Privacy Policy

1. Who controls your information

GeoZoomr is the controller of the information described in this policy, except where a service provider acts as an independent controller under its own privacy policy. Contact us at privacy@geozoomr.com.

2. Information we collect

Account information

If you create or use an account, our authentication provider, Clerk, processes information such as your name, email address, account identifier, login credentials, authentication cookies, and related security information. GeoZoomr can access your Clerk user identifier and basic profile information. We do not receive your password.

Gameplay information

For signed-in players, we store your Clerk user identifier together with daily challenge dates, mission identifiers, success or failure, attempts used, completion time, time remaining, matched place name, distance, failure reason, high score, places found, and skips. This information supports saved results, streaks, and high scores.

Device, network, and usage information

We and our service providers may automatically process your IP address, browser and device type, operating system, referring page, requested URLs, timestamps, approximate location inferred from an IP address, advertising identifiers, cookie identifiers, and security or diagnostic data.

Map interactions

When you move or search the map, the coordinates at the center of the map and a search query may be sent to OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service to identify or find a place. Those map coordinates describe the location you are viewing and are not intended to represent your physical location. Map imagery requests are sent to Esri.

3. Cookies and local storage

GeoZoomr uses browser local storage to save active game state, including the current mode, score, mission progress, time remaining, and map position. This information remains on your device until it expires under the game logic or you clear browser data.

Clerk uses cookies and similar technologies to authenticate users, maintain sessions, and protect accounts. Google and its advertising partners may use cookies, web beacons, IP addresses, advertising identifiers, and similar technologies for ad delivery, frequency capping, fraud prevention, measurement, reporting, and—where permitted—personalization.

4. Advertising and Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to GeoZoomr or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables Google and its partners to serve personalized ads based on visits to GeoZoomr and other sites on the Internet.

Depending on your location, choices, and Google settings, ads may be personalized, non-personalized, or limited. Even non-personalized ads may use cookies or similar technologies for purposes such as frequency capping, aggregated reporting, security, and invalid-traffic detection.

You can control personalized advertising through Google Ads Settings and opt out of some third-party personalized advertising through WebChoices. Learn more about how Google uses information from partner sites. Other advertising vendors may provide their own opt-out tools.

Where consent is legally required, we request it through a consent management platform before using information for personalized advertising. You may use that platform's privacy controls to withdraw or change your choice.

5. How we use information

• Provide, operate, and maintain GeoZoomr.
• Authenticate accounts and secure sessions.
• Save game progress, daily results, streaks, and high scores.
• Provide map imagery, reverse geocoding, and place searches.
• Serve, measure, secure, and improve advertising.
• Detect abuse, troubleshoot errors, and protect the service and its users.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our rights.

6. Legal bases for processing

Where the GDPR, UK GDPR, or similar laws apply, we process information as necessary to provide the service you request or perform a contract with you; for our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving GeoZoomr; with your consent for advertising storage or personalization where required; and to comply with legal obligations. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing that occurred before withdrawal.

7. How we disclose information

We disclose information to service providers and third parties only as described in this policy, including:

• Clerk, for authentication and account management. See Clerk's Privacy Policy.
• Cloudflare, for hosting, database services, content delivery, security, and operational logs. See Cloudflare's Privacy Policy.
• Google and advertising partners, for advertising, measurement, and related purposes. See Google's Privacy Policy.
• Esri, for satellite map imagery. See Esri's Privacy Statement.
• OpenStreetMap Foundation and Nominatim, for map search and geocoding. See the OSMF Privacy Policy.
• Google Fonts and UNPKG, for delivery of fonts and application libraries.

We may also disclose information when required by law; to protect rights, safety, and security; or as part of a merger, financing, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, subject to applicable law.

8. Sale, sharing, and targeted advertising

We do not sell personal information for money. Some privacy laws may define disclosures of identifiers and internet activity to advertising partners for personalized or cross-context behavioral advertising as a "sale," "sharing," or "targeted advertising." Where those laws apply, you may opt out through the consent or privacy controls presented on GeoZoomr, an applicable browser-based opt-out signal such as Global Privacy Control, Google Ads Settings, or by contacting us.

We do not knowingly use or disclose sensitive personal information to infer characteristics about you.

9. Retention

We retain account-linked gameplay results while your account remains active or as reasonably necessary to provide game history, streaks, and high scores. We may retain information longer when necessary for security, dispute resolution, legal compliance, or enforcement. Authentication, advertising, hosting, and map providers apply their own retention periods. Local storage remains on your device until it expires or you clear it.

If you request deletion, we will delete or de-identify information we control unless retention is required or permitted by law. Removal from backups and provider systems may take additional time.

10. Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to request access to, correction of, deletion of, or a portable copy of your personal information; object to or restrict processing; withdraw consent; opt out of sale, sharing, or targeted advertising; limit certain uses of sensitive information; and appeal a denied request. You also have the right not to receive discriminatory treatment for exercising applicable privacy rights.

Submit a request to privacy@geozoomr.com. We may need to verify your identity and authority before completing a request. Authorized agents may submit requests where allowed by law. Residents of the EEA or UK may also complain to their local data protection authority.

11. International data transfers

GeoZoomr and its providers may process information in the United States and other countries. Where required, providers use recognized safeguards for international transfers, such as adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or participation in an approved data-transfer framework.

12. Security

We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards designed to protect information. No online service or storage system can guarantee absolute security.

13. Children's privacy

GeoZoomr is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Children should not create an account or provide personal information without permission from a parent or legal guardian where required. If you believe a child has provided personal information in violation of applicable law, contact us so we can investigate and delete it as appropriate.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes to GeoZoomr, our providers, or legal requirements. We will post the revised policy here and update the effective date. We will provide additional notice when required by law.

15. Contact us

For privacy questions or requests, email privacy@geozoomr.com.