Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Blackjax, LLC ("we," "us," "our," or "Company"), operating the IndieDevShare platform ("IDS"), collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects information about you when you use our website at indiedevshare.com, the IndieDevShare companion desktop launcher, and all related services (collectively, the "Service" or "Platform").

By creating an account, using the Platform, or downloading the companion launcher, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and consent to the collection and use of your information as described herein.

If you do not agree with this Privacy Policy, please do not use the Service. If you have questions, contact us at support@indiedevshare.com before using the Service.

1. Information We Collect

We collect information in three ways: information you provide to us directly, information collected automatically through your use of the Service, and information we receive from third-party services.

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Account Registration: When you create an account, we collect your name or display name, email address, and password credentials (managed through Auth0). If you register via a third-party authentication provider (such as Google or Discord), we receive basic profile information from that provider as described in Section 4.
• Profile Information: Information you add to your public profile, including your username, bio, avatar image, gaming preferences, genre expertise, and links to external profiles or storefronts.
• Game Creator Content: For Game Creators, we collect information about your Studio, Projects, and game Builds, including game titles, descriptions, cover images, trailers, devlogs, build files, beta key configurations, and changelog entries.
• Playtest Content: Playtest briefs, session configurations, access tier settings, and any other information you provide when creating or managing a Playtest.
• Feedback and Submissions: Structured feedback responses, open commentary, bug reports, session recordings (where enabled), and any other content submitted by Players through the companion launcher or web Platform in connection with a Playtest.
• Communications: Messages, support requests, emails, or other communications you send to us or to other users through Platform messaging features.
• Waitlist and Marketing: Email addresses and user type preferences (Game Creator or Player) submitted through our waitlist signup form.
• Payment Information: When you make purchases on the Platform, payment information is collected and processed by our third-party payment processor. We do not store full payment card numbers. We may retain transaction records including purchase amounts, dates, and descriptions.
• Legal Document Requests: When you generate a legal document template, we record the document type, generation date, and associated account for billing and record-keeping purposes.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage Data: Information about how you interact with the Platform, including pages visited, features used, buttons clicked, time spent on pages, search queries, and navigation paths.
• Device and Technical Data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, language preferences, referring URLs, and other technical identifiers.
• Log Data: Server logs recording your interactions with the Platform, including timestamps, API requests, error logs, and access patterns.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies, local storage, and similar tracking technologies as described in Section 7.
• Companion Launcher Session Data: When you use the companion launcher during a Playtest, we automatically collect session start and end times, total session duration, game launch events, feedback submission timestamps, and (where you have enabled the feature) session recording data. This data is transmitted to the Platform and shared with the relevant Game Creator.
• XP and Reputation Data: Your platform activity that generates XP, including Playtest completions, feedback submissions, devlog interactions, community engagement, and referral events. AI-generated quality scores applied to your Feedback are also recorded and affect your XP as described in our Terms of Service.

1.3 Information from Third Parties

• Auth0: We use Auth0 for authentication. Auth0 provides us with your email address, name, and profile photo (if available) when you register or log in. Auth0's privacy practices are governed by Auth0's Privacy Policy.
• Discord Integration: If you connect your Discord account or server to IDS, we receive information from Discord including your Discord username, discriminator, avatar, server membership data, and engagement activity relevant to connected servers. Discord's data practices are governed by Discord's Privacy Policy.
• Payment Processors: Our payment processor provides us with transaction confirmation data, billing status, and dispute notifications. We do not receive your full payment card details from the processor.
• Analytics Providers: We receive aggregated and session-level analytics data from Vercel Analytics and Microsoft Clarity as described in Section 6.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

2.1 Providing and Operating the Service

• Creating and managing your account;
• Delivering platform features including Studio management, Playtest creation, build distribution, and feedback collection;
• Operating the companion launcher and transmitting session data to relevant Game Creators;
• Processing payments and managing billing for paid features;
• Generating legal document templates upon request;
• Facilitating the community funding feature between Game Creators and supporters;
• Displaying your public profile, reputation, badges, and contribution history to other users.

