Privacy Policy

Last updated: 11 May 2026 · Effective immediately

No ads No third-party trackers Pseudonymous data only COPPA / GDPR compliant

1. Who we are

SchoolGames (schoolgames.selfemote.com) is a free educational gaming website operated by SELFemote, a small independent technology studio. Contact: t.me/selfemote.

2. What we collect

We collect the minimum data needed to keep the site working and to understand which games are useful. We collect only the following:

Anonymous visitor data (everyone)

• Anonymous visitor ID — a random identifier stored in your browser's localStorage (key se_vid). Used to count returning visitors. Not linked to your real identity.
• IP-derived approximate location — country and city, for usage statistics. Your full IP address is stored only briefly for abuse prevention and is not shared.
• Browser type, OS, screen size — to fix display bugs.
• Pages visited and games played — which game, how long, which question, whether the answer was correct. To improve game design.

Optional opt-in data

• Nickname — only if you explicitly enter one. Used to personalize the live teacher dashboard. Stored in your browser's localStorage as se_nickname.
• Teacher link — if you arrive via a link like ?t=teacher-name, we remember which teacher invited you, so the teacher's dashboard can group their students. Stored as se_teacher_id.

3. What we do NOT collect

• ❌ No real names, emails, or accounts. We don't have a signup form.
• ❌ No third-party tracking. No Google Analytics, no Facebook Pixel, no advertising networks.
• ❌ No advertising cookies. We don't show ads, period.
• ❌ No microphone, camera, or location-API access.
• ❌ No selling of data. We never sell or rent your data to anyone.
• ❌ No behavioural advertising or profiling. Pseudonymous identifiers (se_vid, IP) are used solely for internal site operations — never to target, contact, or profile children externally.

4. Cookies and storage

We use your browser's localStorage for the items listed above. We do not use HTTP cookies for tracking. We use a Service Worker (PWA cache) to make the games work offline — this stores game files locally on your device and does not transmit data.

5. Children's privacy (COPPA)

SchoolGames is designed for classroom use by all ages, including children under 13. We take children's privacy seriously and apply the following framework:

What COPPA classifies as personal information: COPPA (15 U.S.C. § 6501 et seq.) defines "personal information" to include persistent identifiers — such as a cookie ID, IP address, or device identifier — even when not linked to a name. Our se_vid and IP address therefore fall within COPPA's definition.

Why we rely on the "support for internal operations" exception: Under 16 C.F.R. § 312.2, operators may collect persistent identifiers without parental notice or consent when used solely to support internal operations of the website and not to contact children, serve behavioural advertising, or build external profiles. SchoolGames uses se_vid exclusively to:

• Count returning visitors and measure aggregate game engagement (internal analytics);
• Prevent duplicate submissions and detect abuse;
• Power the live teacher dashboard (showing anonymous student progress within a classroom session only).

We do not use these identifiers to contact children, serve advertising, or share data with any third party for behavioural purposes. No child's name, email, photo, geolocation, or voice is ever collected.

School operator reliance: Where SchoolGames is deployed by a teacher or school (e.g., via a shared link or classroom device), the school acts as an operator under COPPA. Teachers may use SchoolGames without collecting individual parental consent forms, provided the school's own COPPA compliance framework covers third-party tools used for internal educational operations.

Parental requests: If you are a parent or guardian and wish to request deletion of any data linked to your child's device, contact us (Section 13) or use the self-serve deletion API (Section 8). We will delete all records linked to the provided se_vid within 72 hours.

6. International users (GDPR / UK GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, the UK, Switzerland, or another GDPR-equivalent region, the following applies:

Personal data we process

Under GDPR Art. 4(1), se_vid (a persistent browser identifier) and IP address are pseudonymous personal data because they constitute "online identifiers" that may, in combination with other information, be used to identify a natural person. We treat them as personal data and apply full GDPR protections.

Lawful basis — Legitimate Interest (Art. 6(1)(f))

We rely on legitimate interest for processing se_vid, IP, and device/browser metadata. Balancing test:

• Our interest: Operating and improving a free educational service; understanding which games are useful; detecting abuse.
• Necessity: Anonymous visitor identifiers are the minimum required to count unique users and detect returning visitors without requiring account creation.
• Balancing: Data subjects' interests are protected because (a) data is pseudonymous and not linked to a name or email; (b) no advertising or behavioural profiling occurs; (c) data is not shared with third parties for their own purposes; (d) retention is limited to 18 months; (e) self-serve deletion is available instantly (Section 8).
• Children's data: We apply heightened caution — no persistent identifiers are used for any purpose beyond the internal operations described in Section 5. We do not rely on legitimate interest for any processing that could materially affect children's interests.

Your rights

• Access (Art. 15): Request a copy of data linked to your se_vid.
• Rectification (Art. 16): Correct inaccurate data (limited applicability given pseudonymous nature).
• Erasure (Art. 17): Delete all data linked to your visitor ID (Section 8).
• Restriction (Art. 18): Restrict processing while a dispute is resolved.
• Portability (Art. 20): Receive your data in a structured format.
• Object (Art. 21): Object to processing based on legitimate interest at any time; we will cease processing unless we demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds.
• Lodge a complaint (Art. 77): You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. In Germany (our server location): Bundesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz (BfDI).

• Data location: Servers are in Germany (Contabo VPS, Frankfurt). No transfers outside the EEA.
• No automated decision-making producing legal or similarly significant effects (Art. 22).
• Data Protection contact: t.me/selfemote

7. Data retention

• Anonymous game events: 18 months, then aggregated and individual rows are deleted.
• Backup snapshots: 90 days.
• Visitor identifier in your browser: until you clear localStorage or uninstall the PWA.

8. Deleting your data

You can do either of the following at any time:

1. Self-serve: Open browser dev tools → Application → Local Storage → delete the keys starting with se_. Or use your browser's "Clear site data" button. This removes your visitor ID; future visits create a new one.
2. Server-side deletion (instant): Use our self-serve API — open your browser console and run:

   fetch("/api/data-deletion", { method: "POST", headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" }, body: JSON.stringify({ visitor_id: localStorage.getItem("se_vid") }) }).then(r=>r.json()).then(console.log)

   All analytics events linked to your visitor ID are deleted immediately and an audit record is kept. You can also contact t.me/selfemote if you prefer manual deletion.

9. Multiplayer rooms

Some games support real-time multiplayer rooms. When you join a room, your nickname and game progress are temporarily shared with other players in the same room and our multiplayer server. After the room ends, this data is not retained.

10. Live teacher dashboard

Authorized teachers can access a live dashboard at /admin/live that shows which students are currently playing, what game and progress. Access is JWT-authenticated. The dashboard shows only the data described in Section 2.

11. Third-party services

The website uses the following non-tracking third-party resources:

• Tailwind CSS via CDN on the dashboard page only — for visual styling. May log standard CDN access info.
• IP-to-city geolocation via ip-api.com — your IP is sent to determine country/city for analytics. We do not pass any other personal information.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the latest revision. Material changes will be noted on the homepage.

13. Contact

Questions, concerns, or data requests: t.me/selfemote.

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