Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 22, 2026 (version 2026-06-22)

This policy explains what personal data World Explorer collects, why, the legal bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and the rights you have. It applies to our website and progressive web app.

1. Who we are

World Explorer (“we”, “us”) is the controller of your personal data. For any privacy request or question, contact us through the in-app support channel or the email published on our site. If you are in the EEA/UK, you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

2. Information we collect

Account & profile: email address and authentication identifiers from your sign-in provider (email/password, Google, or X/Twitter); display name, optional username and profile photo; and an age-verification record (your birth year and the date you confirmed you meet our minimum age — we do not store your full date of birth).

Gameplay: game results, scores, streaks, badges, daily-play records, and multiplayer activity (including the map coordinates of in-game guesses). These are game inputs, not your device’s location.

Payments: subscription status and a Stripe customer reference. Card details go directly to Stripe and never touch our servers.

Consent & preferences: your cookie/analytics choices, marketing opt-in, and any “do not sell or share” preference.

Technical/diagnostic: limited error and event logs (with identifiers and secrets scrubbed) used to keep the app working. Provider infrastructure (Google/Firebase) may process IP addresses to deliver and secure the service.

3. How we use your data and our legal bases

Where the GDPR/UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following bases:

  • To provide the service — accounts, gameplay, leaderboards, multiplayer (performance of a contract).
  • Payments & subscriptions — billing via Stripe (contract).
  • Security, anti-fraud and reliability — abuse prevention, diagnostics (legitimate interests).
  • Analytics, advertising and marketing email — only with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
  • Legal compliance — tax/financial records and responding to lawful requests (legal obligation).

4. Cookies, analytics & similar technologies

We use strictly-necessary storage to run the app (sign-in, security, gameplay). Non-essential analytics load only with your consent. You can accept, reject, or change your choices anytime via the consent banner or Settings → Privacy & Your Data. See our Cookie Policy for the full inventory.

5. Sharing & processors

We do not sell your personal data. We share data with the service providers that run World Explorer, under data-processing agreements: Google Firebase (authentication, database, hosting, storage, functions, and — with consent — analytics), Stripe (payments), Google Maps Platform (Street View in one game mode), and an email provider for transactional messages. See our processor list in the Cookie Policy and docs/compliance/processor-register.md.

6. International transfers

Our providers (Google, Stripe) are based in the United States and may process data there. Where required, these transfers are covered by appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

7. How long we keep it (retention)

We keep your account and gameplay data while your account is active and delete it when you delete your account. Diagnostic logs expire after 30 days; admin audit records are kept for about two years; abandoned temporary accounts and finished multiplayer rooms are cleaned up automatically. Payment records may be retained longer where tax/financial law requires. Full schedule: docs/compliance/retention.md.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, port, or restrict processing of your data, to object to certain processing, and to withdraw consent. You can exercise the main rights yourself:

  • Access & portability: Settings → Privacy & Your Data → “Download my data”.
  • Deletion: Settings → Account & Security → “Delete Account”.
  • Consent & marketing: the consent banner and Settings → Privacy & Your Data.

For any other request, contact us; we respond within the timeframe the law requires.

9. California privacy (CCPA/CPRA)

We do not sell or “share” (cross-context behavioral advertising) your personal information. California residents have the right to know, delete, correct, and opt out, and not to be discriminated against for exercising them. You can opt out via Settings → Privacy & Your Data → “Do not sell or share my personal information”, and we honor Global Privacy Control browser signals automatically.

10. Children (13+ only)

World Explorer is a general-audience service intended for users aged 13 and older. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. We use a neutral age screen at sign-up. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it and close the account.

11. What’s public

Your display name (or “Anonymous” if you enable anonymous mode), avatar, total score, game count, badges, and follower counts are visible to other players via leaderboards and profiles.

12. Security

Data is encrypted in transit and at rest by our providers, access is restricted by strict server-side rules, and privileged admin actions are logged. No system is perfectly secure; we maintain an incident-response process and will notify you and regulators where the law requires.

13. Changes

We’ll update this policy as the product evolves and bump the version above. Material changes may prompt renewed consent.

14. Contact

For any privacy question or request, contact us through the application.