Privacy

The short version: there are no accounts, adverts, cookies or tracking. The game keeps a random player id and your results so it can save your streak and run the leaderboard. Your data is never sold or shared, and you can delete it at any time at the bottom of this page.

Who looks after your data

Russian Bludoku is a free puzzle game made by Andrew Burrows in the UK, who is responsible for your data (the “data controller” under UK data protection law). Questions or requests: burrowsa@gmail.com.

What's kept on your device

The game saves your progress in your browser's storage: the level you've reached, the board in progress, your streak, hints and free checks, and your player id and secret key. It also keeps a copy of the game so it plays offline. All of this is needed for the game to work, and none of it is a cookie, so there's nothing to agree to. Clearing the site's data in your browser removes it.

What's sent to the server

Each time you finish a level, the game sends:

• Your player id, a random code made up by the game the first time it connects, and a secret key that proves the results are yours (the server only keeps a scrambled form of the key).
• The result: which level, whether you solved it, how long you spent actively playing, how many hints, checks and free checks you used, how many of your moves were ? marks, when you started and finished, and which version of the game you were playing.
• Your leaderboard name, only if you choose to join the leaderboard.

From these the server works out your streaks, wins and losses. The game never asks for your real name, email address, location or anything else about you or your device. Like any website, your internet address is seen when your browser connects, but the game doesn't keep it.

Why, and on what basis

The results are used to:

• keep your streak safe, and show it on the leaderboard if you've joined;
• check that wins are real, so the leaderboard is fair;
• see how hard each level is in practice, so the puzzles can be improved.

The legal basis is legitimate interests: these are uses you'd expect from a game with a leaderboard, they need nothing that identifies you, and you can delete everything whenever you like.

Who can see it

If you join the leaderboard, anyone can see your name, your best and current streaks and the hints and free checks you used. Without a name you aren't shown at all. Nothing else is shown to anyone.

The data is stored with Amazon Web Services, who run the servers on the game's behalf and may use it for nothing else, in their London region, so it stays in the UK. No one else receives it.

How long it's kept

Until you delete it, or until the game closes, when it will all be deleted. After you delete your data it can stay in the server's automatic backups for up to 35 days, and then it's gone for good.

Children

Russian Bludoku is for everyone. As it never asks for personal details, there's nothing extra for a child to share. If you join the leaderboard, choose a made-up name: your name there is public, so it shouldn't be your real one.

Your rights

You can ask for a copy of your data, ask for it to be corrected or deleted, or object to how it's used. To delete it, use the button below. For anything else, email burrowsa@gmail.com with your player id (shown below), and you'll hear back within a month. If you're not happy with the answer, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

Changes

If this policy changes, this page will be updated and the date at the top will change.

Delete my data