Backstage Sidekick — Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-09-04 · Operator: Slow Arcs, LLC

Backstage Sidekick is a free helper app for people who moderate or run live shows on Whatnot. It gives you a deck of one-tap quick phrases for chat, and a "who to thank" list (raids, tips, giveaway winners) built from the show you're watching. This policy explains what data the app handles. It works alongside the Sidekick Terms of Use, and the suite-wide Backstage Live Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

The short version: Sidekick has no account and no sign-up. The details of your shows — who bought what, who won, who tipped, every name — stay on your device and are never sent to us. What we do receive is your email address, and a count of how many shows you work and how many jobs came up in them, so we can tell whether Sidekick is actually being used. We never receive the seller's name, any buyer's name, or any amount of money. We never sell your data, never run ads, and never use it to train AI models.

1. What the app handles

1a. On your device only (never sent to us)

• Your phrase deck — the quick phrases, size chips, and emoji you customize
• Show activity — while a show is open, Sidekick notes events like raids, tips, and giveaway winners (usernames and amounts) so it can build your "who to thank" list. This stays in local storage on your device.
• Your sponsor list — who bought the host's "bless the chat" or sponsor listing, in the order they bought, and whether you've shouted them out yet. Kept so the right person gets their turn.
• Call-out lists — when a host asks the room to type a word (for example COHOST), Sidekick keeps the handles of the people who answered, in the order they answered. This is so the person who was first is still first when you get to them.
• App preferences — e.g. whether taps send or copy

1b. Optional email (the only data that can reach us)

The first time you open it, a welcome card asks for your email so we can send setup tips and news about the wider Backstage tools, and asks you to accept the Terms of Use. In the Chrome extension the email is required — the panel stays closed until you give one. In the iOS app it is skippable, and the app works fully without it. If you do enter an email it is sent to our servers and stored in our hosted database (Supabase). We also send a randomly generated install ID and the version number, so we can count how many people use Sidekick and on which version. That ID is created on your device and is not linked to your name or your Whatnot account.

1c. Counts of the shows you work

When you work a show with Sidekick open, we record that a show happened: when it started, roughly how long it ran, and how many sponsors, giveaway winners, raids and tips came up — and how many were still waiting to be thanked at the end. It is joined to the install ID above.

We do this for one reason: without it we cannot tell someone who installed Sidekick from someone who uses it every week, and that is the difference between building the right things and guessing.

What is never included: the seller's name or handle, the show's ID or link, any buyer's or winner's or tipper's name, any item title, and any price, tip or dollar amount. Only numbers — how many, and how long. Sidekick is used by moderators, and the show belongs to someone who never agreed to anything, so their details are not ours to collect.

You can ask us to delete everything tied to your install at any time.

1c. Whatnot, inside the app

The iOS app shows the Whatnot website in a built-in browser view so your show and the helper panel share a screen. The Chrome extension instead opens as a side panel next to the Whatnot tab you already have open. To see who sponsored the chat, it asks Whatnot for that show's list of sold items — the same list you can see yourself, using the Whatnot login you are already signed in with. That request goes to Whatnot, not to us, and the answer stays in your browser.

In both cases, You sign in to Whatnot directly with Whatnot — we never see or store your Whatnot password, and your session lives in that browser view on your device. When you tap a quick phrase, the app places that text into Whatnot's chat box for you, exactly as if you typed it; what happens to chat messages on Whatnot is governed by Whatnot's own privacy policy. Backstage Sidekick is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Whatnot.

2. How we use the data

• Email: to send setup tips and occasional news about Backstage tools. Every email we send gives you a way to stop them, and you can ask us to delete your address at any time.
• Messages you send us: the Help screen has a box for telling us when something breaks. We receive what you type, an address to reply to, and which version you're on — nothing else is attached. Used to answer you and fix the problem.
• Show counts: used to tell whether Sidekick is actually being used, and to spot where people get stuck. Never sold, never shared.
• Everything else: used only inside the app, on your device, to show you your phrase deck and thank-you list.

We do not sell your data, share it with advertisers or data brokers, serve ads, or use your data to train AI/ML models. The app contains no third-party advertising or analytics trackers.

3. Who we share data with

• Supabase — hosted database where the optional email is stored
• Apple App Store / TestFlight — app distribution and crash/diagnostic data, governed by Apple's privacy policy
• Email provider (Resend) — delivers our emails if you opted in

4. Device permissions

• Clipboard — only when you use "Copy" mode, to copy the phrase you tapped
• Local storage — to keep your phrase deck and settings
• No location, contacts, camera, microphone, photos, health data, or advertising identifier is collected

5. Data retention

• On your device: your deck, settings, and show activity remain until you clear them or uninstall the app
• Email: kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it

6. Security

All network traffic uses TLS encryption. Since show activity never leaves your device, there is nothing of yours on our servers to breach beyond the optional email. If we discover a breach affecting your data, we'll notify you as required by law.

7. Your rights and choices

• Skip the email card — on iOS the app is fully functional without it. The Chrome extension requires an email.
• Delete your email from our list — use any unsubscribe link or email us
• Clear everything local — uninstalling the app removes your deck, settings, and show activity

If you live in California, the EU/UK, or another jurisdiction with data-rights laws (CCPA, GDPR, etc.), you may also request a copy of the data we hold (for most users: at most one email address) and lodge a complaint with your local data-protection authority.

8. Children

Backstage Sidekick is not intended for anyone under 18, and we don't knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has used it, contact us and we'll delete the data.

9. Changes to this policy

If we materially change what we collect or how we use it, we'll update this page and the "Last updated" date.

10. Contact

Questions, deletion requests, or anything else: backstageliveapp@gmail.com
Operator: Slow Arcs LLC