state and local diagnostic/debug preferences are stored locally in the browser extension unless a specific feature described in this policy sends information to a hosted service.

The extension may call hosted API endpoints. Those API calls do not mean that the extension loads or executes remote JavaScript or WebAssembly from those services.

Context Explanation and Scene Q&A

Context Explanation and Scene Q&A run only when you explicitly click those features. They are not automatic background AI processing.

When you request Context Explanation, Mingbai may send the selected word or phrase, the current subtitle line, limited nearby subtitle context, relevant learner-card context and account/quota request metadata to Mingbai’s backend. The backend may send a prompt to MiniMax, the current AI provider, and return the response to the extension.

When you request Scene Q&A, Mingbai may send your question, the current subtitle moment, limited nearby subtitle context, selected phrase or learner-card context and, if enabled in the UI, available show title or episode information. Scene Q&A is text-first in this alpha; screenshot or frame upload is not part of the current flow.

Successful Context Explanation and Scene Q&A results can be cached locally in your browser so the same answer can be shown again without another provider request. Request handling, error handling and quota outcomes may also create operational metadata in Mingbai’s backend services.

If Mingbai changes its AI provider for private-alpha or public extension traffic, this policy will be updated.

Saved Materials and exports

Saved Materials are stored locally on your machine during this alpha. They are not currently copied to a Mingbai server for cross-device recovery.

Saved Materials can include the saved phrase or word, pinyin, short gloss, learner-card type, HSK level, platform tag, source timing, source title, source URL and the source subtitle sentence where available. CSV exports may include similar fields so you can use your saved material outside Mingbai.

Local diagnostic or export surfaces exposed during alpha may show captured subtitle lines, transcript/source status, parser/runtime status, gateway status, quota status, safe request/error classes and related technical metadata. These surfaces are intended for tester support and debugging.

Bug reports and diagnostics

If you submit a bug report, Mingbai may store the report with your account so we can investigate and respond. A report may include category, severity, platform, feature, what happened, optional expected behaviour, timestamps, safe diagnostics and support status.

Bug reports do not include subtitle text by default. The form may offer separate options to attach the current Chinese line or selected phrase. If you choose those options, that subtitle or phrase content is stored with the report. Screenshots are not part of the current bug-report upload path.

Diagnostics are designed to help identify extension version, browser class, feature status, request/error class, account/access state class, quota status and similar reliability information. Diagnostics and support logs are designed to avoid access codes, tokens, raw provider payloads, provider keys, database URLs, full prompts, provider outputs and screenshots.

Third-party services

Mingbai may use third-party service providers only as needed to operate the website, private-alpha extension and support process.

Current service providers include Tally for waitlist forms, Cloudflare for website hosting and website analytics, Supabase for authentication and account-related storage, MiniMax for explicit-click AI requests, and hosting/infrastructure providers that operate Mingbai’s backend services.

These providers may process technical request metadata such as IP address, browser or device information, timestamps, request metadata and error data when their services are used. This information is used for reliability, security, debugging, support and abuse prevention, not advertising.

Mingbai is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Netflix, YouTube, MiniMax, Tally, Cloudflare, Supabase or their respective owners.

Retention and deletion

We keep waitlist and contact information for as long as needed to run the alpha, manage access and respond to messages, unless you ask us to delete it sooner.

During private alpha, account, invite, entitlement, session, quota, audit, bug-report and operational records are kept only as long as needed to run the alpha, investigate reliability or support issues, protect access, prevent abuse and meet legal or operational requirements.

You can ask us to delete personal information we hold about you. We will verify the request and delete or anonymise information where we are able and required to do so. Some limited records may be retained where needed for security, legal, abuse-prevention or operational reasons.

Local extension data, including Saved Materials, Known state, recent history and local Context Explanation or Scene Q&A caches, remains on your machine unless you clear it through browser or extension storage controls or the extension exposes a matching local clear action.

Your rights

You can ask to access, correct or delete personal information we hold about you, and you can object to certain processing. Contact [email protected].

If you are in the UK and are unhappy with how we handle your request, you can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Some providers used for hosting, forms, email, authentication, AI services or infrastructure may process information outside the UK or European Economic Area under their own safeguards and terms.

Contact

For privacy questions or deletion requests, contact Míngbai using the address below.

[email protected]