Play Lounge Privacy Policy

Version: 2025-10-29 Effective Date: October 29, 2025

1. Introduction

Play Lounge ("Play Lounge", "we", "us", or "our") is operated by NeuEra Apps. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you use our multiplayer board game platform, available as a web application at playlounge.live and as a native Android application (package ID: live.playlounge.android).

Play Lounge is a free multiplayer gaming platform supported by advertising. We are committed to protecting your privacy and have designed our service to collect virtually no personal information. You can enjoy our games completely anonymously without creating an account.

PRIVACY-FIRST DESIGN: Play Lounge operates on a session-based model with no user accounts, no signup required, and no personal information collected. All your data is temporary and deleted when you close the app.

2. Information We Collect

We collect minimal information to provide our multiplayer gaming service. Here's exactly what we collect and don't collect:

What We Collect Directly:

Random Player ID: A temporary, randomly generated identifier created when you start a game session. This ID is NOT linked to any personal information and is deleted when you close the app.
Session Token (JWT): A temporary authentication token with 24-hour expiration, used only for reconnecting to your game if you briefly lose connection. Deleted when you close the app.
Room Codes: 6-character codes for private games with friends. These codes expire after 5 minutes of inactivity and are not stored permanently.
Game State Data: Your current game progress (card positions, scores, etc.) stored temporarily in your browser's sessionStorage/localStorage. This is deleted when you close the app or browser.

What We DO NOT Collect:

Your name, email address, or any personal identification
User accounts or login credentials (no signup required)
Location data (beyond general country/city for ads - see Advertising section)
Device identifiers, IMEI, or MAC addresses
Contact lists or phone numbers
Photos, videos, or camera access
Microphone or audio recordings
Browsing history or activity outside Play Lounge
Payment information (we don't sell anything)
Chat or messaging data (we have no chat features)

Technical Information:

Connection Data: Your IP address is temporarily used to establish WebSocket connections to our game server (hosted on Fly.io). We do not log or store IP addresses long-term.
Browser Storage: We use sessionStorage and localStorage (browser features) to store game state for reconnection purposes only. This data never leaves your device and is deleted when you close the browser/app.

3. Advertising & Third-Party Data Collection

Play Lounge is a free service supported by advertisements. While we do not collect or access advertising data ourselves, our advertising partners collect certain information independently to display and measure ads.

What Advertising Networks May Collect:

Our ad partners (Google AdMob and Google AdSense) may collect:

Device Advertising ID: Google Advertising ID (GAID) on Android devices, used for personalized ads
IP Address: For general location (country/city level, NOT precise GPS location)
Device Information: Device type, operating system version, screen size
App Usage Patterns: How often you use Play Lounge, session duration (for ad frequency)
Ad Interaction: Which ads you view or click on

Important Distinctions:

WE DO NOT COLLECT THIS DATA: Advertising data goes directly to ad networks; we cannot access it
WE DO NOT SELL YOUR DATA: We don't collect personal data, so there's nothing to sell
AD NETWORKS OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY: They have their own privacy policies (see links below)

Advertising Network Privacy Policies:

Google AdMob: Google Privacy Policy
Google AdSense: Google Ads Privacy
How Google Uses Data: Google Partner Sites

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the minimal information we collect for these purposes only:

Provide Gaming Service: Enable real-time multiplayer gameplay through WebSocket connections
Session Management: Maintain your game state and allow reconnection if you lose connection briefly
Matchmaking: Connect players for random matchmaking (anonymously, no profiles created)
Private Rooms: Enable private games with friends using room codes
Cross-Platform Play: Allow web and mobile players to play together seamlessly
Service Improvement: Identify and fix bugs, optimize performance
Security: Prevent abuse, cheating, and denial-of-service attacks

WE DO NOT: Track your behavior, build user profiles, or use your data for marketing purposes.

5. Data Storage & Retention

All data collected by Play Lounge is ephemeral (temporary):

Session-Only Storage:

Random Player IDs: Deleted when you close the app or browser
Session Tokens: Expire after 24 hours; deleted when app is closed
Room Codes: Expire after 5 minutes of inactivity
Game State: Stored in browser sessionStorage/localStorage, cleared when session ends
WebSocket Connections: Terminated immediately when you disconnect

Server-Side Storage:

Active Game Rooms: Stored temporarily in server memory during gameplay, deleted when game ends
Server Logs: Minimal connection logs retained for up to 7 days for debugging and security purposes only

Browser Storage:

sessionStorage: Game state for active sessions, cleared when browser tab is closed
localStorage: Used only for reconnection to interrupted games, cleared when you close the app
Cookies: We do NOT use cookies for our services (ad networks may use cookies independently)

NO PERMANENT STORAGE: We do not maintain databases of user information, game history, or personal data. Everything is session-based and temporary.

7. Children's Privacy

Play Lounge is designed to be safe for all ages, including children. Our app is rated PEGI 3 / Everyone and complies with children's privacy laws including COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act).

