🔒 Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 17, 2025

This Privacy Policy describes how Gemtra Games ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, discloses, and protects your personal information when you use our website and services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable data protection laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Information: When you sign in with Google, we receive your email address, display name, and profile photo (if available). For anonymous access, we create a temporary identifier.
• User Submissions: Game requests, bug reports, suggestions, feedback, and support tickets you submit.
• Communications: Messages you send through our admin chat/support system.
• Preferences: Your theme settings, favorite games, and display preferences.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: Games played, play counts, pages visited, features used, time spent on site.
• Device Information: Browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution.
• Network Information: IP address, approximate geographic location (country/region level).
• Session Data: Login timestamps, session duration, referral sources.

1.3 Information from Third Parties

• Google Sign-In: Basic profile information from your Google account (with your consent).
• Firebase Analytics: Aggregated usage statistics and performance metrics.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

2.1 Service Provision

• Authenticate and manage your account
• Sync your favorites and preferences across devices
• Display personalized game recommendations
• Track and display play statistics

2.2 Communication

• Respond to your game requests, bug reports, and support tickets
• Send service-related notifications (if applicable)
• Communicate about your submissions

2.3 Service Improvement

• Analyze usage patterns to improve user experience
• Identify popular games and features
• Debug technical issues and errors
• Develop new features

2.4 Security & Compliance

• Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security threats
• Enforce our Terms of Service
• Comply with legal obligations

3. Information Sharing & Disclosure

3.1 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who assist in operating our service:

• Google/Firebase: Authentication, database, and analytics
• Cerebras AI: AI assistant functionality (conversation processing)

3.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required to:

• Comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal processes
• Respond to lawful requests from public authorities
• Protect our rights, property, or safety
• Investigate potential violations of our Terms of Service

3.3 Aggregated/Anonymized Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized statistics that cannot reasonably identify you (e.g., total play counts, popular games, user counts).

4. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

4.1 Types of Cookies We Use

Cookie Type	Purpose	Duration
Essential	Authentication, security, basic functionality	Session/Persistent
Preferences	Theme settings, language, display preferences	1 year
Analytics	Usage tracking, performance monitoring	2 years

4.2 Local Storage

We use browser local storage to:

• Store your favorite games for offline access
• Save theme preferences
• Cache session data for performance

4.3 Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling cookies may affect site functionality. Most browsers allow you to:

• View and delete cookies
• Block all or specific cookies
• Set preferences for different websites

5. Third-Party Services

5.1 Firebase (Google)

We use Firebase for authentication and database services. Data processed by Firebase is subject to Firebase Privacy Policy and Google Privacy Policy.

5.2 Cerebras AI

Our AI assistant uses Cerebras AI for processing. Conversations may be processed on Cerebras servers. See their privacy policy for details.

5.3 Google Fonts

We use Google Fonts for typography. Google may collect IP addresses and browser data. See Google Fonts Privacy FAQ.

6. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational security measures:

• Encryption: HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit
• Access Control: Firebase security rules restricting database access
• Authentication: Secure authentication through Google/Firebase Auth
• Monitoring: Regular security updates and monitoring

However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data.

7. Data Retention

Data Type	Retention Period
Account Data	Until account deletion or upon request
Game Play Statistics	Indefinitely (aggregated/anonymized)
Support Tickets	1 year after resolution
Analytics Data	26 months (Firebase default)
AI Conversations	Not permanently stored by us

8. Children's Privacy

Our service is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at gemtrahelpcenter@gmail.com.

If we discover we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will promptly delete that information.

For users between 13-18, we recommend parental guidance, especially for games with mature content.

9. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

9.1 Your California Rights

• Right to Know: You have the right to request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the categories of sources, the business purpose for collecting, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
• Right to Delete: You have the right to request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Correct: You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information. If we change this practice, you will have the right to opt-out.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.

9.2 Categories of Personal Information Collected

In the past 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information:

• Identifiers: Email address, display name, unique user ID, IP address
• Internet/Network Activity: Browsing history on our site, game play data, interactions with our service
• Inferences: Game preferences based on play history

9.3 How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise your California privacy rights, you may:

• Email us at gemtrahelpcenter@gmail.com with subject "CCPA Request"
• Use our Support Center contact form

We will verify your identity before processing your request. We will respond to verifiable requests within 45 days.

9.4 Authorized Agents

You may designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf. We may require written authorization and verification of your identity.

9.5 Financial Incentives

We do not offer financial incentives for the collection, sale, or deletion of personal information.

9.6 Shine the Light (California Civil Code § 1798.83)

California residents may request information about disclosure of personal information to third parties for direct marketing purposes. We do not share personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes.

10. Additional Privacy Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have additional rights including:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Portability: Request your data in a portable format
• Restriction: Request we limit processing of your data
• Objection: Object to certain processing activities

To exercise these rights, contact us at gemtrahelpcenter@gmail.com.

11. International Data Transfers

Our service is operated in the United States. If you access our service from outside the US, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the US or other countries where our service providers operate.

By using our service, you consent to the transfer of your information to these countries, which may have different data protection laws than your country of residence.

12. AI Assistant Privacy

When using our AI assistant:

• Conversations are sent to Cerebras AI for processing
• We do not permanently store conversation content on our servers
• AI may retain conversation data per their privacy practices
• Do not share sensitive personal information (SSN, financial info, passwords, etc.) with the AI
• AI responses are generated automatically and may not be accurate

13. Third-Party Game Privacy

Third-party games may:

• Collect their own data about your gameplay
• Use their own cookies and tracking technologies
• Have their own privacy policies
• Be hosted in different jurisdictions with different laws

We encourage you to review the privacy practices of any third-party game before playing.

14. Do Not Track Signals

Our website currently does not respond to "Do Not Track" (DNT) browser signals. There is no uniform standard for responding to DNT signals. You can opt out of certain tracking by adjusting your browser settings or using our service without signing in.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make material changes:

• We will update the "Last Updated" date at the top
• We may post a notice on our website
• For significant changes, we may provide additional notice

Your continued use of our service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Contact Information

For privacy-related questions, data requests, or concerns, please contact us:

• Email: gemtrahelpcenter@gmail.com
• Subject Line: "Privacy Inquiry" or "CCPA Request"
• Support Center: Available on our website

We will respond to privacy inquiries within 30 days (or 45 days for CCPA requests).