This policy explains what personal data the CapTheFlag apps for iOS and Android ("the app") and this website collect, why, who receives it, how long it is kept, and the rights you have. We collect as little as we need to run the game.
1. Who we are
The controller of your personal data is {{DEVELOPER_LEGAL_NAME}}, {{POSTAL_ADDRESS}} ("we", "us"). Contact: {{CONTACT_EMAIL}}.
{{EU_UK_REPRESENTATIVE}}
2. Summary
- You can play as a guest. You do not have to give us your name or email to play.
- If you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive an account identifier and usually an email address. We do not store your name or profile photo from those services.
- Your public username is generated automatically (for example
Player_3f9a1c) and cannot be edited. - The leaderboard publicly shows your username, best score, games played, accuracy, rank and whether you are in the Top 20.
- Free users see ads from Google AdMob. Where the law requires it, we ask for your consent before personalized ads. Ads never appear during a quiz.
- Our database is hosted in the EU (Ireland).
- You can delete your account, including a guest account, at any time in the app.
3. Data we collect
3.1 Data we process to run the game
| Data | Where it comes from | Why |
|---|---|---|
| User ID (a random identifier) | Created by our backend (Supabase Auth) when you start playing, including as a guest | Run your account, save scores, link purchases |
| Email address | Provided by Apple or Google when you sign in. With Sign in with Apple this may be a private relay address | Account management and support. Never shown publicly |
| Sign-in provider identifier | Apple or Google, when you sign in | Let you sign in again and keep your account |
| Generated username | Created by us | Leaderboard display |
| Game results: mode, score, correct and total answers, answer timing, date and time | The app, checked by our server | Scores, statistics, leaderboard, fair-play checks |
| Premium status and purchase history (product, date, store transaction reference) | Apple App Store or Google Play, via RevenueCat | Deliver and restore your purchase, grant Top 20 rewards |
| Leaderboard region (one of Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania) | Looked up from your IP address when you start a ranked round, using an offline database. The IP address is not stored for this | Regional leaderboards |
| Technical data: IP address, device and OS type, user agent, request times | Automatically sent when the app contacts our servers or image storage | Security, abuse prevention, operating the service |
3.2 Data collected for advertising (free users only)
If you have not bought Remove Ads and do not have a Top 20 reward, the app shows ads using the Google Mobile Ads SDK (Google AdMob). That SDK collects:
- Device identifiers: advertising ID (IDFA on iOS, only if you allow tracking; Android Advertising ID) and app set ID
- Approximate location derived from your IP address
- Ad interactions (views and taps) and app interactions
- Diagnostics such as crash and performance data
Google uses this data for advertising, analytics and fraud prevention. See section 6.
3.3 Data stored only on your device
Your preferences (such as haptics on or off) and your consent choices for ads are stored on your device. We do not receive your preferences. Consent signals are sent with ad requests so Google can respect your choices. The app has no sound settings and no sound data.
3.4 What we do not collect
We do not collect your precise location, contacts, photos, camera or microphone input, your real name, your profile photo, or payment card details. Payments are handled entirely by Apple or Google.
3.5 This website (captheflag.app)
- Hosting. The website is hosted by Vercel Inc. Vercel processes your IP address and request details to deliver pages and protect the service, and keeps them in short-lived server logs.
- Performance measurement. Vercel Speed Insights records anonymous page-speed measurements (such as how long the page took to load). It sets no cookies and does not identify you.
- Google Analytics, only if you accept. If you choose "Accept" in the cookie notice, we load Google Analytics 4, which sets cookies (
_ga,_ga_*, kept up to 2 years) to count visits, see which pages are used and which store button was tapped. Google Analytics does not store full IP addresses. Advertising features and Google signals are off. If you choose "Decline", Google Analytics is not loaded and no analytics cookies are set. Your choice is stored in your browser, and you can change it at any time with "Cookie settings" at the bottom of the home page. Our legal basis is your consent (GDPR Article 6(1)(a)).
4. Purposes and legal bases
Where the EU GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on these legal bases (Article 6(1)):
| Purpose | Data | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Provide the game, accounts (including guest accounts), scores and the leaderboard | User ID, email, username, game results | Performance of a contract, Art. 6(1)(b) |
| Deliver and restore purchases; grant Top 20 rewards | User ID, purchase history, ranking | Performance of a contract, Art. 6(1)(b) |
| Fair play, cheat detection, security and abuse prevention | Game results, technical data | Legitimate interests in a fair contest and a secure service, Art. 6(1)(f) |
| Show non-personalized ads to free users | Advertising data (section 3.2) without personalization | Legitimate interests in funding a free app, Art. 6(1)(f). Where storing or reading information on your device needs consent, we ask for it |
| Show personalized ads and measure them | Advertising data (section 3.2) | Consent, Art. 6(1)(a). On iOS, also your App Tracking Transparency choice |
| Answer support and privacy requests | Email and what you send us | Contract or legitimate interests, Art. 6(1)(b)/(f) |
| Keep records required by law (for example tax records of purchases) | Purchase records | Legal obligation, Art. 6(1)(c) |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, you can object (section 10).
5. What other players can see
If you sign in and play, the global leaderboard shows to all players: your generated username, your best score, games played, accuracy, rank and whether you are currently in the Top 20. Guest accounts do not appear on the leaderboard. Your email and user ID are never shown.
6. Advertising, tracking and your choices
- Consent message. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, the app shows Google's consent message (Google User Messaging Platform, a Google-certified consent management platform) before ads load. You can accept, reject or choose per purpose.
- US states. Where US state privacy laws apply, the app shows Google's US state regulations message. It lets you opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal data for cross-context behavioral advertising.
