Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use KoolGames, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who we share it with and what rights you have. We follow the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are

KoolGames is run by [Business name] (company number [Company number]), [Registered business address]. We are the “controller” of your personal data, and our ICO registration number is [ICO registration number]. For anything to do with your data, email [Privacy email].

The short version

• You can play without an account, and we don't ask for your name, email address or age to play.
• Your saved games, likes and play time stay in your browser, unless you use a feature that needs an anonymous ID or an account.
• Analytics and advertising are off until you choose them, and you can change your mind at any time.
• We don't sell your personal data.
• You must be 13 or over to create an account. See Children's privacy.

What we collect, why, and how long we keep it

Analytics and advertising

Both are optional and off until you choose them. If you turn on Analytics, we create your anonymous ID straight away and send the time you spend on each game to our database, so we can see which games people enjoy. We don't use any third-party analytics service at the moment. When we show ads, our ad partner [Ad network] may use cookies and similar technology to show you ads and measure them, but only if you turn on Advertising. They are a separate controller of that data and have their own privacy policy. You can change your choice at any time from Cookie settings, and our Cookie Policy lists everything we store.

Who we share your data with

These companies help us run KoolGames. They handle data for us and only on our instructions:

• Supabase for our database, log in and file storage, in [Supabase region].
• [Hosting provider, for example Netlify or your cPanel host] for hosting and delivering the website.
• [Email provider] for the emails we send you.
• Cloudflare for spam protection on our forms and for serving games.
• Sentry for reports when the site breaks, so we can fix it. These include technical details such as your browser and the page you were on.
• Google Analytics for understanding how the site is used, only if you turn Analytics on.

We share data with others only in these cases:

• Our ad partner, [Ad network], if you turn on Advertising.
• The company behind a game. Some games run on their developers' own servers. When you press Play, the provider can see your IP address and browser details and may set its own cookies. Their privacy policy applies, not ours.
• Advisers, regulators or the police, where the law requires it.

We don't sell personal data.

Transfers outside the UK

Some of these companies store or process data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where they do, we rely on UK adequacy regulations or on safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses [confirm for each provider].

Leaderboards and nicknames

You only appear on a leaderboard if you log in and choose a nickname. Your nickname, play time and number of games played are then public. Don't use your real name. You can hide yourself at any time from your account menu, and we may remove nicknames that break our Community and Content Guidelines.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you can ask us to:

• tell you what personal data we hold about you and give you a copy;
• correct anything that is wrong;
• delete your data;
• limit how we use your data;
• give you your data in a format you can move to another service;
• stop using your data where we rely on legitimate interests;
• stop using your data where you gave consent, by taking that consent back at any time.

We don't make decisions about you using automated processing that has legal or similar effects. To use any of these rights, email [Privacy email]. We reply within one month, and it's free unless a request is clearly unfounded or excessive. We may need to check who you are first. If you're not happy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.

Children's privacy

KoolGames is a free games site for teenagers and adults. Younger visitors can play, but we take extra care with their data.

Minimum age for an account. You must be 13 or over to create an account. Under 13 you can still play without one, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you think a child has given us personal data, email [Privacy email] and we will delete it.

We follow the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code, also called the Children's Code. In practice that means:

• High privacy by default. Analytics and advertising are off until you choose them, and rejecting is as easy as accepting.
• Only the data we need. We don't ask for a name, age or birthday to play, and we don't use your precise location.
• No account needed. Likes, bookmarks and game suggestions work in your browser.
• Nicknames, not real names. Leaderboards are opt-in, and there is no chat or messaging between players.
• No selling or marketing. We don't sell personal data or share it for other companies' marketing.
• Ads. We will ask our ad partner for non-personalised ads where a visitor may be under 18 [confirm once an ad network is chosen].
• Impact assessment. We assess the risks to children before we add features that use their data [to be completed before launch].

Parents and guardians can email us to see, correct or delete a child's data.

Keeping your data safe

Our connections use HTTPS, our database is locked so that only our own servers can read it, and we limit who can see personal data. No system is completely secure, so if you find a problem, please tell us.

Changes to this policy

We'll change the date at the top when we update this policy. If a change matters to you, we'll tell you on the site.

Contact us

[Business name], [Registered business address]. Email [Privacy email].