Privacy Policy

Effective Date: June 1, 2025

Decatur Games ("we", "us", or "our") operates a website at https://step-words.com and https://decaturgames.com that hosts online word games and puzzles. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy describes what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights regarding that information.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information:

• Account Information: When you register, we collect your email address and a securely hashed version of your password.
• Usage Data: We store essential gameplay data to operate our site and services. This includes:
  • Session ID
  • User ID (if logged in)
  • Game-related data such as performance metrics, progress, inputs, and outcomes

  This data is required for features like puzzle progress, leaderboards, achievements, and account history. It is stored regardless of cookie consent.

  With your consent, we may also collect additional usage data to analyze performance and improve our services. This may include:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system and device type
  • User agent
  • Geographic location (approximate)
• Cookies and Session Storage: We use session cookies to manage user logins and game progress.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use collected data to:

• Provide and improve our games and services
• Analyze usage to improve performance
• Maintain security and prevent abuse
• Customize the user experience

2.5 Essential Cookies

We use a small cookie to remember whether your cookie consent preferences have been applied. This cookie is essential for the functioning of the consent system and does not store any personal data.

3. Third-Party Services

In the future, we may use third-party tools such as:

• Google Analytics to monitor site traffic and engagement
• Google AdSense to display personalized or contextual ads

These services may collect their own data and use cookies in accordance with their privacy policies. They are only activated if you provide consent for non-essential cookies.

4. Consent and Choices

When you first visit our site, you may be asked to consent to non-essential cookies. These include analytics and advertising tools that help us improve our services and support the site.

You may decline these cookies and still access the core features of the site. Essential cookies and gameplay-related data are stored to provide account functionality and game performance, and do not require consent.

5. Children’s Privacy

This site is not intended for users under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at [email protected] and we will delete the data.

6. Data Retention and Security

We retain logs for analytics and moderation purposes. We securely hash and store account credentials using industry-standard best practices. Access to backend data is restricted and protected.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights under privacy laws such as:

• Request access or deletion of your data
• Opt out of tracking or targeted ads
• Contact us at [email protected] to make a request

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with a revised “Effective Date.”