- iOS tracking. On iOS, the app asks once for permission to track (App Tracking Transparency). If you decline, the advertising ID is not shared and you still get the full app.
- Change your choices. Open Settings in the app and tap "Privacy choices" (shown where this applies). You can also reset or limit your advertising ID in your device settings (iOS: Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking; Android: Settings > Privacy > Ads).
- Remove ads. Buying Remove Ads, or holding a Top 20 reward, turns off all ads, and the advertising SDK then does not request ads.
Google acts as an independent controller for the data it collects through AdMob. See How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services and the Google Privacy Policy.
7. Who receives your data
We do not sell your personal data for money. We share it only with these providers:
| Recipient | Role | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase Inc. | Processor | Database, authentication, server functions and image storage. Hosted in the EU (Ireland). Landmark photos are served from Supabase Storage, which sees your IP address and device information when images load |
| RevenueCat Inc. | Processor | Validates purchases with Apple and Google, keeps your premium status, and records Top 20 promotional rewards. Receives your user ID and purchase data |
| Google LLC / Google Ireland Ltd: AdMob and User Messaging Platform | Independent controller (advertising); provider of the consent tool | Ads and consent management for free users (section 6) |
| Apple Inc. / Apple Distribution International | Provider of Sign in with Apple and the App Store | Sign-in, payments, refunds, purchase records |
| Google LLC: Google Sign-In and Google Play | Provider of sign-in and Google Play billing | Sign-in, payments, refunds, purchase records |
Landmark photos come from Wikimedia Commons, but the app does not contact Wikimedia: we copy the images to our own storage, so Wikimedia receives no data about you.
We may also disclose data if required by law, to protect our rights or users' safety, or to a successor if the app is transferred (in which case this policy continues to apply).
California and other US states: ad personalization through AdMob can count as "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising under the CCPA/CPRA, and as "sale" or "targeted advertising" under some other state laws. You can opt out as described in section 6.
8. International transfers
Our main database is in the EU (Ireland). RevenueCat, Google and Apple may process data in the United States and other countries. Where personal data leaves the EEA or UK, we rely on an adequacy decision (including the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and the UK Extension, for companies certified under it) or on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (and the UK Addendum). You can ask us for more information about these safeguards.
9. How long we keep data
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account, username, email, game results | Until you delete your account |
| Guest (anonymous) accounts | Deleted automatically after 90 days without activity, or earlier if you delete them in the app |
| RevenueCat customer record | Deleted when you delete your account. Transaction records that RevenueCat, Apple or Google must keep for tax, accounting or legal reasons are kept as long as required by law |
| Server logs (IP address, user agent) | Up to {{LOG_RETENTION_DAYS}} days |
| Support emails | Up to {{SUPPORT_RETENTION_MONTHS}} months after the request is closed |
| Advertising data collected by Google | According to Google's retention policies |
| Preferences and consent choices on your device | Until you change them or uninstall the app |
10. Your rights
EU, EEA, UK and Swiss residents
You have the right to access your data and receive a copy, to correct it, to delete it, to restrict or object to processing (including processing based on legitimate interests), to data portability, and to withdraw consent at any time without affecting earlier processing. You can also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office).
California and other US states
Depending on where you live, you have the right to know what personal data we collect, use and disclose; to access and get a copy; to correct; to delete; to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal data and of targeted advertising; and not to be discriminated against for using these rights. We do not use sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you. In the last 12 months, the categories of personal information we collected are those in section 3: identifiers, commercial information (purchases), internet or network activity (game and ad interactions) and approximate geolocation (via IP, for ads). We disclosed identifiers, approximate location and ad interactions to Google for advertising. To opt out, use the US state message or "Privacy choices" in the app (section 6). We honor Global Privacy Control signals where the law requires and where we can technically receive them. You may use an authorized agent; we may ask for proof of authorization.
How to make a request
- Delete: in the app, Settings > Account > Delete account, or see Delete your account.
- Everything else: email {{CONTACT_EMAIL}}. Include your username (shown in the app) so we can find your account. We may ask you to confirm the request from inside the app or from the email linked to your account. We reply within one month (GDPR) or 45 days (US state laws), and tell you if we need more time as the law allows.
11. Deleting your account
You can delete your account in the app at any time: Settings > Account > Delete account. This also works for guest accounts. Deletion is immediate. It removes your account, email, username, scores, statistics and leaderboard entry, and your RevenueCat customer record. If you used Sign in with Apple, we also revoke the app's access to your Apple ID. If you cannot use the app, follow the steps at Delete your account.
Purchases stay linked to your Apple ID or Google account. You can restore Remove Ads on a new account with "Restore purchases". Apple, Google and RevenueCat keep transaction records as the law requires.
12. Children
The app is not directed to children under 13 and is rated 13+ (or the equivalent in each store). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. In the EEA, users under 16 (or the lower age set by their country) need a parent's consent for personalized ads. If you believe a child under 13 has used the app, email {{CONTACT_EMAIL}} and we will delete the account. If we learn that a user is under 13, we stop personalized ads for that user and delete the account.
13. Security
All data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). Database access is controlled by row-level security, so each user can read and change only what they are allowed to. Server keys are kept out of the app and limited to what each function needs. Scores are checked on our server. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects you, we will notify you and the authorities as the law requires.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy, for example when we add features or the law changes. We will change the effective date above and, for material changes, tell you in the app before they take effect.
15. Contact
{{DEVELOPER_LEGAL_NAME}}
{{POSTAL_ADDRESS}}
Email: {{CONTACT_EMAIL}}