Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 20, 2026

In this Privacy Policy, "we", "us", and "our" refer to the operator of Squarrel.io.

This Privacy Policy explains what information Squarrel.io collects, why it is used, and what choices you have.

Information we collect

Guest play

You can play Squarrel.io without creating an account.

When you play as a guest, we create a guest player session. This may include:

• a guest session cookie in your browser;
• a guest player ID;
• your display name;
• timestamps such as when the session was created or last seen;
• gameplay records connected to that guest player session.

The guest session cookie helps the game recognize you when you reload, rejoin, or continue playing as the same guest player.

Account information

If you create an account, we collect:

• your email address;
• whether your email address is verified;
• your account creation and update timestamps;
• your profile display name;
• your selected profile avatar, if you choose one.

Your password is handled by our authentication system. We do not store or access your password in plain text. The authentication system stores authentication data needed to verify login and protect your account.

Your email address is used for login, email verification, password reset, account security, and account-related support.

Gameplay information

When you play Squarrel.io, we may store gameplay information such as:

• custom lobby information;
• invite codes;
• lobby settings;
• game board state;
• square records;
• score/result values;
• which player session set a record;
• timestamps for records, lobbies, and disputes.

This information is used to run the game, preserve game records, allow reconnects, support custom lobbies, investigate bugs, and handle abuse or suspicious records.

In custom lobbies, your display name, avatar, team, lobby presence, and records or scores may be visible to other players in the same lobby.

Content you create or upload

If you use features that let you create or upload content, such as custom lobby themes, we may store the content you provide.

This may include:

• custom theme names;
• custom team names;
• custom team quotes;
• uploaded theme images or other theme assets;
• theme settings;
• timestamps;
• the account that created or owns the content;
• the custom lobbies where the theme is used.

We use this information to provide custom theme features, display themes in custom lobbies, prevent abuse, and provide support.

Custom lobby themes, team names, team quotes, and uploaded theme images may be visible to players who join or view the custom lobby where the theme is used.

Browser storage

Squarrel.io uses cookies and browser storage for essential gameplay features.

This may include:

• keeping you connected to your guest or account session;
• remembering your current lobby/player state;
• helping you rejoin a game;
• remembering a pending side choice or global dispute entry;
• supporting gameplay continuity and recovery where available.

This storage is used to make the game work. If you clear cookies or browser storage, you may lose the ability to rejoin as the same guest player or continue a previous session.

Technical information

When you use Squarrel.io, our servers and service providers may process technical information such as:

• IP address;
• browser or device information;
• request times;
• requested URLs;
• error or debug information.

We use this information to operate the service, protect accounts, prevent abuse, fix technical problems, and keep the game reliable.

Ads

Squarrel.io uses Google AdSense to show ads. Ads help support the free game.

Google and its advertising partners may use cookies, local storage, device identifiers, or similar technologies to provide ads, measure ad performance, prevent fraud, and improve advertising services.

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to Squarrel.io and other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables Google and its partners to serve ads based on visits to Squarrel.io and/or other sites on the Internet.

You can opt out of personalized advertising through Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising through third-party opt-out tools such as aboutads.info, where available.

Where required, you will be asked for consent before personalized ads are shown. If you do not consent to personalized ads, you may still see non-personalized or limited ads. Non-personalized ads are based on information such as the content of the page, general location, and basic ad-delivery information, rather than your past behavior.

You can manage or withdraw your ad consent through the consent options shown on the site, including Privacy settings.

Support emails

If you contact support@squarrel.io, we receive the information you choose to send, such as your email address, message, screenshots, lobby codes, account details, or bug descriptions.

We use support messages to respond to you, investigate problems, and improve the game.

Why we use this information

We use the information above to:

• provide the game;
• allow guest play;
• provide account login and email verification;
• let verified account users host custom lobbies;
• provide custom lobby themes and other account features;
• save gameplay records and lobby state;
• allow reconnects and reload recovery;
• prevent abuse, cheating, and technical misuse;
• investigate bugs and crashes;
• show ads to support the free game;
• respond to support requests;
• comply with legal obligations.

