Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

GhostKeys (“we”, “us”, or “our”) operates the website at ghostkeys.eu. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website and use our services. GhostKeys is a gaming content and support platform — we do not sell game keys or process financial transactions. By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

Account Information: When you create an account using email and password, we collect your email address and display name. If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google.

User-Generated Content: We collect content you voluntarily submit through the Service, including support questions, answers, comments, and helpful/not-helpful votes.

Reading and Browsing Activity: For logged-in users, we track which blog articles you have read, which articles you have bookmarked, and the timestamps of these interactions.

XP and Engagement Data: If you participate in the community, we track experience points (XP) earned through actions such as creating questions and posting answers.

Notification Preferences: We store your notification settings, which you can manage in your account settings at any time.

Device and Browser Data: We may collect your IP address, browser type, operating system, device type, and referral URLs through standard web server logs and analytics tools.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to provide, maintain, and improve the Service; create and manage your user account; display your username on content you post; maintain your personal reading history and bookmarks; deliver in-app notifications; calculate and display your XP level; detect and prevent fraud, spam, and abuse; analyze aggregate usage patterns; and comply with legal obligations.

4. Public Visibility of Your Data

Your display name is shown alongside any questions, answers, and comments you post. The content of your questions, answers, and comments is publicly visible and may be indexed by search engines. Your email address is never displayed publicly. Your reading history, bookmarks, and notification preferences are private and visible only to you.

5. Data Storage and Security

Your data is stored using Google Firebase services, including Firebase Authentication for account management and Cloud Firestore for database storage. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure.

6. Cookies and Tracking

We use essential cookies and local storage to maintain your Firebase authentication session and keep you signed in across visits. We may use analytics services such as Google Analytics to collect anonymized usage data. We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels, and we do not serve ads on the Service.

7. Third-Party Services

Google Firebase: Provides authentication (including Google Sign-In), database storage, and website hosting.

Google Analytics: We may use Google Analytics to collect anonymized usage statistics.

YouTube: Our video tutorials may reference YouTube content. When you click through to YouTube, Google's privacy policy applies.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing or commercial purposes.

8. Data Sharing

We do not share your personal information with third parties except when required by law; to protect the rights, safety, or property of GhostKeys or our users; with your explicit consent; or with service providers who assist in operating the Service (currently limited to Google Firebase).

9. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete your personal data; object to or restrict certain processing; and request a portable copy of your data. You can manage your account settings through the Settings page. To request account deletion or exercise other data rights, please contact us through our contact page.

10. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Account profile data, reading history, bookmarks, and notification records are retained until you delete your account. Questions, answers, and comments may be retained in anonymized form after account deletion to preserve the integrity of community discussions.

11. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us through our contact page.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please reach out through our contact page or visit the FAQ section for additional help.