Privacy Policy
1. Controller
| Controller | Jonas Hofer, Inseliquai 12, 6005 Luzern, Switzerland |
|---|---|
| Contact | jhofer.gamedev@gmail.com |
| App | Ward & Wander (Android, package com.jhofer.armapgame) |
Ward & Wander is a private hobby project of one person. This policy follows the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and, where it applies, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
2. Summary
- We process only what the game needs to work.
- Precise location only while the app is open in the foreground. No background location.
- No ads, no advertising tracking, no sale of data, no in-app purchases.
- Your account and all game data can be deleted, in the app and through a web page.
3. Data We Process
| Data | Source | Purpose | Stored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google account identifier (the "subject" ID of your Google account) | Google sign-in | Recognise your game account | Yes, while the account exists |
| Email address and name of the Google account | Contained in Google's sign-in token | Verify the token is genuine; at sign-in the email is compared once, in memory, with the developer list (test tools for developers only) | No: neither email nor Google name is stored or logged; only whether the account is a developer account is stored |
| Player name, hero look, faction, flag | Your input in the game | Game function; visible to other players | Yes |
| Precise location (GPS position, accuracy, time) | Your device, only while the app is open | Show your hero on the map, check that actions are in range, detect cheating | Only the latest position is stored, overwritten continuously |
| Derived location data: visited districts (cells of about 0.7 km²), chosen respawn point, captured buildings, positions of your units, metres walked | From your in-game positions | Game progress (exploration, territory, bounties) | Yes, while the account exists |
| Game progress: level, items, cards, points, gold, bounties, trades | Gameplay | Game function | Yes, while the account exists |
| Device push token (Firebase Cloud Messaging) | Your device, only if you allow notifications | Alerts such as "your building is under attack" | Yes, until deletion or until Google reports the token invalid |
| App version, the device's UTC offset | Your device when connecting | Compatibility, local day for daily bounties | Version only in technical logs; offset only in memory |
| IP address | Every connection | Transport, abuse protection (sign-in rate limit) | Only briefly in memory and in technical logs |
| Sign-in session (refresh token) | Server | Stay signed in | Only as a hash, valid 30 days; encrypted on the device with the Android Keystore |
| Bug report, only when you send one with Report a bug: your description, a screenshot of the game screen (may show the map at your location), app version, device model, operating system, screen size, connection state, time, your player identifier, the app's latest warning and error lines; your position only if you switch on My position (off by default) | Your input | Find and fix bugs | Yes, in the server database and as an issue in the developer's private GitHub repository; the screenshot only in the repository |
We do not collect: contacts, photos, camera, microphone, advertising ID, device ID, background location, payment data, health data.
4. What Other Players See
- Your hero with player name, look, faction, flag and title at your position on the map, only for players nearby, under the game's sight rules.
- Buildings you own, with your player name.
- Never: your email address, your Google name or your account identifier.
Pick a player name that is not your real name.
5. Legal Bases (GDPR)
| Purpose | Basis |
|---|---|
| Game account, game functions, in-game location | Contract (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR): use of the game |
| Abuse and fraud protection, technical logs, server error reports, backups | Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) |
| Push notifications | Consent through the Android permission (Art. 6(1)(a)); revocable at any time in the Android settings |
| Bug reports | Consent by sending (Art. 6(1)(a)); the position only with the switch on |
6. Storage Location and Service Providers
| Who | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|
| The controller's own server | Game server and database | Switzerland |
| Cloudflare, Inc. | Connection to the server (tunnel, TLS), delivery of map data, hosting of this website; sees traffic decrypted in transit, does not store it for us | Global network, based in the USA |
| Google LLC / Google Ireland Ltd. | Google sign-in (Android Credential Manager), push messages (Firebase Cloud Messaging), distribution through Google Play | Worldwide |
| Functional Software, Inc. (Sentry) | Server error reports (technical exceptions with the request that failed; may contain your player identifier), without IP address; only while switched on | USA |
| GitHub, Inc. | Storage of the bug reports you send, as issues with screenshot in a private repository; only the developer has access | USA |
Transfers to the USA rely on the Swiss-U.S. or EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or on the providers' standard contractual clauses.
The app itself contains no advertising or analytics SDK and no crash reporter. It sends a bug report only when you send one yourself with Report a bug. This website sets no cookies and loads nothing from other sites.
7. Retention
| Data | Period |
|---|---|
| Account, profile, game progress, derived location data | Until you delete the account |
| Latest position | Overwritten by every new position; deleted with the account |
| Refresh tokens | 30 days, then deleted automatically |
| Technical logs | Rotating, a few days (size limit per service) |
| Server error reports (Sentry) | At most 90 days |
| Database backups | 14 days, then overwritten; deleted accounts leave the backups by then at the latest |
| Bug reports | Until the bug is fixed and the developer deletes the report; at once on request; deleted with the account |
| Test phase | During the test, the game state of all players may be reset |
8. Deleting Your Account
- In the app: Menu → Delete account, confirm.
- Without the app: request it by email, see Delete account.
Deleted: account, profile, hero, items, cards, buildings, units, positions, push tokens and sign-in sessions. Your buildings turn neutral in the game.
9. Your Rights
You may request access, rectification, erasure, a copy of your data (portability) and restriction, and you may object to processing based on legitimate interest. Write to jhofer.gamedev@gmail.com. You may complain to the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) or to the data protection authority of your EU country of residence.
10. Security
- All connections encrypted (HTTPS / WSS over TLS).
- Sign-in tokens stored only as hashes; encrypted on the device with a key from the Android Keystore.
- Logs carry only a truncated hash of the account identifier, never email or tokens.
- The server is reachable only through the encrypted tunnel; no port is open on the router.
11. Age
The game is meant for people aged 16 and over. It is not directed at children. If you are younger, ask your parents before you play.
12. Changes
If what the app sends changes, we update this policy before the update ships. The date at the top shows the current version.