Privacy Policy

This policy explains how Owl Media (“we”, “us”) handles information in the Shadow & Clue app for iPhone and iPad (the “App”), the game server it talks to, and this website (together, the “Service”). If you have any questions, email [email protected].

Contents

1. Information we collect
2. What we don’t collect
3. How we use information
4. Legal bases (UK/EEA)
5. Sharing
6. Purchases
7. Retention & deletion
8. Security
9. Your rights & choices
10. Children
11. International transfers
12. This website
13. Changes
14. Contact

1. Information we collect

Guest account (automatic)

When the App first connects to our server it creates a guest account so your progress can be saved and restored. For this we receive:

• A device identifier — a random identifier generated by the App the first time it runs. It is not your Apple advertising identifier, serial number or any hardware ID, and it is not shared with anyone else.
• A display name — the detective name shown in the App (by default a generated name such as “Detective K7QF”).

Registered account (optional)

If you choose to register so you can sign in on another device, we also collect your name, email address and a password. Passwords are stored only as a one-way cryptographic hash; we cannot read them.

Game data

• Case progress: which rooms, objects and evidence you have found, your notebook and timeline state, score, stars, number of hints used, missteps, wrong accusations, time spent and when a case was solved.
• Achievements you have unlocked, and your balance of Insight (hint) tokens, including when you last claimed the daily token.
• The answers you submit when you make an accusation, order a timeline or connect evidence, which the server checks against the solution.

Purchase records

When you buy something, Apple gives the App a signed transaction record, which the App sends to our server so we can confirm it is genuine and unlock your content on every device you sign in to. We store the product purchased, Apple’s transaction identifiers, the purchase, expiry and any refund/revocation dates, whether it was a live or test purchase, and the signed record itself. We never receive your payment card or Apple ID details.

Sign-in tokens

When you sign in, the server issues an access token. The App keeps it in the iOS Keychain on your device; the server keeps a record of the token so it can recognise your requests and revoke it when you sign out.

Technical information

Like any web service, our server receives your IP address and basic request details (such as time and the address requested) when the App or this website connects. We use these to deliver the Service, rate-limit abuse and diagnose faults; they may appear briefly in server logs.

Information kept only on your device

Your settings (sound, music, voice and haptics preferences, text size, typewriter speed) and a local copy of your progress are stored on your device and are not sent to us, apart from the progress described above.

2. What we don’t collect

• No advertising — the App shows no ads and contains no advertising SDKs.
• No tracking — we do not use Apple’s advertising identifier (IDFA), we do not track you across other companies’ apps or websites, and the App never asks for tracking permission.
• No third-party analytics, crash-reporting or social SDKs in the App.
• No location, contacts, photos, camera, microphone or health data.
• We do not sell or rent personal information, and we do not “share” it for cross-context behavioural advertising.

3. How we use information

• To provide the game: save and sync your progress and achievements, check your deductions, and restore everything when you sign in on a new device.
• To verify purchases and grant the casebooks, subscription benefits or Insight tokens you paid for, and to handle refunds and revocations reported by Apple.
• To keep the Service secure and working: preventing fraud and abuse, rate limiting, and fixing bugs.
• To reply when you contact us.

We do not use your information for profiling or automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects, and we do not send marketing email.

4. Legal bases (UK and EEA players)

Where the UK or EU GDPR applies, we process your information because it is necessary to perform our contract with you (running the game you downloaded, syncing progress and delivering purchases); for our legitimate interests in keeping the Service secure and working, balanced against your rights; and to comply with legal obligations such as keeping records of transactions.

5. Sharing

We share information only with:

• Hosting providers who run the servers and database that store it on our behalf, under contracts that require them to protect it and use it only on our instructions.
• Apple, which processes all payments under its own privacy policy (see Purchases).
• Authorities or others where required by law, or to protect the rights, safety or property of our players, ourselves or the public.
• A successor if Owl Media or the game is sold or merged, in which case this policy continues to apply to your information.

6. Purchases

All purchases and subscriptions are made through Apple’s App Store. Apple handles your payment details, billing and subscription management; we only receive the signed transaction record described above. Apple’s handling of your information is governed by the Apple Privacy Policy.

7. Retention and deletion

We keep your account and game data for as long as your account exists, so your progress is there when you return. Server logs are kept only as long as needed for security and troubleshooting. Purchase records may be kept longer where needed to meet tax, accounting or legal obligations.

Deleting your data: email [email protected] from the address on your account and we will delete your account, progress, achievements and tokens within 30 days, keeping only what the law requires us to retain. A guest account isn’t linked to your name or email, so if you played as a guest, contact us and we’ll help you find and delete its server record. Deleting the App removes the data stored on your device. Deleting your account does not cancel an App Store subscription — manage that in your Apple account settings.

8. Security

Data travels between the App and our server over encrypted HTTPS connections. Passwords are hashed, access tokens on your device are stored in the iOS Keychain, and access to our systems is restricted. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information and will notify you and the authorities of a breach where the law requires.

9. Your rights and choices

• Play without registering. The game works with a guest account and is playable offline; registering is optional.
• Access, correction, deletion and portability. Depending on where you live (including under the UK/EU GDPR and US state laws such as the CCPA/CPRA), you may have the right to access, correct, delete or receive a copy of your personal information, and to object to or restrict certain processing. Email us to make a request; we may need to confirm the request comes from the account holder. We will not treat you differently for exercising these rights.
• Complaints. You can also complain to your local data-protection authority — in the UK, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).

10. Children

Shadow & Clue is a murder-mystery game made for a general audience and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your country). If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

11. International transfers

Our servers and service providers may be located outside your country. Where we transfer personal information from the UK or EEA, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses.

12. This website

shadowandclue.com is a static website. It sets no cookies and uses no analytics or advertising trackers. Pages load web fonts from Google Fonts, which means your browser connects to Google’s servers and Google receives your IP address; see the Google Privacy Policy.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the game changes. We will post the new version here with a new “Last updated” date, and for significant changes we will also let you know in the App.

14. Contact

Owl Media
Email: [email protected]