2.2 AI-Powered Features

• Evaluating feedback quality using AI scoring systems to determine XP earnings;
• Validating and suggesting improvements to Playtest briefs before publication;
• Matching Players to relevant Playtests based on genre preferences, feedback history, and engagement signals;
• Matching Game Creators with high-fit Players for targeted recruitment;
• Generating synthesized feedback reports for Game Creators after Playtest sessions close;
• Powering devlog writing assistance and playtest brief creation tools.

AI features process your content (feedback, briefs, profile data) through our AI API layer, which routes to third-party AI model providers. Content processed by AI features may be transmitted to these providers as described in Section 4.5.

2.3 Platform Integrity and Safety

• Detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, and violations of our Terms of Service;
• Identifying coordinated inauthentic behavior and XP manipulation;
• Enforcing content policies and responding to reports of prohibited content;
• Monitoring for security threats and unauthorized access;
• Maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the reputation system.

2.4 Communications

• Sending transactional emails (account confirmation, password reset, payment receipts, Playtest invitations);
• Sending platform notifications (new Playtest available, feedback received, XP earned, direct recruitment messages);
• Sending product updates and announcements about new features or policy changes;
• Responding to support requests and inquiries;
• Sending waitlist notifications to users who have signed up prior to platform launch.

You may opt out of non-transactional communications at any time by using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or by updating your notification preferences in your account settings.

2.5 Analytics and Improvement

• Analyzing usage patterns to understand how users interact with the Platform;
• Identifying bugs, performance issues, and areas for product improvement;
• Conducting research and analysis to develop new features;
• Generating aggregated, anonymized statistics about Platform usage.

2.6 Legal and Compliance

• Complying with applicable laws and regulations;
• Responding to legal process, court orders, and governmental requests;
• Enforcing our Terms of Service and other agreements;
• Protecting the rights, property, and safety of Blackjax, LLC, our users, and the public.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (EEA and UK Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom (UK), we process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Contract Performance: Processing necessary to provide you with the Service, including account management, Playtest operations, and payment processing.
• Legitimate Interests: Processing for platform security, fraud prevention, analytics, AI feature improvement, and product development, where our interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Consent: Processing for marketing communications, non-essential cookies, and optional data collection (such as session recording). You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal Obligation: Processing required to comply with applicable law.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We share information only in the circumstances described below.

4.1 Between Game Creators and Players

The Platform is designed to facilitate connections between Game Creators and Players. Accordingly:

• Feedback submitted by a Player through a Playtest is shared with the Game Creator who organized that Playtest;
• Session data collected by the companion launcher (play time, session duration, feedback submission events) is shared with the relevant Game Creator;
• A Player's public profile information, including username, reputation tier, XP level, badges, feedback quality history, and developer endorsements, is visible to Game Creators and other Platform users;
• When a Game Creator recruits a Player for a Playtest, the Player's profile data is accessed by that Creator;
• Game Creator studio profiles, project information, and devlogs are publicly visible on the Platform.

4.2 Service Providers

We share information with third-party service providers who assist us in operating the Platform. These providers process your data only on our behalf and in accordance with our instructions. Our current service providers include:

• Auth0: Authentication and identity management;
• Amazon Web Services (AWS): Cloud infrastructure, hosting, and object storage for game builds;
• Payment Processor: Payment processing for Platform transactions;
• Vercel: Web hosting and analytics;
• Microsoft Clarity: Session recording and behavioral analytics;
• Discord: Optional community integration;
• AI Model Providers: Third-party AI providers accessed through our provider-agnostic API layer for AI Feature processing.

We may update our service providers from time to time. Material changes to providers that affect how your data is processed will be reflected in an updated Privacy Policy.

4.3 AI Model Providers

Our AI Features route content through third-party AI model providers via an abstracted API layer. Content processed by AI features — including feedback text, playtest briefs, devlog drafts, and profile data used for matching — may be transmitted to these providers for processing. We select AI providers that maintain appropriate data handling standards and do not use submitted content to train their models without our authorization.

The identity of specific AI providers may change as we update our AI infrastructure. We will update this Policy to reflect material changes in how AI processing affects your data.

4.4 Business Transfers

If Blackjax, LLC is involved in a merger, acquisition, asset sale, financing, or bankruptcy proceeding, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such transfer that materially affects your privacy rights by posting a notice on the Platform or sending an email to your registered address.

