Privacy Policy

We collect the categories of information described in sections 1a through 1f below.

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address
• Authentication-related data

Account authentication is handled by Supabase, which securely processes login credentials on our behalf.

If you sign in with Google, we receive your email address and a basic account identifier from Google. We do not receive your Google password.

If you play without signing up, we create an anonymous guest account tied to your device so your progress and gameplay activity can be saved. A guest account contains no email address or other contact information, and can later be upgraded to a full account if you sign up.

If you set up a profile, we collect:

• Display name
• Avatar
• Verification status

Your display name, avatar, and match results are visible to other players - for example, to opponents in online matches, on leaderboards, and on post-game and shared result screens.

When you use Tetherball, we collect gameplay-related data, including:

• Player guesses
• Match activity and outcomes
• Timestamps and session activity
• Game interactions and events
• Poll votes (shown to other players only in aggregate)
• Chat messages you send in public online lobbies
• Players you block
• Reports you file about other players, and reports other players file about you

Chat in a private lobby is not stored. If a player in a private lobby reports another player, the recent chat history of that lobby (up to the last 40 messages) is sent to us with the report and kept while we review it.

This data is used to operate the game, improve gameplay systems, and maintain fair play.

We may automatically collect:

• IP address
• Browser type and device information
• General usage data such as pages visited and time spent

We use Google Analytics to understand how users interact with Tetherball and to improve the Service.

This may include:

• Device and browser information
• Approximate location (city)
• Usage patterns and interactions

We ask before using Google Analytics cookies. If you choose Accept, Google Analytics stores a random identifier on your device so repeat visits can be counted together. If you choose Decline, or have not answered yet, it receives only anonymous, cookieless signals with no identifier. We turn off Google Analytics advertising features and Google signals, so this data is never used for ads. See "Cookies and Local Storage" below to change your choice.

If you write to us through the Contact page, we collect your email address, your message, the name and subject you enter (both optional), and your IP address. We use the IP address only to limit spam and abuse. Messages are stored in our database and delivered to our inbox by Resend, an email delivery service. We use them only to reply to you and to improve the Service.

• Enable account login and management
• Store and process gameplay activity
• Improve game balance, features, and performance
• Analyze user behavior and trends
• Detect bugs, abuse, or cheating
• Support internal analytics and development

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract - providing your account, gameplay, and the features of the Service you use
• Legitimate interests - understanding how the Service is used, improving it, and keeping gameplay fair and secure
• Legal obligations - where we must retain or disclose information as required by law

You can object to processing based on legitimate interests - see “Your Rights” below.

The Service uses cookies and similar technologies:

• Google Analytics sets analytics cookies only if you choose Accept in our analytics prompt. If you decline, Google Analytics receives only anonymous, cookieless signals with no identifier. You can change your choice at any time: in the app under Settings > Privacy choices, and on the website with the “Cookie choices” link
• Cloudflare Web Analytics measures visits to our website without using cookies
• We store settings and game progress locally on your device (browser local storage, or app preferences on mobile)

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Locally stored game data can be cleared by clearing your browser or app data.

Data is stored securely using infrastructure provided by Supabase and related services.

We take reasonable measures to protect your data, but no system is completely secure.

Your data is stored and processed on servers located in the United States. If you use the Service from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to, and processed in, the United States.

We retain your data as long as necessary to:

• Maintain your account
• Provide and improve the service
• Monitor for abuse or violations
• Comply with legal obligations

When data is no longer needed, we may delete it or anonymize it. Some gameplay records (such as match logs) may be retained in anonymized or aggregated form after your account is deleted. Security and audit logs are kept for 90 days and then deleted. Messages sent through the Contact page are kept so we can follow up on support requests, and are deleted on request.

Tetherball relies on third-party services, including:

• Supabase (authentication and database)
• Cloudflare (website hosting and game server infrastructure)
• Google (sign-in, Google Analytics)
• Google AdMob (advertising in the mobile app only)
• Cloudflare Web Analytics (cookieless website visit counts)
• Resend (delivering messages sent through our Contact page)

These services process data according to their own privacy policies, available on each provider’s website.

We do not show ads on our website. In our mobile app we show ads through Google AdMob, a Google service. The controls described below apply to those ads.

In the mobile app, Google and its partners may use your device’s advertising identifier and similar technologies to show ads, and those ads are personalized only where you allow it.

You can opt out of personalized advertising in Google’s Ads Settings (https://www.google.com/settings/ads). You can learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services at https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and manage choices for other ad vendors at https://www.aboutads.info.

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the app asks for your consent through Google’s consent form before any personalized ads are shown. In all regions you can open Settings > Privacy choices in the app to review ad privacy options where Google provides them. Declining personalization does not remove ads. It makes them non-personalized.

On iPhone and iPad, the app asks your permission through Apple’s App Tracking Transparency prompt before your device’s advertising identifier can be used. If you choose “Ask App Not to Track,” the identifier is not shared and ads are still shown, without personalization based on it. You can change this at any time in your device’s Settings under Privacy & Security > Tracking.

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Receive a copy of your data in a portable format
• Object to or restrict certain processing
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (EEA/UK)

We do not sell your personal data.

California residents: showing personalized ads in our mobile app may count as “sharing” personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising under California law. You can opt out of this sharing at any time by emailing us at the address below. Where available, you can also decline personalized ads in the app under Settings > Privacy choices, and on iPhone and iPad by choosing “Ask App Not to Track.”

You can delete your account using the in-app “Delete Account” feature in the edit profile menu or by contacting us. Full details, including what is deleted and what is kept, are on our Delete Account page at tetherballgame.com/delete-account.

Tetherball is not intended for children under 13.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

We may update this Privacy Policy at any time, for example when we add features or services. Updates will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date.

For questions or data requests, contact:

• admin@tetherballgame.com