Privacy Policy
Last updated: July 21, 2026
This policy explains what 538-0.com (the “Site”) collects and why. We’ve tried to write it in plain English rather than legalese.
The short version: there are no accounts and no logins. We collect a display name only if you type one, your IP address to stop spam and abuse, and standard analytics about how people use the Site. We don’t sell anything. We may run ads.
What we collect
| What | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Player name (optional, typed by you) | To label your result on public leaderboards and share pages. Anything you type here is public — please don’t use your real full name, email, or anything private. | Kept with the completed game result indefinitely |
| Gameplay data — the ticket you built, policies and strategy chosen, the resulting map and score, and a random share code | To run the game, show your result, build leaderboards, and make share links work | Completed games: indefinitely. Abandoned games: deleted after 24 hours |
| IP address | Rate limiting and abuse prevention (stopping one source from flooding the game or the suggestion box), and included on suggestion emails so we can block abuse | Held briefly in server memory for rate limiting; retained in suggestion emails we receive |
| Suggestions you send through the suggestion box | So we can consider adding candidates and policies to the game | Kept in our email as long as useful |
| Analytics data (see below) | To understand how many people play, which pages they visit, and where they come from | Per Google’s retention settings |
We do not collect email addresses, passwords, payment information, precise location, or contact lists. There are no user accounts. We do not sell or rent personal information to anyone, and we do not display third-party advertising.
Analytics and cookies
The Site uses Google Analytics, a service provided by Google LLC, to measure traffic and usage. Google Analytics sets cookies (or uses similar identifiers in your browser’s storage) and collects information such as pages viewed, time on page, approximate location derived from IP address, referring website, device type, browser, and operating system. This data is used in aggregate to understand how the Site is used — we do not use it to identify individual players, and we do not combine it with your gameplay data.
Google processes this information on our behalf under its own terms. You can learn more at Google’s Privacy Policy and about how Google uses data from sites that use its services at this page. You can opt out of Google Analytics entirely using Google’s browser opt-out add-on, or by blocking cookies in your browser settings — the game works fine either way.
The Site also loads fonts from Google Fonts, which means Google receives your IP address in order to serve those files.
We do not use advertising cookies, remarketing, cross-site tracking pixels, or social media tracking widgets. Aside from analytics and fonts, the Site sets no cookies of its own — your game session is identified by an ID held in the page while you play, which disappears when you close the tab.
What’s public
Please be aware that some information you provide is intentionally public:
- Your player name, ticket, platform, strategy, and final result appear on the daily leaderboard if your run qualifies.
- Anyone with your share link can view that result page. Share links are unguessable random codes, but they are not secret — treat a share link as public once you post it.
Children’s privacy
The Site is intended for a general audience aged 13 and over and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information through the Site (for example, a player name), please contact us and we will delete it.
Your choices and rights
- Play anonymously — the player name field is optional; leaving it blank shows your result as “Anonymous.”
- Opt out of analytics — use Google’s opt-out add-on, a browser tracking blocker, or block cookies.
- Request deletion — if you want a result, player name, or suggestion removed, email us with your share link (or a description of the entry) and we’ll delete it.
Depending on where you live (for example, California, Virginia, Colorado, or the EU/UK), you may have additional rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict processing of your personal information, and to not be discriminated against for exercising those rights. Because we don’t operate accounts, the practical way to exercise these rights is to email us at the address below. Where required, we rely on our legitimate interest in operating and securing the Site, and on your consent for optional analytics where consent is required.
Security and hosting
Game data is stored on servers we operate in the United States, alongside our other games. We use reasonable measures to protect it, but no method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure. Since we collect no passwords or payment data, the practical stakes of a breach are limited to gameplay records and any name you typed in.
Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. Changes take effect when posted, and the “last updated” date above will change. If we ever start collecting materially more information, we’ll say so clearly here.
Contact
Privacy questions or deletion requests: [email protected].