Legal bases

We process personal data under the following legal bases:

• providing the game, guest play, accounts, login, reconnects, custom lobbies, and custom theme features: performance of a contract or steps taken at your request;
• security, abuse prevention, cheating prevention, debugging, and service reliability: our legitimate interests;
• email verification, password reset, and account-related support: performance of a contract or steps taken at your request, and our legitimate interests in keeping accounts secure;
• responding to privacy requests and complying with applicable law: legal obligations;
• personalized ads, non-essential cookies, analytics, or similar technologies: consent, where required.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time.

Cookies and essential storage

Squarrel.io uses essential cookies and browser storage to make the game work.

Examples include:

• guest session cookies;
• account session cookies;
• temporary gameplay/rejoin storage.

These are used for core functionality and security.

Google AdSense and its advertising partners may also use cookies, local storage, device identifiers, or similar technologies for advertising, measurement, fraud prevention, and ad delivery. Where required, these are handled through the site's consent options.

Email provider

We use Resend to send account-related emails, such as email verification and password reset emails.

Resend receives the information needed to send those emails, such as your email address and the email content.

Error reporting

Squarrel.io may use error reporting to detect crashes and technical problems.

If error reporting is enabled, technical information about errors may be sent to our error reporting provider. We configure error reporting to filter or avoid sensitive information such as passwords, session tokens, cookies, raw player IDs, and private account data.

Service providers

We may use trusted service providers to operate Squarrel.io, such as:

• hosting and database providers;
• Resend for account-related emails;
• Google AdSense for ads;
• error reporting providers, if enabled;
• Paddle as Merchant of Record for Squarrel Premium purchases.

These providers are used only as needed to operate, secure, support, monetize, and improve the game.

Some service providers may process data outside your country or outside the European Economic Area. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

Payments

Squarrel.io offers paid Premium features, such as Squarrel Premium, which unlocks additional options for custom-lobby hosts.

Payments, checkout, taxes, receipts, refunds, chargebacks, and related payment support are handled by Paddle, Squarrel's Merchant of Record.

Squarrel.io does not ask you to send full payment card details to us by email. Squarrel.io may receive limited purchase information from Paddle needed to provide the paid feature, handle support, keep records, prevent abuse, and comply with legal obligations. This may include information such as your account email, payment or order reference, purchased feature, payment status, timestamps, and country or tax-related information where required.

For payment support, contact support@squarrel.io and include the account email used for the purchase and the Paddle transaction reference from your receipt. Do not send full card details.

Account export and deletion

If you have an account, you can download a copy of your account data from the account privacy/data area.

You can also delete your account from the account privacy/data area. Account deletion removes your account, profile, login credentials, and account link from the game.

Account-owned custom themes may also be deleted or disabled as part of account deletion, unless limited information must be kept for legal, security, abuse-prevention, payment/accounting, or service-integrity reasons.

Some historical gameplay records, old display names, or custom-lobby data may remain for a limited time until routine cleanup removes or anonymizes old game data. Open hosted custom lobbies may need to be closed before account deletion can complete.

You can also contact support@squarrel.io for privacy-related requests.

Data retention

We keep data only for as long as needed to provide the game, maintain accounts, support reconnects, preserve game integrity, prevent abuse, respond to support requests, and comply with legal obligations.

Some temporary data, such as expired sessions, verification records, stale challenges, old custom lobbies, and unused guest sessions, is removed automatically by cleanup processes.

Account data and account-owned custom theme data are kept until account deletion or until you remove the relevant content, unless limited information must be kept for legal, security, abuse-prevention, payment/accounting, or service-integrity reasons.

Support emails are kept for as long as needed to handle the request and maintain a reasonable support history.

Children and parents

Squarrel.io is a general-audience game and is not directed specifically to children.

Parents or legal guardians may contact support@squarrel.io about a child's account or personal data.

Your choices and rights

You do not have to create an account to play global disputes.

If you do not provide an email address, you cannot create an account, host custom lobbies, buy paid features, use account-only features, or use premium features such as uploading your own custom themes.

If you clear cookies or browser storage, you may lose access to the same guest session.

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export, delete, restrict, or object to the use of your personal information.

You can use the account privacy/data tools where available, or contact support@squarrel.io.

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

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when Squarrel.io changes, especially if we change payments, advertising features, analytics, or account features.

When we make material changes, we will update the date above.

Who we are

The controller of your personal data is Martin Blahynka, contactable at support@squarrel.io.

For game rules and service terms, see the Terms of Service. For support, see Contact & Support.