01Scope
This privacy policy applies to the Sporeline website, the playable game, account registration, the paid beta, chat and any support messages you send us (together, the Service). Sporeline is operated as an independent game project. In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” mean the operator of Sporeline.
It does not apply to websites or services run by other companies. Those services have their own privacy policies, including the payment processor and, if you choose it, Google sign-in.
02What we collect
We collect the information needed to run an account and a game, and very little else.
Account information
- Email address — used to sign in, identify your account and contact you about the Service.
- Username and display name — shown in the game and on community features such as chat and lineages.
- Password credentials — if you register with email and password, we store a salted password hash, not your plaintext password.
- Google identity information — if you choose Google sign-in, we receive a Google account identifier, your email address and the basic profile information Google shares (such as your name and profile image). We do not receive your Google password. We use this to verify your identity and link the Google sign-in to your Sporeline account.
Game and community data
- Your colonies and saves, spores, research progress, run results, rank and archive.
- Your chosen colours, morphology, traits and other in-game preferences.
- Chat messages, display names and other content you post in public game areas.
- Records of beta access, purchases and legal acceptance so that access and agreements can be honoured.
Purchase information
Beta payments are processed by Stripe. We receive confirmation that a payment succeeded, the checkout and transaction identifiers, the amount and currency, and limited billing details made available by Stripe. We do not receive or store your full payment card number. Stripe handles your payment details under its own privacy policy.
Technical and safety information
Like most websites, our hosting and security providers may process your IP address, browser type, device information, requested pages, timestamps and error logs to deliver the Service, keep it secure and investigate abuse. We may derive coarse location information from an IP address for security and fraud prevention, but we do not use it to track your precise location.
Support messages
If you contact us, we receive your message, the email address you use and any information you choose to include. Please do not send us passwords, full card numbers or other secrets.
03Why we use it
- To create and secure your account, sign you in and remember your session.
- To save and restore your game, operate the shared field, chat and leaderboards.
- To confirm whether you have paid beta access and to provide the features included in that access.
- To process purchases, handle billing questions, chargebacks and refunds, and meet tax and accounting obligations.
- To keep the game fair, prevent cheating, fraud, harassment and abuse, and enforce our Terms of Service.
- To respond to support requests, fix bugs and improve the game.
- To send service-related messages, such as important security or policy notices. We do not send marketing emails unless you ask us to.
- To comply with applicable law and respond to valid legal requests.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your game content or account information for behavioural advertising.
04Legal bases
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Contract — to provide the account and game and to deliver the beta access you purchased.
- Legitimate interests — to secure the Service, prevent abuse, improve the game and protect our legal rights, balanced against your rights and expectations.
- Consent — where we ask for it, such as for optional communications or features that require it. You can withdraw consent at any time.
- Legal obligation — to keep records required by tax, accounting and consumer-protection law, or to respond to lawful requests.
Where you have a choice, we do not make access to the game conditional on unnecessary data collection.
07How long we keep it
We keep account and game information for as long as your account is open. If you ask us to delete your account, we will delete or anonymise the associated game data, subject to the exceptions below.
- Purchase, tax and accounting records may be kept for the period required by applicable law.
- Security, fraud-prevention and moderation records may be kept for as long as needed to protect the Service and other players.
- Backups may retain information for a limited period before they are overwritten or deleted.
- Public chat lines are temporary and may be removed or moderated at any time. Do not rely on chat as a permanent record.
- Aggregated or de-identified information that cannot reasonably be linked back to you may be kept indefinitely.
Some records, such as a purchase receipt or a record that a legal agreement was accepted, may need to survive account deletion so that we can demonstrate compliance and resolve payment disputes.
08Security
We use industry-standard measures appropriate to a small game, including encrypted connections, hashed passwords, HttpOnly session cookies, access controls and rate limiting. No method of storage or transmission is completely secure, and we cannot promise that unauthorised access will never occur.
Keep your password private and use a unique password for Sporeline. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us so we can help secure it.
09Your choices and rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- access the personal information we hold about you;
- correct inaccurate information, including your display name and username through account settings where available;
- delete your account and associated personal information;
- receive a portable copy of information you provided to us;
- object to or request that we restrict certain processing;
- withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
- complain to your local data-protection authority.
To make a request, email cy.jaydenyang026@gmail.com with “Sporeline privacy” in the subject line. We may need to verify that you control the account before acting. We will respond within the time required by applicable law. You can also use the account controls in the game to sign out or change your display name.
If you are in Canada, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. If you are in the EEA or UK, you may contact your national data-protection authority or the UK Information Commissioner's Office. We would appreciate the chance to address your concern first.
10Children
Sporeline is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are between 13 and the age of majority where you live, you may use the Service only with permission from a parent or guardian. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.
11International transfers
Our providers may process information in countries other than the one where you live, including the United States and Canada. Where required, we use contractual or other safeguards intended to provide an appropriate level of protection for personal information transferred internationally.
12Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the Service or the law changes. The effective date and version at the top will change when we do. If a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will provide a prominent notice in the game or by email before it takes effect. Where required, we will ask you to review and agree to the updated policy before continuing to use paid features.
13Contact
Questions, privacy requests and concerns can be sent to the operator of Sporeline:
cy.jaydenyang026@gmail.comPlease include “Sporeline privacy” in the subject line and tell us the email address or username associated with your account. Never send your password or payment card details.