This Privacy Policy explains how MateStorm (the “Service”, “we”, “us”) collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal data when you use it. We aim to comply with applicable data‑protection laws, including India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDP Act”) and, for users in the EU/UK, the GDPR.
1. Who we are
MateStorm is a free, personal project operated by an individual from India — not a company, and without a dedicated support department. For any privacy question or request, contact us at help@matestorm.com; this also serves as our grievance/contact point for data‑protection matters. We aim to respond to genuine requests on a best‑effort basis and, where required, within the timeframes set by applicable law.
2. Data we collect
Account data (via Google sign‑in)
- your name and profile photo (as provided by Google);
- your email address;
- a unique account identifier.
Game & profile data
- your chosen display name and rating;
- your games (moves/PGN, results, timestamps) and match history;
- presence status and lobby activity while you are online.
Technical & preference data
- settings stored on your device (e.g. sound, graphics mode, access to a live game) in your browser’s local storage;
- basic technical information needed to deliver and secure the Service.
Analytics & performance data
We use Google Analytics for Firebase and Firebase Performance Monitoring to understand how the Service is used and how it performs. These collect aggregated and pseudonymous information such as pages/screens viewed, in‑app events (for example starting or finishing a game), approximate location (country/region, derived from IP), device and browser type, and performance metrics like page‑load and network‑request timings. This is used for statistics and improvement, not to advertise to you.
We do not collect or store your payment card details. If paid features are enabled in future, payments would be handled by a third‑party payment provider under its own privacy policy.
3. How we use your data
- to create and manage your account and sign you in;
- to run games, matchmaking, ratings, the leaderboard, and game history;
- to maintain fair play, prevent abuse, and enforce our Terms;
- to measure usage and performance (analytics) so we can operate, secure, debug, and improve the Service;
- to comply with legal obligations.
4. Legal bases
Where required, we rely on: your consent (which you give by signing in and using the Service, and can withdraw by deleting your account); the performance of a contract(providing the Service you request); our legitimate interests (security, abuse prevention, and improving the Service); and legal obligations.
5. Sharing & processors
We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with service providers that help us run MateStorm:
- Google / Firebase — authentication and database (stores your profile and game data), plus Google Analytics for Firebase and Performance Monitoring (usage and performance measurement);
- Cloudflare — hosting, content delivery, and real‑time game infrastructure;
- a payment provider — only if and when paid features are enabled.
We may also disclose data where required by law or to protect our rights, users, or the public.
6. International transfers
Our providers may process data on servers in countries other than your own. Where such transfers occur, we rely on the safeguards and terms offered by those providers. By using the Service you acknowledge that your data may be processed outside your country of residence.
7. Retention
We keep your account and profile data for as long as your account exists. Game history is limited to your most recent games (currently up to 25 online and 25 solo per account); older entries are automatically dropped. Finished game rooms are deleted shortly after they end. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymise your personal data except where we must retain it to comply with the law.
8. Your rights
Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data, to withdraw consent, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to data portability. You can exercise several of these directly — change your display name in Settings, appear offline, or sign out — and for access or deletion requests, contact us at help@matestorm.com. You may also have the right to complain to your local data‑protection authority.
9. Cookies, local storage & analytics identifiers
We do not use advertising cookies. We use your browser’s local storage to remember your preferences and sign‑in session, which is necessary for the Service to function, and sign‑in is handled by Google/Firebase, which may set its own tokens for authentication.
In addition, our analytics and performance tools (Google Analytics for Firebase and Firebase Performance Monitoring) may set cookies or use device/app identifiers to measure usage and performance. In regions where prior consent is required (such as the EU/EEA, UK, and Switzerland) we ask for your consent via a banner before enabling these, and analytics stays off unless you accept. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time — use the “Cookie settings” link in the footer, or the Privacy & analytics toggle in Settings — and we re‑ask for consent periodically (about every six months). Elsewhere you can still limit it using your browser or device controls (for example blocking cookies, or Google’s analytics opt‑out). We do not use this data to serve you advertising.
10. Children
The Service is intended for users aged 13 and over (or the applicable minimum age for a Google account). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children below that age; if you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it.
11. Security
We use industry‑standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections, token‑based authentication, and server‑side validation. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
12. Changes
We may update this Policy from time to time. Changes are indicated by the “Last updated” date above. Material changes may be notified within the Service.
13. Contact
For privacy questions or requests, contact us at help@matestorm.com.