Privacy

Last updated: 31 October 2026

The short version

No accounts, no cookies, no ads, no tracking across sites.
We count how often each game mode is started, anonymously: no IDs, no IP addresses.
Your settings, crew presets and win/loss record stay in your own browser.
When you play online, the captain name you choose is shown to other players. It is deleted when the match is over.
The game runs on Cloudflare, which handles your IP address to deliver the site.

Who runs this game

Broadside is a free hobby game run by Matthias Amberg (the "controller" under data protection law). Contact: matthias dot amberg at gmail dot com.

What stays in your browser

The game saves a few things in your browser's local storage so they are there next time. This data is not sent to us, except your captain name when you play online (see below).

captainName: The name you typed in the Captain field.
sailsProfile: Your four crew presets and your win/loss record per mode.
volume, music: Your sound volume and whether music is on.

These entries are only stored because the game needs them to do what you asked for. You can delete them at any time by clearing this site's data in your browser settings.

What happens when you play online

To set up and run a multiplayer match, your browser sends the following to the game server:

Your captain name. Other players see it in the harbour list (for example "Anne's ship") and your opponent sees it during the match.
Your game commands (steering, sails, firing, crew moves), which are passed on to your opponent, plus checksums to detect out-of-sync games.
The game version, so out-of-date tabs are turned away.

This data is kept only while it's needed. A match is deleted about 30 seconds after it ends, or after 30 minutes if nobody joins. Harbour list entries are removed when a match ends, and at the latest after 45 minutes (open matches) or 2 hours (matches in progress). Practice games against the computer or on one keyboard run entirely in your browser. The only thing they send is the anonymous start count described below.

Please pick a captain name that isn't your real name or anything else that identifies you.

Anonymous game counts

To see which parts of the game get played, we count these events: a tutorial, a game against the computer (with its level) or a one-keyboard game starting, whether it was a rematch, a multiplayer match being created, and a multiplayer match starting. Each count is stored with its time only. It contains no ID, no IP address, no captain name and nothing else that links it to you or to your other games. The counts are kept in Cloudflare Workers Analytics Engine for up to 3 months.

Hosting

The site and game server run on Cloudflare Workers, operated by Cloudflare, Inc. (USA) and its affiliates. To deliver the site and protect it against attacks, Cloudflare processes technical data such as your IP address, browser type and the time of your request. Cloudflare may keep error and security logs for a short time. Cloudflare acts as a processor on our behalf under its data processing terms. Transfers to the USA are covered by the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.

The fonts are part of the site itself, so no font service (such as Google Fonts) is contacted.

Legal basis

If the GDPR applies to you:

Running a match you started or joined: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (providing the service you asked for).
Hosting, security and abuse protection: Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (our legitimate interest in a working, secure site).
Anonymous game counts: these contain no personal data. To the extent the request that sends them does, Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (our legitimate interest in knowing which parts of the game are used).
Saving settings in your browser: strictly necessary for the features you use (Art. 5(3) ePrivacy Directive; § 25(2) TDDDG in Germany).

Your rights

You have the right to access, correct or delete your personal data, to restrict or object to its processing, and to data portability. Because we don't keep accounts and delete match data within hours, there is usually nothing left on our side to look up. To exercise a right, write to matthias dot amberg at gmail dot com. You can also complain to a data protection supervisory authority, for example the one where you live.

Children

The game isn't aimed at young children, and we don't knowingly collect personal data from them. Since the game asks for no real names, email addresses or accounts, there is nothing to sign up for.

Changes

If the game starts handling data differently, this page will be updated and the date at the top will change.

Terms · Play