Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

PlayedByHues collects information to provide better services to our users. We collect:

• Account Information: When you create an account, we collect your email address, display name, and profile photo (from your social login provider).
• Progress Data: We store your game progress, completed missions, earned trophies, and walkthrough completion status.
• Usage Data: We collect information about how you interact with our service, including pages visited, features used, and time spent on the platform.
• Device Information: We may collect information about your device, browser type, IP address, and operating system.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain our service
• Save your game progress across devices
• Improve and personalize your experience
• Communicate with you about updates and features
• Display relevant advertisements
• Analyze usage patterns and improve our service
• Prevent fraud and abuse

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us provide and improve our service. We use both first-party cookies (set by PlayedByHues) and third-party cookies (set by our partners).

Types of Cookies We Use:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the service to function properly. These include authentication cookies that keep you logged in and remember your preferences.
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site, which pages are most popular, and how users navigate through the platform. We use Google Analytics for this purpose.
• Advertising Cookies: Used by Google AdSense and other advertising partners to display relevant ads based on your interests and browsing behavior.

Cookie Duration:

• Session Cookies: Deleted when you close your browser
• Persistent Cookies: Remain on your device for a set period (typically up to 2 years) or until you delete them

Managing Cookies:

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View what cookies are stored and delete them individually
• Block third-party cookies
• Block all cookies
• Delete all cookies when you close your browser

Note: Blocking or deleting cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our service.

4. Google AdSense and Advertising

How We Use Google AdSense:

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on PlayedByHues. Google AdSense uses cookies and other tracking technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website and other websites on the Internet.

What Data Does Google Collect?

When you visit PlayedByHues, Google and its partners may collect:

• Your IP address
• Information about your device and browser
• Pages you visit on our site
• Your interactions with advertisements
• Information from cookies stored on your device

Personalized vs. Non-Personalized Ads:

Google may use this information to show you personalized advertisements based on your interests. Personalized ads are selected based on your browsing history across websites that partner with Google.

How to Opt Out of Personalized Advertising:

You have several options to control the ads you see:

• Visit Google Ads Settings to manage your ad preferences and opt out of personalized advertising
• Visit aboutads.info to opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies
• Visit NAI Consumer Opt-Out to opt out of behavioral advertising
• For European users, visit Your Online Choices

Important: Opting out of personalized advertising does not mean you'll see fewer ads. You'll still see advertisements, but they won't be tailored to your interests.

Google's Privacy Policies:

For more information about how Google uses data when you use our website, please visit:

• Google Privacy & Terms
• How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services
• Google AdSense Privacy Policy

5. Third-Party Services and Analytics

Services We Use:

In addition to Google AdSense, we may use the following third-party services:

• Google Analytics: Helps us understand how visitors use our site. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymous data about page views, session duration, and user behavior. Data is retained for 26 months. Google Analytics Privacy Policy
• Firebase (Google Cloud): Used for authentication, database storage, and real-time syncing of your progress data. Your data is stored on Google's secure servers. Firebase Privacy
• Authentication Providers: When you sign in with Google or GitHub, we receive your email address, display name, and profile photo. We do not receive your password.

Data Retention by Third Parties:

Each third-party service has its own data retention policies:

• Google Analytics: 26 months (configurable)
• Google AdSense: Up to 2 years for advertising cookies
• Firebase: Data is retained until you delete your account

6. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored securely using Firebase (Google Cloud Platform). We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

Security measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS/SSL)
• Encryption of data at rest
• Regular security updates and monitoring
• Access controls and authentication

7. Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

For EEA Residents (GDPR):

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the following data protection rights:

• Right to Access: You can request copies of your personal data
• Right to Rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure: You can request deletion of your personal data
• Right to Restriction: You can request restriction of processing your data
• Right to Object: You can object to our processing of your personal data
• Right to Data Portability: You can request transfer of your data to another service
• Right to Withdraw Consent: You can withdraw consent for data processing at any time

For California Residents (CCPA):

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know whether personal information is sold or disclosed
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information
• Right to deletion of personal information
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@playedbyhues.com

8. Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed to children under 13 (or 16 in the EEA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us, and we will delete that information.

9. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws. By using our service, you consent to the transfer of your information to the United States and other countries where our service providers operate.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy on this page
• Updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
• Sending you an email notification (for significant changes)

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Your continued use of the service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

We will respond to your request within 30 days.