Privacy Policy

WordsCracker ("we", "us", or "our") operates this website and is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data. By using WordsCracker, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

a) Information stored locally on your device

Most data WordsCracker uses never leaves your browser. We store the following in your browser's localStorage and IndexedDB:

• Theme preference (dark/light mode)
• Daily streak count and last-played date
• Saved/favorite words
• Cookie consent preference
• Cached dictionary (for offline use and faster loading)

This data is stored entirely on your device. We cannot access, read, or process it. You can delete it at any time by clearing your browser's site data.

b) Information collected automatically

When you visit WordsCracker, standard web server logs and analytics tools may automatically collect:

• IP address (anonymized where possible)
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited and time spent
• Referring website
• General geographic location (country/region level)

c) Information you provide directly

If you use our contact form, we collect your name and email address solely to respond to your message. We do not add you to any mailing list without explicit consent.

2. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

WordsCracker uses cookies and similar technologies. We group these into three categories:

3. Google AdSense and Advertising

WordsCracker's free tier is funded by advertising provided by Google AdSense. Google AdSense uses cookies — including the DoubleClick DART cookie — to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site and other sites on the Internet.

Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to WordsCracker and/or other websites. Google AdSense may share data with third-party advertising networks and analytics providers as described in Google's privacy policy. For details on how Google uses data when you visit sites or apps that use Google's advertising services, see How Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps.

Non-personalized ads: If you choose "Essential Only" in our cookie consent banner, we will instruct Google AdSense to serve non-personalized ads only. These ads are based on the content of the page you are viewing, not your browsing history.

4. Third-Party Service Providers

5. How We Use Your Information

We use the information collected to:

• Provide and operate the word game tools
• Remember your preferences and settings between visits
• Display relevant advertisements (free tier only, with consent)
• Analyze aggregate usage patterns to improve the Service
• Respond to your contact form messages
• Ensure the security and integrity of the Service

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

6. Your Rights — GDPR (EU/EEA Residents)

If you are located in the European Union or European Economic Area, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right of access — Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — Request correction of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure — Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing — Request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability — Request your data in a machine-readable format
• Right to object — Object to processing of your data for direct marketing or profiling
• Right to withdraw consent — Withdraw cookie consent at any time by clearing your browser's site data

Most data we use is stored locally in your browser — you can exercise these rights immediately by clearing your browser's site data. For data held on our servers, contact us at privacy@wordscracker.com.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

7. Your Rights — CCPA (California Residents)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with the following rights:

• Right to know — Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected about you
• Right to delete — Request deletion of personal information collected from you
• Right to opt out of sale — We do not sell personal information. However, sharing data with advertising partners (Google AdSense) may constitute a "sale" under the CCPA. You may opt out by choosing "Essential Only" in the cookie consent banner
• Right to non-discrimination — We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@wordscracker.com.

8. Data Retention

Data stored locally in your browser (preferences, saved words, streak data, cached dictionary) is retained until you clear your browser's site data. It is not stored on our servers.

Contact form submissions are retained only as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry, and no longer than 12 months unless required by law.

Aggregated, anonymized analytics data may be retained indefinitely as it cannot identify individual users.

9. Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information. Since most personal data is stored locally in your browser, the primary security responsibility rests with your browser and device. We use HTTPS for all data transmission between your browser and our servers.

No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy (COPPA)

WordsCracker is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at privacy@wordscracker.com and we will delete such information promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes, we may display a notice on the site. Continued use of WordsCracker after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: