Privacy Policy

At Gomoku.net, we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you register, play, or interact with our online matchmaking platform. By accessing or using our services, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

To provide a functional and competitive gaming environment, we collect several types of information from our players:

• Account Credentials: Upon registration, we collect your username, email address, and a cryptographically salted and hashed password to secure your account.
• Optional Profile Data: You may choose to provide additional profile details, including a display name, bio, or phone number, which help customize your profile.
• Gameplay and ELO Data: We automatically record your game moves, match histories, win/loss records, and calculate your Gomoku and Renju ELO ratings to maintain global leaderboards.
• Technical and Session Data: We collect technical parameters such as registration and login IP addresses, and use localized session storage (cookies, LocalStorage tokens, and session IDs) to maintain your login status and reconnect you in case of accidental disconnections.

2. How We Use Your Information

We process your data strictly to operate and improve Gomoku.net, including to:

• Maintain your account, secure your single sign-on (SSO) sessions, and synchronize your profiles.
• Facilitate real-time, fair matchmaking and compute competitive ELO tiers.
• Ensure system stability, monitor and prevent fraudulent behaviors, and mitigate bot abuses.

3. Cookies and Third-Party Technologies

We and our third-party partners (such as Google and analytical vendors) use cookies and similar technologies to analyze site traffic and personalize your experience:

• Personalized Advertising: Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to Gomoku.net or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve personalized ads to you. You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
• Site Analytics: We use analytical services to monitor and optimize site performance. You can manage your cookie preferences directly within your web browser settings to block or disable tracking cookies.

4. Data Security and Your Rights

We employ transactional database safeguards and encryption to protect your data against unauthorized access. We never sell, rent, lease, or share your personal data with any third-party entities for marketing or commercial purposes. Depending on your location (such as under the GDPR or CCPA), you have the right to access, correct, update, or request the deletion of your personal data at any time via your account settings or by contacting our support team.