TheBadGamer ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you visit news.thebadgamer.in.
1. Data We Collect
- Account data: Email address, username, first/last name (on registration)
- Usage data: Articles read, quiz participation, comments left
- Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, cookies
- Communications: Newsletter subscriptions (with explicit consent)
2. How We Use Your Data
- To provide and improve our gaming news service
- To personalise your experience (reading history, quiz progress, achievements)
- To send newsletters you have subscribed to
- To send push notifications you have opted into
- To maintain site security and prevent abuse
- To comply with legal obligations
3. Legal Basis (GDPR)
We process your data under the following legal bases:
- Consent: Newsletter subscriptions, push notifications, cookies
- Contract performance: Account creation and management
- Legitimate interests: Site analytics, security, anti-fraud measures
4. Cookies
We use the following types of cookies:
- Essential cookies: Required for site functionality (authentication, session)
- Analytics cookies: Google Analytics to understand site usage (can be declined)
- Advertising cookies: Google AdSense for serving relevant ads (can be declined)
You can manage cookies via the consent banner or your browser settings.
5. Your Rights (GDPR)
Under GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of your personal data
- Rectification: Correct inaccurate data
- Erasure: Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
- Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
- Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
- Withdraw consent: At any time for consent-based processing
To exercise your rights, contact us at privacy@thebadgamer.in. We will respond within 30 days.
6. Data Retention
We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will erase your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law. Analytics data is retained for 26 months.
7. Third-Party Services
- Google Analytics: Usage analytics (data processed in accordance with Google's privacy policy)
- Google AdSense: Advertising (you can opt out at adssettings.google.com)
- AWS S3 / Cloudflare R2: Media storage
8. Children's Privacy
TheBadGamer is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us immediately.
9. Security
We implement industry-standard security measures including HTTPS, bcrypt password hashing, and JWT-based authentication. However, no internet transmission is 100% secure.
10. Terms of Service
By using TheBadGamer, you agree to:
- Not post spam, hate speech, or illegal content in comments
- Not attempt to access systems or data you are not authorised to access
- Not misuse the quiz, prediction, or gamification systems
- Respect other community members
We reserve the right to suspend accounts that violate these terms.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy periodically. We will notify registered users of significant changes via email. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance.
12. Contact
For privacy enquiries or to exercise your rights:
TheBadGamer Privacy Team
Email: privacy@thebadgamer.in
This policy covers news.thebadgamer.in. For the main TheBadGamer gaming community, see thebadgamer.in/privacy.