Privacy Policy

The Minesweeper game observes user privacy with utmost responsibility. We make sure that all your data is protected while you play, clearing tiles and dodging mines. This policy is guided by international standards such as GDPR and CCPA.

We collect gameplay data and preferences, which are essential to make your gaming experience seamless. Device information, IP addresses, and usage statistics may also be collected to help us make changes to the game as well as roll out updates to improve the experience of our users. Rest assured, all data is encrypted using industry-leading practices. This keeps your information secure from prying eyes.

Our goal is to give you control over your data, which is what differentiates us. If you want to access, change, or delete personal data — you can easily do that. Don’t worry, your rights will be maintained. Your data is safe because we comply with relevant regulations.

Data Controller

We, as the administrators of minesweeper.game, act as the data controller of this website. We handle the collection, management, and protection of your personal data.

Cookies and Similar Technology

While playing the Minesweeper Game, you probably did not recognize that there are small data files called cookies that are making your experience better. Cookies are saved text files stored on your computer or other devices. Our servers put them there to remember what you do and what you like. Cookies do serve a pivotal role in our game, too.

For example, they keep track of your session to ensure that everything is saved. This helps you to continue from where you stopped. They also take note of your preferences, themes, and difficulty levels, so you do not have to change them as often. Moreover, cookies enable us to analyze your activity and optimize various features, improving the overall performance of the game and your experience.

Aside from those functions, we also use cookies for advertising and analytic reasons. Advertising purposes allow us to create tailored content that would be far more interesting for you to view and for us to use during in-game promotions.

From the analytic side, we gain important information from players that helps us know which feature is the most popular in the game and to determine areas that need to be improved. You can adjust your browser settings to manage or disable cookies at any time.

However, be aware that doing so may affect certain functionalities of the game. This can disrupt the seamless experience we aim to provide.

IndexedDB and Local Storage Usage

Have you ever thought about where Minesweeper stores your settings? Or how does it load even in an unstable connection? The answer lies with technologies such as “Local Storage and IndexedDB.” They do all the heavy lifting by providing data storage and retrieval directly with the browser.

Local Storage is a simple, synchronous key value type of storage mechanism provided by your web browsers. It allows web applications to store data within the user's device and retrieve them quickly without fetching them from the server each time.

This mechanism is especially useful for storing less complex data like user preferences or settings and enhances the loading speed. Local Storage also boosts the user experience by decreasing the fetch time.

On the other hand, IndexedDB is a sophisticated, asynchronous storage. It allows users to store a large volume of structured data, such as files or blobs. It operates as a “NoSQL” type database within the user's browser that allows complex queries to be executed on the storage data.

These robust capabilities permit the handling of bigger databases and more complicated data structures, smoother load times, and enhanced gaming experience. With the use of Local Storage and IndexedDB, the Minesweeper game is able to store important data from the game locally. This enables the game to run without the need to always be connected to the server.

Storing data locally minimizes latency while improving the access time. This ensures that your gaming experience stays smooth despite sudden changes in the network.

While these technologies assist in optimizing performance, it is equally important to highlight that they do not gather any personal user information. The main purpose is to assist in the effective management of data. This is in line with our guarantee to protect your personal information whilst providing a stellar gaming experience.

Data Retention

Your information is kept while your account is active and may be stored for as long as one year after your account is deleted, unless the law mandates a longer retention period.

Managing Your Privacy Preferences

As stated earlier, your privacy is of utmost importance to us. We wish to empower you with the ability to manage it best. Cookies, IndexedDB, and Local Storage all improve your gaming experience. They do this by preloading information, minimizing loading time, and ensuring a seamless interface. However, we know that users may want to limit or completely disable these features.

Cookies Management

A cookie is a data file created by a web browser in your system. It monitors your activities and preferences. To manage or disable cookies for different browsers follow the steps below:

Chrome:Open ‘Settings’, then select ‘Privacy and Security’ and click on ‘Cookies and Other Site Data’ where you will be able to block or allow cookies.
Firefox: Click on ‘Options’, then ‘Privacy & Security’, and on the ‘Cookies and Site Data’ section you can set preferences on cookies.
Safari: Under ‘Preferences”, click on ‘Privacy’ where you can block all cookies or manage cookies and other website data.

Children’s Privacy

We never intentionally gather personal data from anyone under the age of 13. In accordance with GDPR and similar regulations, users who are 13 to 16 years old must obtain permission from a parent or guardian before using this site.

Managing Local Storage and IndexedDB

Both Local Storage and IndexedDB store data within your browser to speed up your surfing experience. To remove this data follow the steps below:

Chrome: Go onto ‘Developer Tools’ by clicking on F12. Click on the ‘Application Tab’ and select ‘Storage’, then clear ‘Local Storage and IndexedDB’.
Firefox: Hit F12 to open ‘Developer Tools' and choose the ‘Storage’ tab where you can delete the storage data.
Safari: Check the ‘Develop’ menu under ‘Preferences’ and with the Web Inspector utilize ‘Storage’ to manage the data.

Not enabling cookies along with Local Storage and IndexedDB may alter your overall gaming experience. You could lose saved preferences and game progress or even encounter longer loading times. Your experience is enhanced with the use of these technologies, and disabling them may result in degraded performance.

Disallowing Third-Party Data Gathering

For even further privacy protection, you can disallow third-party data collection.