4.5 Legal Disclosure

We may disclose your information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to: (a) comply with applicable law, regulation, or legal process; (b) respond to lawful requests from government authorities; (c) protect the rights, property, or safety of Blackjax, LLC, our users, or the public; or (d) detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues.

4.6 With Your Consent

We may share your information with third parties when you have given us your explicit consent to do so.

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide the Service and fulfill the purposes described in this Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

• Account Data: Retained for the duration of your account and for up to 90 days following account deletion, after which it is permanently deleted or anonymized, except where retention is required for legal or compliance purposes.
• Game Builds: Retained for the duration that a Game Creator maintains them on the Platform. Upon deletion by the Game Creator or account closure, builds are removed from active storage within 30 days and from backup systems within 90 days.
• Playtest Feedback: Retained for as long as the associated Game Creator account is active. Game Creators may delete individual feedback submissions. Upon account closure, feedback data is retained for up to 90 days before deletion.
• Transaction Records: Payment and billing records are retained for a minimum of 7 years in accordance with financial record-keeping requirements.
• Public Contribution History: Shipped-game badges, developer endorsements, and public contribution records may be retained on the Platform even after account closure, as they reflect the collaborative history of shipped games. Users may request removal of their name from public records as described in Section 8.
• Waitlist Data: Email addresses collected through our waitlist are retained until the user requests removal or the waitlist is converted to an active account.
• Log Data: Server logs and usage data are retained for up to 12 months for security, debugging, and analytics purposes.

6. Analytics and Behavioral Tracking

6.1 Vercel Analytics

We use Vercel Analytics to collect anonymized page view data, performance metrics, and traffic patterns. Vercel Analytics is privacy-focused and does not use cookies or fingerprinting to track individual users. The data collected is aggregated and cannot be used to identify individual users.

6.2 Microsoft Clarity

We use Microsoft Clarity, a behavioral analytics tool that records session replays, heatmaps, and user interaction patterns. Clarity may record mouse movements, clicks, scroll behavior, and page interactions. This data is used to understand how users navigate and interact with the Platform and to identify usability issues.

Clarity data is associated with a session identifier and is not linked to your account or email address by us. However, Microsoft may process this data subject to Microsoft's Privacy Statement. You can opt out of Clarity tracking by using a browser extension that blocks tracking scripts or by contacting us at support@indiedevshare.com.

6.3 Internal Analytics

We collect and analyze Platform usage data internally, including feature usage patterns, Playtest completion rates, feedback submission rates, and XP progression data, to improve the Platform and inform product decisions. This analysis uses aggregated data and does not result in individual profiling for external purposes.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies (including local storage and session storage) to operate and improve the Platform.

7.1 Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Required for the Platform to function, including authentication session management (via Auth0), security tokens, and user preferences. These cannot be disabled without impairing Platform functionality.
• Performance Cookies: Used to collect anonymized data about Platform performance and usage patterns. These help us understand page load times, error rates, and feature usage.
• Analytics Cookies: Used by Microsoft Clarity to enable session recording and behavioral analysis as described in Section 6.2.

7.2 Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or be notified when cookies are set. Disabling essential cookies will impair your ability to use the Platform, including logging in. Disabling analytics cookies will prevent behavioral tracking but will not affect your access to Platform features.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal data. We honor these rights regardless of your jurisdiction where operationally feasible.

8.1 Access and Portability

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. Upon verified request, we will provide your account data, feedback history, XP records, and transaction history in a structured, machine-readable format where technically feasible.

8.2 Correction

You may update your account information directly through your profile settings. For information you cannot update yourself, contact us at support@indiedevshare.com to request a correction.

8.3 Deletion

You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data by contacting us. Upon receiving a verified deletion request, we will:

• Delete or anonymize your account data within 30 days;
• Remove your personal information from active systems within 90 days;
• Purge your data from backup systems within a reasonable period thereafter.

Deletion requests are subject to the following exceptions: (a) data we are required to retain for legal or compliance purposes; (b) transaction and billing records subject to financial retention requirements; (c) anonymized or aggregated data that does not identify you; and (d) public contribution records associated with shipped games, which may be retained in anonymized form unless you specifically request their removal.

8.4 Restriction and Objection

You may request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances, or object to processing based on legitimate interests. Contact us to make such a request and we will respond within 30 days.

