Privacy Policy
This page explains, in plain English, what information is collected when you visit playdotsandboxes.org, how it is used, who it is shared with, and the choices you have. The short version: the game runs in your browser, we don't ask for accounts, and advertising is handled by Google.
Effective date
Who we are
Play Dots and Boxes ("we", "us") is a free website run by Akshay Bhargava from India. For any privacy question, email support@playdotsandboxes.org.
What we collect
Nothing to play. You don't need an account, and we never ask for your name, phone number or address to use the game.
Server logs. Like every website, our hosting provider (Vercel) records basic technical data when a page is requested: your IP address, browser type, the page asked for, the referring page and the time. This is used to keep the site running, block abuse and fix errors. It is not linked to your name.
Messages you send. If you use the contact form or email us, we receive the name, email address, topic and message you choose to give, so we can reply. Form messages are delivered to our inbox through Web3Forms.
Advertising data. When ads are shown, Google and its partners may collect information such as your IP address, device identifiers, cookie IDs and the pages you visit. The advertising section below explains this.
What stays on your device
The game saves a few things in your own browser storage so it can pick up where you left off. This data never leaves your device and is not sent to us.
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Saved games | Resume an unfinished game on each page |
| Theme, sound, music and vibration settings | Remember how you like the game |
| Daily puzzle results and streak | Show your progress and badges |
| Tournament teams and bracket | Keep a class tournament between visits |
| Install and reminder notes | Avoid showing the same tip twice |
You can delete all of it at any time by clearing this site's data in your browser settings.
Cookies at a glance
A cookie is a small text file a website stores in your browser. We don't set our own tracking cookies. Third parties may set the cookies below.
| Category | Set by | Purpose | Your control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | This site (browser storage) | Saved games and settings listed above | Clear site data in your browser |
| Advertising | Google and ad partners | Show ads, limit repeats, measure results and, where allowed, personalise ads | Consent message, My Ad Center, browser settings |
| Consent | Remember your consent choice where a consent message is shown | Change your choice through the privacy link on the consent message |
We don't currently use analytics cookies. If that changes, this table will be updated first.
Advertising and Google AdSense
To keep the game free, the site may show ads served by Google AdSense. Here is what that means:
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this website and other websites.
- Google's use of advertising cookies lets it and its partners serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet.
- You can opt out of personalised advertising in Google's My Ad Center, and opt out of some other vendors' cookies at aboutads.info or youronlinechoices.eu.
- Google explains how it uses data from sites like ours at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.
If you opt out, you'll still see ads, but they won't be based on your browsing history.
Consent in the EU, UK and Switzerland
If you visit from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, you'll see a consent message from Google before any personalised advertising happens. You can accept, reject or choose per purpose, and change your mind later from the privacy link on that message. If you reject, Google may still show non-personalised ads, which use limited data such as your rough location.
How we use information
- To run, secure and fix the site.
- To reply to messages and act on feedback or bug reports.
- To show ads that pay for the site, through Google as described above.
- To meet legal obligations, such as responding to valid requests from authorities.
We do not sell your personal information. We don't share it with anyone except the service providers named on this page, who only use it to provide their service to us, or where the law requires it.
Children and classrooms
Dots and Boxes is popular in schools, and our classroom tools are written for teachers. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and the game needs no sign-up. Children shouldn't use the contact form without a parent or teacher. If you think a child has sent us personal information, email us and we'll delete it.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete personal information we hold about you, to object to or restrict how it is used, and to withdraw consent.
- India: under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you can ask for a summary of your data, correction or erasure, and you can nominate someone to act for you. Grievances can be sent to the email below.
- United States, including California: you can ask what personal information we hold and ask us to delete it. We don't sell personal information. You can opt out of ad personalisation that may count as "sharing" through My Ad Center or a browser that sends a Global Privacy Control signal.
- EU, UK and Switzerland: you have the rights listed in the GDPR, including complaining to your local data protection authority.
To make a request, email support@playdotsandboxes.org with "Privacy request" in the subject. We'll reply within 30 days and won't treat you differently for asking.
How long we keep data
Contact messages are kept for up to two years so we can follow up, then deleted, or sooner if you ask. Server logs are kept by our host for a short period for security. Data in your browser stays until you clear it.
Security and international transfers
The site is served only over HTTPS. Our providers (Vercel, Web3Forms and Google) may process data in countries other than yours, including the United States, under their own safeguards. No method of storage or transfer is perfectly secure, but we collect so little that there is very little to protect.
Links and embeds
Pages link to other sites, such as our Reddit, Discord, Twitch and Instagram profiles. Their own privacy policies apply once you leave. If another site embeds our board, the embedded board doesn't load ads.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle data, we'll update this page and the effective date at the top. Big changes will also be noted on the updates page.
Contact and grievances
Questions, requests or complaints about privacy: support@playdotsandboxes.org, or the contact page. Akshay Bhargava acts as the grievance officer for this site.