Why Play Lounge is Safe for Children:

No Personal Information: We don't collect names, emails, locations, or any identifying information from anyone, including children
No User Accounts: No signup or registration required, so no account data to protect
No Chat or Social Features: No text chat, voice chat, or user-generated content that could expose children to inappropriate interactions
Anonymous Play: All players are anonymous; you can't identify who you're playing with
Family-Friendly Ads: Advertising networks are configured for family-friendly, age-appropriate ads
No In-App Purchases: No payment features that children could access

Advertising & Children:

Our advertising partners (AdMob and AdSense) are required to comply with children's advertising regulations:

Ads are filtered for age-appropriateness
Personalized ads are limited for child-directed content
Ad networks must comply with COPPA, GDPR-K, and other children's privacy laws

Parental Rights:

Parents/guardians have the right to:

Review what information we collect (answer: virtually none)
Request deletion of any data (though we store no personal data)
Refuse further collection (by uninstalling the app)

8. Data Security

Although we collect minimal data, we still implement strong security measures:

Encrypted Connections: All communication between your device and our server uses HTTPS/TLS encryption
WebSocket Security: Secure WebSocket (WSS) connections for real-time gameplay
No Persistent Storage: Session-only data reduces risk of data breaches
Server Security: Fly.io infrastructure provides DDoS protection and secure hosting
Token Expiration: Session tokens automatically expire after 24 hours
Room Code Expiration: Temporary room codes expire after 5 minutes
No Central Database: We don't maintain databases of user information, eliminating database breach risks

BEST SECURITY IS NO DATA: Our security strategy is simple - we don't collect or store personal information, so there's nothing to lose in a data breach.

9. Your Choices & Controls

You have several options to control your privacy:

Advertising Controls:

Opt Out of Personalized Ads:
- Android: Settings → Google → Ads → Opt out of Ads Personalization
- Web: Visit Google Ad Settings
Reset Advertising ID:
- Android: Settings → Google → Ads → Reset advertising ID
Limit Ad Tracking: Available in device privacy settings

Data Deletion:

Automatic: All session data is automatically deleted when you close the app
Manual: Clear your browser's localStorage/sessionStorage in browser settings
Complete Removal: Uninstall the app to remove all local data

Cookies:

We don't use cookies ourselves, but ad networks may use cookies. You can control cookies through your browser settings:

Block all cookies (may affect ad display)
Delete existing cookies
Set cookies to expire when browser closes

10. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have legal privacy rights. Because we collect virtually no personal information, most of these rights don't apply in practice, but we respect them nonetheless:

General Rights:

Right to Access: Request information about what data we have (answer: none, except temporary session data)
Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your data (automatically happens when you close the app)
Right to Portability: Download your data (not applicable - no stored personal data)
Right to Object: Object to data processing (you can stop using the service anytime)
Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for data collection (close the app or uninstall)

Regional Privacy Laws:

EU Residents (GDPR): Rights to access, deletion, portability, restriction, objection
California Residents (CCPA/CPRA): Rights to know, delete, opt-out of sale (we don't sell data)
UK Residents (UK GDPR): Same rights as EU GDPR
Canadian Residents (PIPEDA): Rights to access and correction
Brazilian Residents (LGPD): Rights to access, correction, deletion

Exercising Your Rights:

To exercise any privacy rights, contact us at hello@neuera.app. We will respond within 30 days. However, please note that because we collect no personal information or user accounts, most requests will receive the response: "No personal data stored."

11. International Data Transfers

Play Lounge is operated from the United States. When you use our service:

Game Server: Hosted on Fly.io infrastructure, which may process data in multiple regions
Advertising Networks: Google operates globally and may transfer data internationally
Minimal Data: Because we collect no personal information, international transfers are minimal

By using Play Lounge, you consent to the transfer of the limited technical data we collect to the United States and other countries where our service providers operate.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes:

We will update the version date at the top of this policy
We will post the updated policy on our website (playlounge.live)
We will update the policy in the legal documents portal (legal.neuera.app)
For material changes, we may display an in-app notification

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of Play Lounge after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Third-Party Links & Services

Play Lounge may display advertisements that link to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third parties. This Privacy Policy applies only to Play Lounge.

Third-party privacy policies you should review:

Google (AdMob/AdSense): Google Privacy Policy
Fly.io (Hosting): Fly.io Privacy Policy

14. Our Privacy Commitments

Play Lounge is built on privacy-first principles:

No User Accounts: Play completely anonymously without signing up
No Personal Data Collection: We don't ask for or store your name, email, or any identifying information
Session-Only Storage: All data is temporary and deleted when you close the app
No Tracking: We don't use analytics services to track your behavior
No Data Sales: We never sell, rent, or share personal information (because we don't collect it)
Transparent Advertising: We clearly explain what ad networks collect (separately from us)
Family-Friendly: Safe for all ages with no chat or social features
Minimal Third Parties: Only essential services (hosting and ads)
Automatic Deletion: Data automatically expires and is purged
Open Communication: This policy clearly explains our minimal data practices

15. Google Play Store Requirements

For users who download Play Lounge from the Google Play Store, this section addresses Google's data safety requirements:

Data Safety Label Summary:

Account Creation: Not required
Personal Info Collected by Us: None
Device/App Data Collected by Us: Session tokens (ephemeral, not linked to identity)
Data Shared with Ad Networks: Advertising ID, device info, IP address (collected by Google AdMob, not by us)
Data Encryption: In transit via HTTPS/WSS
Data Deletion: Users can request deletion (though no personal data is stored)

16. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, contact us at:

Email: hello@neuera.app
Service Operator: NeuEra Apps
Operated by: Parham Modirniya
Website: playlounge.live
Country of Operation: United States of America

Last Updated: October 29, 2025
Version: 2025-10-29
Effective Date: October 29, 2025