Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

This policy explains how Party Hat Games ("we," "us," "our") handles information in connection with our website at partyhatgames.com, our game The GIF Game (the desktop app you run on a PC or Steam Deck, the "host"), and the web-based controller your guests open on their phones (together, the "Services").

If you have any questions, you can reach us at partyhatgames@partyhatgames.com.

2. The information we collect

Information you provide while playing

To make a game work, we process the things you enter into it:

• A nickname and emoji you choose when you join a room. These are display names for the game and don't need to be your real name.
• Prompts and other text you type during a round.
• The GIFs you search for and select from our GIF provider.

This content is shown to other players in your room — that's the point of the game — and is stored only on the server that runs your room, for as long as that room is active (see Data retention).

Information we process automatically

• A session token. When you join a room we generate a random token and store it in your browser so you can rejoin the same room if your phone locks or your connection drops. It is not tied to your identity.
• Your IP address. Our hosting provider processes your IP address to deliver the Services and to protect them from abuse — for example, to rate-limit how often a single connection can create rooms or run GIF searches. We do not use your IP address to build a profile of you or to track you across other sites, and we do not store it as part of your game history.
• Limited technical error information. If something breaks, our server may record a short, automatically-expiring technical log so we can fix it. These logs are kept private and are not used to identify players.

What we store on your device

The controller uses your browser's local storage to remember your current room code, your chosen nickname and emoji, your session token, and your language preference, so the game keeps working as you move between screens. This information stays on your device, is used only to make the game function, and is not tracking technology. Because of that, we don't show a cookie-consent banner — we don't set advertising or analytics cookies that would require one. You can clear this at any time by clearing your browser data.

3. What we do not collect

• No accounts, passwords, email addresses, or phone numbers.
• No payment or billing information — the game is purchased through Steam, and Valve handles that transaction, not us. See Valve's privacy policy.
• No advertising, no ad networks, no third-party tracking pixels.
• No analytics services (such as Google Analytics) and no behavioral profiling.

4. How we use information

We use the limited information above only to:

• run the game — create and sync rooms, show players' names, prompts, and GIF picks to each other, and keep score;
• let you rejoin a room you were already in;
• keep the Services secure and prevent abuse, spam, and overload;
• diagnose and fix technical problems.

For players in the European Economic Area and the UK, our legal basis for this processing is our legitimate interest in operating a functioning, secure game, and, where you actively enter content, the performance of the service you asked us to provide.

5. GIF search and content moderation

GIFs in The GIF Game are provided by Klipy. When you search for a GIF, your search term is sent to Klipy's API so it can return matching results. Your use of Klipy-provided content is also subject to Klipy's own terms. We send Klipy your search query and standard technical request data; we do not send Klipy your nickname or session token as part of building a player profile.

To help hosts keep a room appropriate for their group, the game offers content levels (Family, Moderate, and an unfiltered option for private adult parties). When filtering is on, we automatically screen nicknames and prompts for slurs and profanity. This screening happens to enforce the host's chosen setting; we don't keep a separate record of it.

6. Who we share information with

We do not sell your personal information, and we don't share it for advertising. We do rely on a small number of service providers to run the Services:

• Cloudflare — hosting, edge compute, and storage for the website and the game servers, and protection against abuse.
• Klipy — the GIF search and library used inside the game (see above).
• Valve / Steam — distribution and purchase of the desktop game, and, on the desktop app, optional Steam features such as presence and the in-game overlay.

We may also disclose information if required to do so by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our players or ourselves.

7. Data retention

• Game rooms. Everything in an active room — nicknames, prompts, GIF picks, scores — is deleted automatically when the room closes, and idle rooms expire on their own (roughly an hour). We don't keep a long-term history of what you typed or picked.
• Shared recaps. If a player chooses to create a shareable link to a memorable matchup, the content needed to display that recap is stored so the link keeps working. We don't keep these forever — a shared recap is automatically deleted after about a year, and you can ask us to remove one sooner at any time.
• On your device. The local-storage items described above remain until you clear your browser data.

8. Children

The Services are intended for a general audience and are not directed to children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The host of a game is responsible for who they invite into their room and for choosing an appropriate content level for that group. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at partyhatgames@partyhatgames.com and we will delete it.

9. Your rights

Depending on where you live (for example, under the EU/UK GDPR or the California Consumer Privacy Act), you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal information we hold about you, and to object to certain processing. Because we deliberately keep so little — and most game data is deleted automatically within the hour — there is usually very little for us to act on. If you'd like to exercise a right, email us at partyhatgames@partyhatgames.com and we'll respond. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

10. Security

We design the Services to hold as little personal information as possible, which is itself a privacy protection. We use reputable infrastructure and reasonable technical measures to protect the information we do process. No method of transmission or storage is ever completely secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security.

11. International data transfers

Our infrastructure provider operates a globally distributed network, so information may be processed on servers located in countries other than your own, including the United States. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for such transfers.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we'll change the "Last updated" date above. If the changes are significant, we'll make a reasonable effort to highlight them.

13. Contact us

Questions, requests, or concerns about privacy? Email partyhatgames@partyhatgames.com.