Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 7, 2025

This Privacy Policy explains how Chain Reaction ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you use our website and word game.

1. Information We Collect

We are committed to minimizing the personal data we collect. The information we may collect includes:

  • Display Name (Optional): If you choose to provide a display name for the leaderboard, we store that name along with your score. You can use a nickname or alias; it does not have to be your real name.
  • Usage Data: When you use Chain Reaction, certain data is collected automatically. This may include your IP address, browser type, device information, and statistics about your gameplay (e.g., scores, game mode, language). We may also use analytics tools that track how you interact with the site (such as pages visited and time spent).
  • Cookies: Our site uses cookies (small text files stored on your device) to remember your preferences and manage your session. For example, cookies allow us to keep you logged in during a game session and recall your chosen language or difficulty. These cookies are essential for the website to function and do not track your activity outside of Chain Reaction.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

  • To Provide and Maintain the Service: We use your data to run the game and website, for example to display your submitted words and scores and maintain the leaderboard.
  • To Improve the Game: Understanding how players use Chain Reaction (via aggregated usage data and analytics) helps us refine gameplay, fix bugs, and add new features.
  • To Personalize Your Experience: We remember your choices (like language or difficulty settings) to make your visits more convenient and enjoyable.
  • For Communication: If you contact us with a question or feedback, we will use your contact information (e.g., your email if provided) to respond. (Note: The game does not require an email to play.)
  • For Safety and Legal Compliance: We may use IP addresses and logs to detect and prevent fraud, cheating, or abuse of our service, and to comply with legal obligations.

3. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to collect information about how users interact with Chain Reaction. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to gather usage data (such as pages you visit and actions you take on the site). This information helps us analyze user behavior and improve the game. Google Analytics may collect your IP address, but we have configured it to anonymize IP addresses where possible, which means Google truncates the IP so it cannot be easily linked to you.

Google processes this information on our behalf. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on or by adjusting your browser settings to refuse cookies.

4. Advertising (Google AdSense)

We do not currently display third-party ads on Chain Reaction. However, we may use Google AdSense in the future to serve advertisements. If implemented, Google AdSense would use cookies to show you relevant ads based on your interests and browsing history. This means Google may collect certain information from your device (such as cookie identifiers and browsing data) to personalize the ads you see on our site.

Any advertisements would be clearly marked, and we will update this Privacy Policy if and when ads are introduced. To learn more about how Google may use data through AdSense, you can visit Google's information for partner sites. If personalized ads are used, you can opt out of personalized advertising through Google by visiting the Google Ads Settings page.

5. Public Leaderboard

When you achieve a high score and submit it, your score and display name (if provided) will appear on our public leaderboard. This information is visible to all visitors. We do not associate leaderboard entries with any other personal information. If at any time you would like your name or score removed from the public leaderboard, please contact us and we will accommodate the request.

6. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties. We may share information in the following circumstances:

  • Service Providers: We use reputable third-party services to help operate and analyze our website (for example, Google Analytics for usage analytics, and Google AdSense for advertising if enabled). These providers may process data on our behalf, but they are only permitted to use it as necessary to perform their services for us and are obligated to protect it.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests (e.g., a court order or subpoena). We may also disclose information if we believe it is necessary to investigate or enforce legal rights, protect our operations or users, or comply with any applicable law or regulation.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law. In general:

  • Leaderboard Data: Display names and scores posted on the leaderboard may be kept indefinitely as part of the game's record. If you request removal of a specific entry, we will delete or anonymize it in our records.
  • Analytics Data: Data collected via Google Analytics is retained according to Google's policies and settings. We review aggregated analytics data to improve our service and do not store identifiable analytics data on our own servers.
  • Server Logs: Our web server logs (which include IP addresses) are generally retained for a short period for security and troubleshooting (typically a few weeks) and then deleted or anonymized, unless we need to retain them longer to investigate security incidents or abuse.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

If you are located in the European Union (EU) or a region with similar data protection laws, you have certain rights regarding your personal data. These include the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you.
  • Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
  • Erasure (the right to be forgotten) of your personal data, under certain conditions.
  • Restriction of processing of your data, under certain conditions.
  • Object to the processing of your data in some cases (for example, you can object to processing for direct marketing, though we do not engage in such activities).
  • Data Portability, allowing you to obtain a copy of your personal data in a commonly used format and transfer it to another service.
  • Withdraw Consent at any time for any data processing that is based on your consent (for instance, you can withdraw consent for personalized advertising if you've previously given it).

You can exercise your rights by contacting us (see the "Contact Us" section below). We may ask you to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe in accordance with applicable laws.

9. Children's Privacy

Chain Reaction is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, please do not submit any personal information (including a display name if it is your real name) to us. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will delete that information promptly. If you believe that a child under 13 may have provided us with personal data, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

10. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, or disclosure. This includes using encryption (HTTPS) for data transmission and implementing technical and organizational security measures. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. Please understand that you use the site and play the game at your own risk.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will notify you by prominently posting a notice on our site or through other appropriate means. We encourage you to periodically review this page for the latest information on our privacy practices. The "Last updated" date at the top indicates when this Policy was last revised.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at support@chainreactiongame.net.