Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Overview

Welcome to WordCast (available at wordcast.pearium.com and as an official Discord Activity / Bot). WordCast is a real-time multiplayer word puzzle game that prioritizes user privacy, data minimization, and transparency. This Privacy Policy details the exact types of data we collect, how it is processed, where it is stored, and your rights regarding your personal information.

2. What Information We Collect

WordCast collects only the data strictly necessary to authenticate users, facilitate real-time multiplayer matches, display global leaderboards ("Hall of Fame"), and operate community feedback systems.

A. User Profiles & Authentication

• Discord Accounts (Discord Activity & Discord OAuth): When you launch WordCast via the Discord Activity SDK or log in via Discord OAuth2 (identify scope), we receive your unique Discord Snowflake User ID, your public display name (or username), and your Discord avatar image URL. We do not request or access private messages, friend lists, or email addresses through Discord.
• Google Accounts (Google OAuth 2.0): When logging in via Google Sign-In, we receive your Google unique subject identifier (ID), display name (or given name), and profile picture URL. If a name is not set, a nickname is derived from the email prefix. Your Google email address is processed solely for identity verification during sign-in and is never stored as a mailing list, sold, or shared.
• Guest Users (Web Browser): If you play as a guest without signing in, the application assigns a temporary local identifier (such as guest-...) and uses your locally entered nickname and avatar choice. Guest gameplay is not permanently tracked on our global player ranking databases.

B. Cumulative Player Statistics & Leaderboards

For authenticated players (Discord and Google accounts), our backend continuously records gameplay telemetry to power player profiles and the "Hall of Fame" leaderboards:

• Match Performance: Games played, total wins, walkover wins, 2nd/3rd/4th place finishes, total points scored, total valid words submitted, and single-game high score.
• Word Records: Highest-scoring word and longest word submitted (including points, character length, arena language, and board tile coordinates).
• Magical Mechanics: Spells cast (Shuffle, New Board, Swap Tile), mana gems collected from the board, and multiplier bonuses utilized (Double Letter DL, Triple Letter TL, Double Word DW).
• Game Mode Segmentation: The statistics above are recorded globally as well as segmented across all 4 modes: Solo (1 player), Duel (2 players), Brawl 3 (3 players), and Brawl 4 (4 players).
• Primary Language: Dynamically calculated based on the arena language of your completed games.

C. Match History

When a match is initialized, a game log is created containing the match type, chosen dictionary language, completion timestamp, participant usernames and scores, and a turn-by-turn log of submitted words, spells cast, multiplier effects, and timer expiration statuses.

D. Community Feedback & Changelog Votes

To enable the interactive update log and prevent duplicate voting, we record your user identifier, the changelog entry ID, and your vote choice (+1 or -1).

E. Real-Time In-Game Dragging Data (Ephemeral Memory)

During active gameplay, real-time dragging coordinates, active letter selections, and connection lines are transmitted over WebSockets (Socket.IO) to synchronize visual board states across participating opponents. This real-time positional data is processed strictly in server RAM and is permanently and instantly deleted upon player disconnection or match conclusion.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information solely for the following legitimate purposes:

• To authenticate your identity and restore your game session across visits.
• To match you into multiplayer lobbies and coordinate live 5x5 board games.
• To calculate and render real-time global rankings and personal records in the Hall of Fame.
• To maintain room states, handle turn timers (120 seconds), and manage reconnect grace periods (60 seconds).
• To prevent duplicate feedback votes on changelog entries.
• To ensure fair play and protect the game from automated cheating or exploits.

4. Data Storage, Retention & Security

• Database Storage (MongoDB): Authenticated user records, cumulative stats, match history records, and changelog votes are securely stored in our managed MongoDB database.
• In-Memory Cache (Redis): High-performance Redis sorted sets cache real-time leaderboard positions and vote tallies for low-latency retrieval.
• Browser Local Storage (Client-side): Your browser stores local preferences such as session tokens (sc_session_token), player display names, preferred language (sc_lang), custom private room codes, and sound preferences. You can clear this data at any time via your browser settings.
• Server Logs: Standard web server connection logs (IP address, request headers) are temporarily processed by our reverse proxy (Nginx) for network routing, security monitoring, and DDoS defense, and are periodically rotated.

5. Third-Party Integrations & Sharing

We do not sell, rent, trade, or monetize your personal data. We interface with the following third-party platforms strictly to enable game functionality:

• Discord Inc.: When running as a Discord Activity or interacting with the WordCast Discord Bot, authentication and profile delivery are handled in accordance with Discord's Developer Policies. Avatars may be served directly via Discord's Content Delivery Network (CDN).
• Google LLC: Used exclusively for Google Sign-In identity verification via OAuth 2.0.
• Ko-fi: WordCast features an optional, external link to Ko-fi (ko-fi.com/vipluk) allowing players to voluntarily support the developer. Financial transactions are conducted entirely on Ko-fi's secure platform; WordCast does not receive or store your financial or payment details.

6. Your Rights & Data Deletion (GDPR / CCPA)

Regardless of your geographic location, you have full control over your personal data:

• Right to Access: You can view your statistics and records at any time in-game via the "My Profile" tab in the Hall of Fame.
• Right to Erasure (Data Deletion): If you wish to have your player profile, cumulative statistics, and match history permanently deleted from our database, you may submit a request by contacting us via email at [email protected] or via Discord (@vipluk). Upon verification, all corresponding database records will be permanently purged.
• Local Data Removal: You can remove all locally cached preferences and session tokens by clicking "Log Out" in the game or clearing your browser's Local Storage for wordcast.pearium.com.

7. Age Requirements & Children's Privacy

WordCast is designed for a general audience and complies with platform age restrictions. In accordance with Discord and Google terms, users must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age of digital consent in their jurisdiction) to use authenticated features. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the required age.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect new game features, dictionaries, or legal requirements. Any modifications will be posted directly on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use of WordCast after updates signifies your acknowledgment of the changes.

9. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or data deletion requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please reach out to the project maintainer via email at [email protected], via Discord (@vipluk), or through the official WordCast community channels.