Own the Map
DATA & PRIVACY

Privacy Policy

What the game knows, why it needs it, who helps process it and how a player can remove it.

Effective 21 August 2026
01

Who controls your information

The operator trading as Own the Map is the controller of personal information used to run the game and related support services. Contact us through in-game Support or support@own-the-map.com. This policy applies to the website, Windows application, Steam builds, Discord bot, Live World, Beta World and connected support systems.

02

Information we collect

  • Account data: email address, password hash, username, age confirmation, acceptance records, account status and session identifiers.
  • Linked-platform data: Discord, Steam or itch.io identifiers, usernames/persona names, profile image, country code, roles, membership state and authentication timestamps when you choose to link them.
  • Gameplay data: fictional balance, ledger, properties, progression, cards, licences, contracts, Companies, chat, friendships, events, rewards, purchases, moderation and anti-abuse records.
  • Support and content: help messages, bug reports, screenshots, profile images, public labels, reports and correspondence you choose to submit.
  • Device and security diagnostics: client ID, app/browser/OS details, viewport, language, time zone, connection type, IP address and approximate IP region. Precise GPS diagnostics are optional and can be disabled in Account & settings.
  • Product analytics: game area, day, deliberate page visits and visible active seconds. We do not use this analytics feature to record typed search text, private Company chat, mouse positions or precise map movement.
  • Payment records: product, amount, currency, order/transaction identifiers, status and entitlement. Card or wallet credentials are handled by the checkout provider and are not stored by Own the Map.
03

How and why we use it

  • Contract: create and authenticate accounts; provide the shared game, purchases and requested support; preserve progression; and enforce gameplay rules you accepted.
  • Legitimate interests: secure accounts, prevent bots and pumping, diagnose faults, moderate community features, understand feature use, balance the economy, recover errors and maintain auditable shared-world records. We balance these purposes against player privacy.
  • Legal obligation: keep records required for tax, accounting, consumer, fraud-prevention, law-enforcement or data-protection duties.
  • Consent: optional promotional email offers and precise GPS diagnostics. Promotional emails are sent only when you actively opt in. You can unsubscribe from marketing in any promotional email; essential account and security messages continue. Withdrawing consent does not make earlier lawful use unlawful.
  • We do not sell personal information. We do not use real property data or player information to provide financial, investment or real-estate decisions.
04

Public and social information

Your username, approved avatar, selected badges/cosmetics, public profile, leaderboard position, Company membership and parts of your fictional empire may be visible to other players. Company chat is visible to that Company and may be reviewed by authorised moderators. Do not use a real name or upload personal information if you do not want it shown in those places.

05

Providers and recipients

We share only what is reasonably needed with service providers acting for us or with platforms you choose to connect.

  • Vercel and database/hosting providers host the website, APIs, files and game database; Railway hosts the Discord worker.
  • Discord, Steam and itch.io provide linked identity, community, authentication and platform features.
  • Stripe, Steam, itch.io and Discord/MEE6 process relevant checkout, membership and payment events.
  • Resend or another configured email provider sends account-recovery, service and opted-in promotional messages.
  • Groq processes Ask Wiki questions and the restricted game context used to answer them. It is not given direct database access, passwords, email addresses or unrestricted player records.
  • OpenFreeMap, OpenStreetMap/Nominatim/Overpass and routing providers supply map, search and route data. Map requests may expose an IP address to those providers in the ordinary way internet services work.
  • Professional advisers, regulators, courts, law enforcement or a purchaser of the game business may receive data where lawfully necessary, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal safeguards.
06

International transfers

Some providers or their infrastructure may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where required, we rely on adequacy regulations, approved contractual safeguards or another lawful transfer mechanism. Provider privacy information explains their own locations and safeguards.

07

Retention

  • Account and gameplay records are kept while the account is active and as needed to operate the persistent shared world.
  • Expired login sessions and short-lived verification tokens remain only for their security lifetime or until cleaned up.
  • Support, moderation, anti-abuse and security records are kept for as long as reasonably needed to investigate, protect players, resolve disputes and demonstrate enforcement.
  • Payment, entitlement, tax and accounting records may be retained for the period required by law or a platform agreement.
  • When an account is deleted, login access and direct profile identity are removed or anonymised immediately. Player-written support and Company content, linked identities, device diagnostics and optional location diagnostics are removed or scrubbed. Anonymised ledger, ownership, anti-fraud and transaction facts may remain so the shared economy and legal records are not corrupted.
  • Backups may retain protected copies for a limited disaster-recovery cycle before automatic overwrite. They are not used to restore a deleted player except where legally required.
08

Account deletion and your rights

Open Agent → Account & settings → Delete account to start the protected deletion flow. You may also contact Support. Deletion is permanent and releases virtual property, cancels active market activity, removes access and destroys unclaimed virtual benefits.

  • Depending on the law and circumstances, you may ask for access, correction, erasure, restriction, portability or objection, and may withdraw consent.
  • The right to erasure is not absolute. We may retain information required by law or necessary for legal claims, fraud prevention and genuinely anonymised economy integrity.
  • We normally respond to a verified rights request within one month. We may need enough information to confirm that the requester controls the account.
  • You may complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk, and may also have the right to contact your local supervisory authority.
09

Security

We use password hashing, protected cookies, access controls, rate limits, audit records and other technical and organisational safeguards appropriate to the Service. No internet service can guarantee absolute security. Keep your password and connected accounts secure and contact Support if you suspect misuse.

10

Children

Own the Map is not intended for children under 13. We do not knowingly allow an under-13 account. If you believe a child below the applicable minimum has supplied information, contact us so we can investigate and delete it. Players under 18 should involve a parent or guardian before purchasing optional content.

11

Automated signals and game decisions

Anti-abuse systems may use account relationships, rate limits, device/session signals and unusual gameplay patterns to flag activity for restriction or human review. These systems protect the fictional economy; they are not used to make decisions about employment, credit, housing or other real-world legal rights. Contact Support if you believe an account action is wrong.

12

Policy changes and contact

We may update this policy when the game, providers or law changes. Material changes are shown in the Service and require a fresh acknowledgement before continued play. Questions and rights requests can be sent through in-game Support or support@own-the-map.com.