Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

A. Information You Provide to Us

When you create an account using Google Login, we collect the following basic information from your Google profile:

• Email Address: Used as your unique account identifier.
• Display Name / Username: Used to display your identity on leaderboards and your profile.
• Profile Picture (Avatar): Used to personalize your account.

B. Information We Collect Automatically

When you interact with the app, we may automatically collect:

• Voting Data: The choices you make between items in the app to determine global rankings and personal statistics.
• Country Location: We use IP-based geolocation (via Vercel headers) exclusively to display your country flag on your profile and track regional voting trends. We do not store your exact IP address.
• Usage Analytics: We use Google Analytics (GA4) to understand how users navigate the app to improve the user experience.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• To provide and maintain the core functionality of the application (e.g., calculating item rankings based on your votes).
• To create and manage your personal user profile.
• To display public leaderboards and global statistics.
• To analyze usage patterns and improve the application.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share your information with third-party service providers only to the extent necessary to provide our services:

• Supabase: For database hosting and user authentication.
• Vercel: For web hosting and generalized regional geolocation.
• Google Analytics: For anonymized website traffic analysis.

*Note: Your Username, Profile Picture, Country Flag, and Total Votes may be visible to other users on public leaderboards or shared profile links.*

4. Data Security

We rely on industry-standard security measures provided by our authentication provider (Google OAuth via Supabase) to protect your account. We do not store passwords. However, please remember that no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure.

5. Your Rights & Account Deletion

You have the right to access, update, or delete the personal information we hold about you. If you wish to completely delete your account and all associated voting data, please contact us or use the account deletion features provided within the app settings (if available).

Additional GDPR, Cookie, Advertising & OAuth Disclosures

The following sections supplement the above policy and apply where required under applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

6. Cookie Usage & Consent (GDPR Compliance)

This vs That uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the application, analyze usage, and support advertising.

Cookies may include:

• Necessary Cookies: Required for secure login (Google OAuth), session management, leaderboard functionality, fraud prevention, and core app performance. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics Cookies: Used through Google Analytics (GA4) to understand user interactions and improve the app.
• Advertising Cookies: Used to display advertisements and measure their effectiveness.

Non-essential cookies (analytics and advertising) are only activated after you provide explicit consent via our cookie consent banner, which is presented to all users on their first visit regardless of location. You may withdraw or modify your consent at any time via the Cookie Settings link below.

7. Google Analytics Disclosure

We use Google Analytics (GA4) to analyze traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics may collect:

• Device and browser information
• Interaction and engagement data
• Approximate geographic location

Where required by law, analytics tracking is enabled only after user consent. Data processing is subject to Google's Privacy Policy.

8. Google Ads & Advertising Disclosure

This vs That may display advertisements served by Google Ads.

Google Ads may use cookies, device identifiers, and similar technologies to:

• Display advertisements
• Measure advertising performance
• Personalize advertisements (where consented)

For EU users, advertising cookies are only activated after explicit consent. Users may withdraw consent at any time.

We do not sell personal data. Advertising data processing is governed by Google’s privacy policies and applicable data protection laws.

9. Google OAuth & Profile Information Handling

When you log in using Google OAuth, we receive limited profile information directly from Google, which may include:

• Your display name
• Your email address
• Your profile picture
• A unique Google account identifier

This information is used solely to:

• Authenticate your account
• Create and manage your leaderboard profile
• Prevent duplicate or fraudulent accounts

We do not access your Google password.
We do not post to your Google account.
We do not access additional Google data beyond authentication scope.

10. Leaderboard Data & Public Visibility

By creating an account and participating in voting, you acknowledge that certain profile information may be publicly displayed within the app, including:

• Display Name / Username
• Profile Picture
• Country Flag
• Voting totals and rankings

This information is displayed solely for gameplay and leaderboard functionality.

Users may request deletion of their account and associated leaderboard data in accordance with Section 5 of this Privacy Policy.

11. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

Where GDPR applies, personal data is processed under one or more of the following legal bases:

• Legitimate Interest: To operate and improve the game.
• Consent: For analytics and advertising cookies where required.
• Legal Obligation: Where required by applicable law.

12. International Data Transfers

The application is operated from South Africa and hosted in the European Union. By using the Service, you understand that your information may be processed in these jurisdictions in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Appropriate safeguards are implemented where required for cross-border data transfers.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact the development team at info@thespacemonkey.co.za.