Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

The site is operated by Cow Island Publishing (“we”, “us”, “our”). You can contact us at dictatorofrome@cowislandpublishing.com.

2. Information we collect

We do not ask you to register an account, and we do not intentionally collect any personally identifiable information such as your name, email address, or payment details.

When you visit the site, our hosting provider and analytics service automatically receive certain technical information, including:

• Your IP address (used only to determine approximate country; not stored long-term)
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited and time spent
• Referring URL

This information is collected in aggregated, anonymised form and cannot reasonably be used to identify you as an individual.

3. Cookies and local storage

We do not set first-party tracking cookies. Your puzzle progress is saved in your browser’s localStorage — this data stays on your device and is never sent to our servers.

Our analytics provider may set a single anonymous session cookie to distinguish unique visits. It contains no personal data and expires when your browser session ends.

4. Analytics

We use Vercel Analytics to understand how the site is used. Vercel Analytics is privacy-first: it does not use cross-site tracking, does not fingerprint individual users, and does not sell data. You can read Vercel’s privacy policy at vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy.

5. How we use information

We use the anonymised technical data described above only to:

• Monitor site performance and fix errors
• Understand which features are popular so we can improve the game
• Detect and prevent abuse

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or any automated decision-making.

6. Sharing of information

We do not sell, rent, or trade any information about visitors. We share aggregated, anonymous analytics data with Vercel solely to provide the analytics service described above. We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal request.

7. Data retention

Because we do not collect personal data, there is nothing to retain on our side. Anonymised analytics data is retained by Vercel in accordance with their own data-retention policies. Your in-browser localStorage data (puzzle progress) remains on your device until you clear your browser storage.

8. Your rights

UK & EEA residents — Under UK GDPR / GDPR you have the right to access, rectify, or erase personal data we hold about you; to restrict or object to processing; and to data portability. Because we do not hold identifiable personal data, these rights are difficult to exercise in practice, but you may contact us and we will assist where possible. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

California residents (CCPA / CPRA) — We do not sell or share personal information as defined under the CCPA. You have the right to know what personal information is collected, to delete it, and to opt out of its sale. As we collect no personal information, there is nothing to delete or opt out of. To submit a request or question, contact us at the address below.

9. Children

This site is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 where required by applicable law). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use of the site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact

For any privacy-related queries, please email dictatorofrome@cowislandpublishing.com.