Network Advertising Initiative (NAI): Go to their opt-out page to view your preferences.
Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA): You can manage your data collection through the provided consumer choice tool.
Simple Opt-Out: This resource provides various companies’ data-sharing opt-out links in one place.

So, by managing their settings, you have more control over your personal information while playing our game.

Third-Party Data Processing

To improve your gaming experience, we cooperate with third-party services — advertising networks or analytic companies. These services may employ the usage of cookies and web beacons to collect information related to your interaction with our games.

It is necessary to say that while those services are employed by us for features and content customization, their collection of information is out of our control, and so is their use. We do greatly recommend that you read the privacy terms of these third-party services to learn about the possible ways your data may be used.

Understanding these practices is highly important for everyone wishing to have a secure and delightful gaming experience.

Such third parties include:

Google Analytics,
advertising networks (such as Google Ads, Meta),
hosting providers,
other IT service providers.

Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

In terms of your private details, we ensure compliance with the GDPR and CCPA. We believe that efficiency, compliance, and respect for your rights come first. To start with, we utilize used consent in the form of accepting cookies, enabling local storage, or other features. With the consent of the user, we are able to provide an enhanced experience.

Thus, informed consent is the cornerstone of our method of obtaining data. Aside from consent, reasonable business objectives provide another major reason for processing data. Improving functionality, securing, and updating Minesweeper are among the endless possibilities presented. In order for us to guarantee that the game works the way it is supposed to, we need data.

From fraud prevention to regulatory requirements, certain actions are needed to ensure both your safety and our adherence to the law. That way, we can easily run the system while reducing risks for everybody.

We value your right to privacy, which is why protecting and blocking your data can be done at any time. Just send a request using the methods listed in our policy and we will act swiftly.

To exercise your rights under applicable privacy laws (such as GDPR and CCPA), please send your request to us at the designated email address. Before we process any request, we reserve the right to confirm your identity. We will review all requests within 30 days of receipt, unless otherwise required by law.

GDPR

Under the GDPR, we cannot collect or use your personal data without your consent. We also collect and use your data to comply with our legal obligations, to safeguard your interests (and the public’s interests), and to further our service’s legitimate interests. For example, these interests include complying with regulations and enhancing our site’s performance. We respect your personal data’s confidentiality and are dedicated to protecting your rights.

In line with the GDPR, if you are in the EU, you have the following rights:

To access your data.
To have your data corrected or updated.
To refuse the processing of your data.
To request the deletion of your personal data.
To request that your data be transferred to you or another service (data portability).
To withdraw any consent you have provided.

Please reach out to us to exercise any of these rights. We will verify your identity before fulfilling such requests, using suitable verification methods.

As of now, our company is not obligated to appoint a Data Protection Officer (as per Article 37 of the EU Regulation 2016/679). Should this requirement become applicable in the future, we will update this policy with the relevant information.

CCPA

Residents of California are granted unique privacy rights under the CCPA, which applies solely to those who reside within the state. The law identifies 11 categories of personal information that might be collected.

We list those categories below for transparency, even though we may not collect information from every category.

Identifiers: examples include your real name, IP address, mailing address, and similar details.
Personal information (as defined in California’s customer records statute) includes signature, Social Security number, address, etc.
Protected classification characteristics (under state or federal law): such as age, race, national origin, religion, citizenship, etc.
Commercial information: such as purchase records and histories.
Biometric information: for example, fingerprints, voice recordings, sleep, or health-related data.
Internet or electronic activity: records of your interactions with our website or other services.
Geolocation data: your exact or approximate location.
Sensory data: audio or visual information (for instance, call recordings or photographs).
Professional or employment information: such as job history or performance evaluations.
Education information (non-public): e.g., school records like grades or schedules.
Inferences drawn from personal data: profiles or assumptions made based on your personal information.

We may collect this information directly from you (for example, from forms you submit on our site), from observing how you use our website, or via third-party providers.

Under the CCPA, California residents have these rights:

To be informed about what personal data is being collected.
To request the personal data we have collected about you.
To opt out of the sale of your personal information.
To request deletion of your personal information.
To not be subjected to discrimination for exercising your rights.
To correct any inaccurate personal information we hold about you.
To limit our use or disclosure of your personal data.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

Like other elements of Minesweeper, our privacy policy changes as we implement legal changes or Minesweeper’s features improve. When we make changes, we will post the new version on our website with a new last updated date.

You are accepting the changes that come with the new version by continuing to use the game or the website after the new version is released. Staying on top of things is vital, hence we suggest all users check our private policy from time to time.

User data may be stored on servers located in the EU, the U.S., or other areas. When data is transferred outside the EEA, we follow GDPR guidelines, using safeguards like Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) under Articles 45–46.

User Consent and Agreement

Using our website or playing the Minesweeper game indicates that you acknowledge and agree to our privacy policy. With this permission, you're claiming that you understand how we process your data and comply with the stated guidelines. For users who do not agree to the terms of this privacy policy, we highly recommend you stop the usage of the service promptly.

Moreover, if you reside in a place where specific local laws and regulations invalidate any part of this policy, you cannot use this site without exception. This is how we comply with legal requirements whilst ensuring that our privacy system remains intact.

Our company implements security safeguards to shield personal information from any unauthorized access, accidental loss, or unlawful processing.

Contact Information

You can reach out to us at [email protected] with any questions or issues regarding your data privacy rights.