Information we collect

Playing the game does not require your real name, postal address, date of birth, precise location, or payment details. Optional purchases involve additional information, as explained below. We collect:

• Account data: your commander alias, email address, password hash and security settings, and email-recovery consent with when that choice was recorded.
• Game data: player and empire names, saved game state, actions, progress, settings, play time, session counts and timestamps, and training progress.
• Information you submit: feedback or bug-report subject and message, the page from which it was sent, and its associated account, player, and empire identifiers.
• Technical diagnostics: the items listed in “Diagnostics and analytics” below.

Email

We use your account email for verification, proof of ownership, and email changes. If you choose to start a purchase, we may also provide your verified email to Square to prefill checkout. Square may send transactional messages about your purchase, such as receipts, invoices, and subscription notices. Password-recovery email remains optional: we record your separate choice and when it was made, and you can change it in account settings.

Making a purchase does not subscribe you to our marketing or news emails. We will not send those without your separate prior consent.

Optional payments and subscriptions

Purchases and subscriptions are entirely optional. You can create an account and play without providing payment information. We do not send your information to Square merely because you play the game or view the Purchases page.

If you choose to start checkout for a purchase or subscription, we send Square the selected product, amount, currency, a checkout reference linked to your game account, and your verified email address if available. We save a checkout record even if you do not complete payment. This information lets us connect payment confirmation to the correct account.

Square hosts checkout and collects the customer and payment information needed for the transaction, which may include your name, email address, phone number, billing address, and card details. Square also processes technical information, such as device and connection information, under its own privacy notice. For subscriptions, Square manages recurring charges using the payment method you authorize.

We retain purchase and subscription records linked to your game account: checkout email when provided, products, amounts, currencies, dates, payment and renewal status, refunds, Square customer and transaction references, badge eligibility, and billing administration history. We use these records to confirm purchases, provide badges, manage subscriptions and refunds, resolve payment issues, and meet applicable accounting and legal obligations.

We do not collect or store your full card number or card security code. Square’s payment notifications may contain limited card information, such as card brand and last four digits; our billing records do not retain those card details or raw notification bodies.

For Square’s collection, use, sharing, retention, and privacy choices, read Square’s customer privacy notice.

Diagnostics and analytics

Server diagnostics also include exception types, stack traces with relative source paths and line numbers, build identifiers, service names and log event identifiers. They exclude raw exception messages, log arguments and request contents. Browser error reports include stack traces with URL query parameters removed.

The Swetrix software is hosted entirely on servers we control. Analytics information is not sent to Swetrix Ltd.’s hosted service or any other outside analytics provider.

For performance monitoring, diagnostics, and improvement, our Swetrix installation collects page paths, referring URLs and campaign parameters; browser language and time zone; browser, operating system, and device type; page-load performance timings; and JavaScript error name, message, source file, line, and column. It also records anonymous page-view and session totals. It does not receive your account ID, alias, email, phone number, game commands, form contents, or password, and session replay is not enabled.

Like any online service, our servers receive an IP address and user-agent string when your browser connects. Swetrix briefly uses them to create a rotating, anonymous session identifier and approximate geographic totals. It does not retain the raw IP address or user-agent. We do not request device location, identify your precise location, or build a location history.

Cookies

On the game’s own pages, we use only essential, first-party cookies for sign-in, anti-forgery security, an optional “remember me” login, your requested language, and reliable server routing. We do not use analytics or advertising cookies. Swetrix does not set cookies or use local or session storage to identify you. Blocking essential cookies may prevent sign-in or other parts of the game from working. Square’s separate checkout pages follow Square’s own cookie and privacy practices.

Sharing and sale

Our account, game, storage, email, analytics, and automated game-AI systems are hosted on servers we control. AI opponents may process visible game state and diplomatic messages on our locally hosted model server; the application blocks third-party AI endpoints. We do not sell or rent your account information or technical data. If you choose to start a purchase, we share the checkout information described in “Optional payments and subscriptions” with Square. When you request an account email, your address and that message necessarily pass to your email provider for delivery. We otherwise disclose information only if legally required. Other players see multiplayer game information, such as your commander or empire name, public badges, and messages or actions you direct to them.

Purpose, retention, and your rights

We process account and game data to provide the game you request, protect accounts, and maintain the service. Recovery email is processed only with your consent. We retain identifiable information only while it is needed for those purposes, legal obligations, security, or shared-game integrity, then delete or anonymize it.

From your account settings, you can download a machine-readable export of your account details and consent record together with the game profile, progress, activity, messages, and feedback linked to you.

When account deletion is completed, we delete the sign-in account, its email address, recovery-consent record, external-login links, authentication secrets, player messages, feedback and bug reports, play-session history, achievements, onboarding, training, and progress metrics. We also remove account identifiers and player-controlled names from the retained game record. Billing records are handled separately as described below.

Deleting your account anonymizes its identity in shared galaxies and turns every colony into unowned ancient ruins. Buildings and terraforming are removed, and the population remains as native residents. Fleet and record names are anonymized, and the remaining game state is no longer linked to you.

Billing records may need to be retained after you stop playing or close an account for accounting, refunds, disputes, fraud prevention, or legal obligations. Closing your game account does not automatically cancel a Square subscription or erase records held by Square. Cancel renewal from your Supporter card on the Purchases page before closing your account.

Accounts without checkout or billing records can use account settings to request deletion. If you have started a checkout or have purchase records, contact us to arrange account closure and review billing information for access, export, correction, or deletion, including any records that must be retained: privacy@strategicempires.com.

You may ask to access, correct, export, or delete your information; object to or restrict eligible processing; or withdraw recovery-email consent. Account controls provide access to common requests. For other privacy requests, email privacy@strategicempires.com.

Who controls your data

HornDev Inc. is the operator of Strategic Empires and controls the information described in this policy. Send privacy questions, requests, or complaints to privacy@strategicempires.com.

Privacy laws

Our privacy practices are designed around Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The European Commission explains that strictly necessary operational cookies do not require consent; The game’s own pages use no non-essential cookies; this does not describe Square’s separate checkout pages.