Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. Stellarch also uses similar technologies, including:

• Local storage: data saved in your browser (for example, interface preferences).
• Session storage: temporary data cleared when you close the browser.

These technologies help the Service work, keep you signed in, and remember your settings.

Essential cookies (required):
These are necessary for the Service to function and cannot be switched off. They handle:

• Signing you in and keeping your session active.
• Security (cross-site request forgery protection).
• Remembering your locale and interface preferences.

Under Section 25 (2) of the German Telecommunications-Digital-Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG), technically necessary cookies do not require consent.

Security and fraud prevention (required):
To keep the game fair, we also read a small set of technical identifiers from your device and browser and combine them with characteristics your connection provides. This is described in the section "Device and Connection Information" below and, in more detail, in our Privacy Policy under "Fraud Prevention and Security". It is active whenever you use the Service and it is never used for advertising. The same durable device identifier is also read for our own product analytics, described in the "First-party analytics" block below; each purpose has its own legal basis, its own records and its own retention period.

First-party analytics (always on, not an optional category):
We measure how Stellarch is used with our own analytics, on our own servers. It reuses the durable device identifier described in the section "Device and Connection Information" below rather than setting a cookie of its own, it is active whenever you use the Service, and it is not offered as an optional category. What it records, the legal basis, and how long it is kept are set out in our Privacy Policy under "Product Analytics (First-Party Measurement)". Page view and event records are deleted automatically after 395 days at the latest and session records after 790 days at the latest. This data is never sold, never shared with advertising networks, and within Stellarch access to it is restricted to administrators. You may object to it under Art. 21 GDPR using the contact address in our Privacy Policy.

Google Analytics (optional):
Google Analytics is loaded only after you give consent, and it does not receive the durable device identifier described in the section "Device and Connection Information" below. You can change or withdraw that consent at any time using the cookie banner or the "Manage cookies" link in the footer. We do not use advertising, marketing, or social-media tracking cookies at all.

Device and connection information: technical details about the device, browser, and network connection you use to access Stellarch (such as IP address, browser and device characteristics, and connection metadata), collected for service security, fraud prevention, and abuse detection.

We keep this to the minimum needed for those purposes. It is stored in separate records from our product-analytics data and no analytics query reads or joins it, it is not used to build an advertising profile, and it is deleted automatically by a scheduled job, within twelve months at the latest. That twelve-month bound covers this security data only; the retention periods for our own product analytics are stated above and in our Privacy Policy. Our internal assessment of this processing is documented and will be reviewed by qualified legal counsel before public launch.

The storage of, and access to, information on your device is governed by Section 25 of the German Telecommunications-Digital-Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG):

• Technically necessary cookies: Section 25 (2) TDDDG, no consent required; legal basis for any associated processing is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR.
• Optional cookies: Section 25 (1) TDDDG, consent required; legal basis Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR. Consent is voluntary and can be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future.
• Security and fraud-prevention identifiers: we rely on Section 25 (2) TDDDG, because these identifiers are strictly necessary to provide a service you expressly requested, namely a protected account and a fair game. The legal basis for the associated processing is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. These identifiers are not offered as an opt-in category, because detection that can be declined does not protect the players it exists to protect.
• Our own product-analytics measurement: it stores nothing additional on your device and reads only the security identifier covered by the bullet above. We rely on Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR for the measurement itself, and we do not offer it as an opt-in category. Our internal assessment of this point is documented and is part of what qualified legal counsel reviews before public launch.

You can control cookies in several ways:

1. Browser settings: most browsers let you view, delete, or block cookies and set rules per site.
2. Consent withdrawal: where we offer optional cookies, you can change or withdraw your consent at any time.

Note: disabling essential cookies may prevent you from signing in or using core features of the Service.

You can disable cookies through your browser settings:

Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Cookies and other site data
Mozilla Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and website data
Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Cookies and site data

Disabling essential cookies may break sign-in and gameplay.

Some features rely on third-party services that may set their own cookies or process data when you use them, including Stripe (when you make a card payment), Google (when you choose Google sign-in), and Google Analytics (only after you consent). These providers operate under their own privacy policies. We do not use social-media tracking pixels, advertising cookies, or marketing cookies by default.

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in the technologies we use or for legal reasons. The "Last updated" date at the top will change. For significant changes, we may ask for renewed consent where required.

If you have questions about our use of cookies, contact:

Daniel Samer
Am Alefskamp 50
47198 Duisburg
Germany

Email: mail@yixn.io

This Cookie Policy is a working draft for the Stellarch alpha and a companion to the future cookie-consent banner. For binding questions, qualified German/EU legal advice should be obtained.