Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 3, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Differdle ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you use differdle.com. We are committed to complying with applicable privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK GDPR where applicable.

1. Data Controller

The data controller for this website is the creator of Differdle. You can contact us at: westbrook.alistair@gmail.com

2. Information We Collect

Account Information: When you create an account via email, we collect your email address, hashed password (managed securely by Google Firebase), and display name. If you sign in with Google or GitHub, we receive your public profile name and email from those providers.

Gameplay Data: We collect your scores, chosen difficulty levels, and topics to power the leaderboard and track your progress.

Usage & Analytics Data (with consent only): With your consent, Google Analytics collects anonymised usage data such as pages visited, session duration, and device type to help us improve the site.

Advertising Data (with consent only): With your consent, Google AdSense may use cookies to serve personalised advertisements based on your browsing behaviour.

Email Subscriptions: If you voluntarily enter your email address in the "Get notified about updates" form, we store it in our database solely to send you service announcements (e.g. maintenance notices, major updates). You can unsubscribe at any time by contacting us at westbrook.alistair@gmail.com.

Technical Data: Like most websites, we receive your IP address and browser type when you access the site. This is not stored beyond standard server logs.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

• Contract performance: We process your account information and scores to provide the leaderboard and game functionality you signed up for.
• Consent: Analytics and advertising cookies are only activated after you explicitly choose "Accept All" in our cookie banner. You may withdraw consent at any time by clearing your browser's local storage or contacting us.
• Legitimate interests: We process minimal technical data (e.g. error logs) to keep the service secure and operational.

4. Cookies

We use the following categories of cookies:

• Essential cookies: Required for login sessions and saving your score locally. These are always active and cannot be disabled without breaking the site.
• Analytics cookies (consent required): Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymised usage statistics (e.g. page views, session length). These are only set after you click "Accept All".
• Advertising cookies (consent required): Google AdSense uses cookies to serve relevant ads. These are only active after you click "Accept All".

You can change your cookie preference at any time by clearing your browser's site data for differdle.com, which will show the consent banner again on your next visit.

5. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with the following third-party services as necessary to operate the site:

• Google Firebase (authentication and database) — Firebase Privacy Policy
• Google Analytics (usage analytics, consent-only) — Google Privacy Policy
• Google AdSense (advertising, consent-only) — Google Privacy Policy
• DiceBear (avatar generation via public API using your user ID as a seed — no personal data is transmitted beyond the seed)

All third parties are required to handle your data in accordance with their own privacy policies and applicable law.

6. Data Retention

Your account data (display name, email, scores) is retained for as long as your account is active. If you request deletion, we will remove your data from our Firestore database within 30 days. Anonymised analytics data held by Google may be retained per Google's own retention policies.

7. Your Rights (GDPR / UK GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate data (e.g. your display name).
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): Request deletion of your account and all associated data.
• Right to data portability: Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw cookie consent at any time without affecting prior processing.
• Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (e.g. the ICO in the UK, or your national supervisory authority in the EU).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at westbrook.alistair@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Data Security

All data is transmitted over HTTPS. Passwords are never stored by us — Firebase Authentication manages credential storage securely. We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, but no online service can guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

Differdle is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last Updated" date at the top will reflect any changes. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, data requests, or complaints, please contact: westbrook.alistair@gmail.com

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