8.5 Opt-Out of Marketing Communications

You may opt out of marketing and promotional emails at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any such email or by updating your communication preferences in your account settings. You will continue to receive transactional emails necessary for the operation of your account.

8.6 Opt-Out of AI Feature Processing

Core AI features (feedback quality scoring and playtest brief validation) are integral to Platform integrity and cannot be individually opted out of without discontinuing use of the relevant features. Premium AI features are optional and may be declined at the point of purchase.

8.7 California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to:

• Know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell;
• Delete personal information we have collected;
• Correct inaccurate personal information;
• Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information (we do not sell personal information);
• Non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights.

To exercise these rights, contact us at support@indiedevshare.com with the subject line "California Privacy Request."

8.8 EEA and UK Rights (GDPR/UK GDPR)

If you are located in the EEA or UK, you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or UK GDPR, including the rights to access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, and objection. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. To exercise your rights, contact us at support@indiedevshare.com.

9. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS (Transport Layer Security);
• Encryption of sensitive data at rest;
• Secure authentication and session management through Auth0;
• Access controls limiting employee and contractor access to personal data on a need-to-know basis;
• Use of AWS infrastructure with industry-standard security configurations;
• Regular security reviews and vulnerability assessments;
• Presigned URLs with expiration for game build access, preventing unauthorized distribution.

Despite these measures, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your data. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by applicable law.

10. International Data Transfers

Blackjax, LLC is based in the United States. If you access the Platform from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate.

If you are located in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, we transfer your data to the United States under appropriate safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. By using the Platform, you acknowledge that your data may be transferred to countries with different data protection standards than your home country.

11. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at support@indiedevshare.com and we will take steps to delete that information.

Users between 13 and 18 years of age must have parental or guardian consent to use the Service as described in our Terms of Service. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a minor without appropriate consent, we will delete it promptly.

12. Companion Launcher Privacy

The IndieDevShare companion launcher is a desktop application that collects and transmits session data as part of the Playtest experience. Specific data collected by the launcher includes:

• Session start time, end time, and total duration;
• Game launch events and build version accessed;
• Feedback submission timestamps and content;
• Session recording data (video, audio, or screen capture), only when this feature is enabled by the Game Creator and you have been notified of and consented to recording;
• Application performance and crash data for debugging purposes.

Session data collected by the launcher is transmitted to our servers over an encrypted connection and associated with your account. This data is shared with the Game Creator whose Playtest you participated in. The launcher does not access files outside of the game build directory, does not monitor applications other than the game being tested, and does not collect data when you are not in an active Playtest session.

Session Recording: If a Game Creator enables session recording for a Playtest, you will be notified before the session begins and must consent to recording before proceeding. You may decline recording and still participate in the Playtest (where permitted by the Game Creator's settings), in which case no recording will be captured.

13. Discord Integration Privacy

If you connect your Discord account or server to IDS, we receive and process the following information from Discord:

• Your Discord username, discriminator, and user ID;
• Your Discord avatar;
• For connected servers: server name, member count, and engagement activity relevant to IDS-connected channels;
• Messages posted in IDS-connected Discord channels where devlog sync is enabled.

We use this information to display your Discord engagement on your IDS profile and to sync devlogs and announcements between IDS and your Discord server. We do not monitor or collect data from Discord channels that are not explicitly connected to your IDS account.

You can disconnect your Discord integration at any time through your account settings. Upon disconnection, we will stop collecting new data from Discord. Previously synced content may remain on your IDS profile until you delete it.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the Platform, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this Policy;
• Post a notice on the Platform;
• Send an email notification to registered users for significant changes.

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the updated Policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree with the changes, you must stop using the Service and may close your account as described in our Terms of Service.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Blackjax, LLC
Operating as: IndieDevShare
Website: indiedevshare.com
Email: support@indiedevshare.com

For data deletion requests, data access requests, or formal privacy inquiries, please use the email above with the subject line "Privacy Request — [type of request]." We will respond to verified requests within 30 days.

For EEA/UK users wishing to raise a complaint with a supervisory authority, you may contact your local data protection authority. A list of EEA supervisory authorities is available at edpb.europa.eu.