Privacy policy

1. Introduction

The Backseat Gamer platform ("the platform") is operated by Backseat Gamer ("we", "us", or "our"), the data controller responsible for your personal data. This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and share information when you use our website and services.

2. Information we collect

Account information

When you register, we collect:

• Email address
• Username
• Password (stored as a salted hash — we never store or have access to your plaintext password)
• Full name (optional)
• Location (city or area, used to display nearby events and communities)

Profile information

You may optionally provide:

• Profile photo
• Bio and pronouns
• BoardGameGeek username (to import your game collection)
• Social media links

Automatically collected information

When you use the platform, certain technical information is collected automatically by our systems and infrastructure providers, including IP address, browser type, and device information. This information is used for security, abuse prevention, and to maintain the service.

3. Legal basis for processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under the UK GDPR and EU GDPR:

• Contract: Processing necessary to provide the services you have registered for (account management, event RSVPs, community membership).
• Legitimate interests: Processing necessary for security, fraud prevention, and service maintenance, where these interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Legal obligation: Where we are required to process data to comply with applicable law.

We do not rely on consent as a legal basis for core data processing. Where you provide optional profile information, this is processed as part of the contract to provide you with the service.

4. How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and maintain the platform
• Create and manage your account
• Display events and communities relevant to your location
• Send transactional emails (account confirmation, password resets, event notifications you have opted into)
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access
• Respond to support requests

We do not sell your personal information to any third party.

5. Cookies

We use only cookies that are strictly necessary for the operation of the platform. Because all cookies we set fall within the "strictly necessary" exemption under UK PECR and the EU ePrivacy Directive, no cookie consent is required.

Cookies set by Backseat Gamer

Cookies set by our infrastructure provider

The platform is delivered through Cloudflare's network, which may place additional strictly necessary cookies on your device for security purposes (including bot detection and DDoS protection). These cookies are required for the secure delivery of the service. For details, see Cloudflare's cookie policy.

We do not use any analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies.

6. Data sharing

Your information may be shared with:

• Other users: Your username, profile photo, and information you have chosen to make public are visible to other platform users in accordance with your privacy settings.
• Community organisers: When you join a community or RSVP to an event, organisers can see your username and profile information.
• Infrastructure and service providers: We use third-party providers to deliver the platform, including Cloudflare (content delivery and security), monitoring and error-tracking services, email delivery services, and hosting providers. These providers process data as necessary to provide their services under their own data processing terms.
• Google: If you sign in with Google, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google to create or link your account. If you interact with Google Maps features, Google may process data in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information where required by law, regulation, or legal process.

7. International data transfers

Our infrastructure providers, including Cloudflare, operate globally. Your data may be processed in countries outside the UK or European Economic Area as part of service delivery. Where such transfers occur, they are covered by appropriate safeguards including standard contractual clauses as required by applicable data protection law. We do not independently transfer your personal data outside the UK or EEA.

8. Data retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will remove your personal data within a reasonable period, except where retention is required or permitted by applicable law (for example, for fraud prevention or legal compliance purposes).

Anonymised or aggregated data that cannot be used to identify you may be retained indefinitely.

9. Your rights

Under applicable data protection law (including the UK GDPR and EU GDPR), you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erase your personal data (subject to legal exceptions)
• Restrict processing in certain circumstances
• Data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests

To exercise these rights, contact us at the address below. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

10. Security

We implement technical and organisational measures intended to protect your information. However, no system is completely secure and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.

11. Children's privacy

Backseat Gamer is not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and notify you of material changes through the platform where practical. Your continued use of the platform after changes are posted indicates your acknowledgement of the revised policy.

13. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at:

[email protected]