Privacy policy

Who is responsible. Nils Thomas, Schulstraße 42, 65594 Runkel, Germany, datenschutz@deardetectivegame.com.

In short. Dear Detective needs neither your name nor your e-mail address. We show no ads, do not track you across other apps, use no third-party analytics services and sell no data.

What stays on your device. Your settings, duel cases you have started and the daily reminder while it is scheduled on the device. So that you get your account back after reinstalling, the app keeps a secret key in your keychain (iPhone, synced with iCloud) or in Google's Block Store (Android, with your Google backup). Apple and Google handle that sync; we see nothing of it.

Your account. The first time the app goes online, it quietly creates an account. It consists of a random player number and a random device number, both made up for this purpose only; we do not use your phone's identifiers. You find your player number under Settings → Account. Other players never see it.

What goes to our server so that you can play.

• Your progress: experience, level, streak, supplies, items and office, awards, titles, rank, season, cases solved and purchases.
• What you did in the game, with date and time, for example "solved the daily case of 14 October in 6 minutes with one hint". The server recalculates your progress from it, exactly as the app does.
• Your desk: cases you have started and what you have already seen (training, introductions, hints), so that you can continue on another device.
• With every request, the app version, your local date and your time zone.

The network needs your IP address to deliver the answer; we do not store it.

Signing in with Apple or Google (optional). If you link your account to Apple or Google, they send us a proof. From it we keep only the identifier Apple or Google gives our app, not your e-mail address and not your name. For Apple we also keep a key that lets us undo the link when you delete your account, as Apple requires. The sign-in itself runs at Apple or Google under their privacy policies.

Playing on another device. A transfer code from the settings is valid once and for 24 hours. We store only a hash of it.

Precinct: ID card, colleagues, duels, leaderboard (optional). All of this starts only when you issue yourself an ID card.

• What we store: the name you choose, your form of address and your ID number; your colleagues, requests, invitations and notes; your duels with moves and times; whom you have blocked or reported. Names pass a word filter. If three players report a name, we hide it and look at it by hand.
• What others see: Wherever you appear, the game shows your ID card: name, ID number, form of address, rank, level, title, streak and the items you show on your card, folder, letter paper and stamp. Colleagues also see your office, the story cases you have solved and whether you solved today's daily case. Whoever plays a duel against you sees your moves and times. The "All detectives" leaderboard shows the top places and the places around you with ID card and time, visible to everyone.
• Without an ID card, your time counts on the leaderboard only as a place, without a name.

Push notifications (only with your permission). If you allow them on your device, the app tells us the push key Apple (Apple Push Notification service) or Google (Firebase Cloud Messaging) issues for it, along with your language, time zone, the hour of the reminder and whether you want messages from the precinct. Apple or Google deliver the messages. If you turn both off in the settings, we delete the key.

Purchases. You pay Apple or Google; we never see your payment details. After a purchase the app sends us the store's receipt. We check it with Apple or Google and note the purchase in your account.

Analysis. We also analyse the data the app sends to our server for the game, to improve the game, for example which cases are often abandoned or how many newcomers come back. For this we note on which days the app syncs with our server. Added to this is your assessment "too easy", "just right" or "too hard" when you tick it on a report; it goes to our server with the next sync. Otherwise the app sends nothing extra for this, and we use no third-party service and no advertising identifier. We delete the days and the assessments after 13 months; after that only totals remain. You can object to this (below).

Why and on what basis. For your account, the game, syncing, the precinct and your purchases: because you use the game (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). For checking the scoring, against abuse (name filter, reports, daily limits) and for the analysis: our legitimate interest in a fair, safe and better game (point (f)). For push notifications: your consent (point (a)), which you can withdraw at any time in your device's or the app's settings.

Who processes the data.

• Our server runs on Amazon Web Services in Stockholm, Sweden (EU), on our behalf (data processing agreement). AWS belongs to a company in the USA; insofar as data may reach the USA, the European Commission's standard contractual clauses and the EU-US Data Privacy Framework apply.
• For sign-in, push notifications, purchases, backing up the recovery key and, on Android, Google Play's update notices, Apple and Google process their own data under their privacy policies, also in the USA.
• Our e-mail is hosted by ALL-INKL.COM – Neue Medien Münnich, Germany, on our behalf (data processing agreement).

How long.

• Account and progress: until you delete your account or do not play for 24 months; then we delete them on our own. A guest account that has not been played in its first 7 days is deleted as well.
• Days with a sync and assessments (only for the analysis): 13 months.
• Server logs (player number, app version, which call, result, duration; no IP address): 14 days.
• Backups: 35 days.
• Transfer codes 24 hours, invitations 7 days, colleague requests 30 days, notes 90 days.
• E-mails to us: until the matter is settled. We keep deletion requests and our confirmation for three years as proof.

Deleting your account. In the app under Settings → Account → "Delete account"; your account is then deleted right away, with your progress, ID card, colleagues, duels, leaderboard entries and the link to Apple or Google. Without the app, write to datenschutz@deardetectivegame.com with your player number; we delete within 30 days. More on this, also if you no longer have the number: deardetectivegame.com/delete-account. Purchases stay with Apple or Google and can be restored in a new account with "Restore purchases".

Your rights. You may ask what data we hold about you, for a copy in a common format, for its correction or deletion, and for its use to be restricted. You may object to its use on the basis of our legitimate interest, such as the analysis. Write to datenschutz@deardetectivegame.com, ideally with your player number. You may also complain to a data protection authority, for example the Hessian Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information.

Children. Dear Detective is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13; if we learn of it, we delete the account.

This website. When you open this site, Amazon Web Services (CloudFront) briefly processes your IP address to deliver the page. We keep no access logs, set no cookies, count no visits and load nothing from other servers.

When you write to us. We use your e-mail and address only to reply or to handle your request (Art. 6(1)(b) and (f) GDPR).

Changes. If what the game stores changes, we change this text and the date above.