Lantern Ants Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Lantern Ants is published under the name Dejuworks by Barış Demirhan, [[postal address]] ("we", "us"). We are responsible for your personal data under this policy. Contact: privacy@lanternants.app.

2. What we collect and why

2.1. Account

• Guest account. When you first go online, the game signs you in anonymously through Google Firebase Authentication. We receive a random user ID. We also create a random player ID and a random device ID inside the game.
• Linked account (optional). If you link Sign in with Apple or Google, Firebase receives an identifier from that provider and may store the email address the provider shares (with Apple this can be a private relay address). We use the link to restore your progress on a new device. We do not send you marketing email.
• Settings sent with sign-in: game language, time zone and platform.
• Why: to run your account, keep your league place and cloud save tied to you, and protect the service. (Contract; for EU/UK users Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.)

2.2. Usernames and colony names

• Your username is picked at random from a word list in your language. After linking an account you can choose your own username.
• Your username is visible to other players in leagues and on your player card. [[Confirm whether colony names are shown to other players.]]
• Custom names are checked automatically before they are accepted: first against word lists, then by an automated text check run by Anthropic (Claude). Only the name text is sent. Players can report a name; reported names are checked the same way and may be replaced with a random one.
• Why: so that leagues are friendly and safe. (Contract and legitimate interests.)

2.3. Leagues and fair play

• When you earn Sparkle (the league score), the game sends small event records: type, amount, time, a sequence number and the device ID. We use them to place you in a weekly group of up to 50 players, calculate rankings and the all-time table, and check that scores are possible.
• Country. When you sign in, we estimate your country from your IP address and store the country (not the IP address) on your player record. It is used for the all-time table's country filter.
• Fair play checks. Scores that look impossible are flagged automatically. A flagged account may have its Sparkle removed, be hidden from other players' league lists, or be removed from a league. You can ask us to review any such decision at support@lanternants.app.
• Why: to run leagues and keep them fair. (Contract and legitimate interests.)

2.4. Cloud save

• If you link an account, the game uploads a compressed copy of your game state and a short summary (queen level, number of lanterns and colonies, days played) so you can restore it. We keep the last 3 versions. Our server does not open the save itself.
• Why: to restore your progress. (Contract.)

2.5. Purchases and subscriptions

• Purchases are made through the App Store (Google Play on Android). We never see your card details.
• RevenueCat processes your purchase history and subscription status (for example Colony Club) and links it to your player ID, so your purchases work on your account and can be restored.
• Why: to deliver what you bought. (Contract.)

2.6. Rewarded ads

• Ads are optional. They are shown only when you tap to watch one for a bonus, at most 10 a day.
• Ads are served by Google AdMob. Where the law requires it (for example in the EU, UK, Switzerland and some US states), Google's consent form asks you first. On iPhone, the system asks whether the game may track you; if you say no, ads are not personalised and the advertising identifier is not shared.
• Ad content is limited to a teen-appropriate rating.
• You can change your ad choices in Settings → Privacy & data → Ad preferences.
• Why: to fund a free game without forced ads. (Consent where required; otherwise legitimate interests.)

2.7. Usage analytics

• PostHog receives events about how the game is used (for example which screens are opened, how long a session lasts, which features are used). Events are linked to your random player ID. They never contain your username, colony names, email, purchase receipts, the content of your save or your IP address as a property.
• Microsoft Clarity may record anonymised session replays on some devices to show where players get stuck. Text is masked and the store and account screens are never recorded. Clarity is not given your player ID.
• Turn analytics off any time: Settings → Privacy & data → Usage analytics. When it is off, PostHog and Clarity receive nothing and queued events are discarded. In the EU, UK and Switzerland we ask for your consent through the consent form before any analytics start.
• Why: to understand and improve the game. (Consent in the EU, UK and Switzerland; legitimate interests elsewhere, with an easy off switch.)

2.8. Crash and error reports

• Sentry receives crash and error reports: the error, the app and system version, device model and a random device ID. No name, email or IP address is attached by us. With analytics off we send crashes and errors only.
• Why: to fix bugs. (Legitimate interests.)

2.9. Notifications

• Reminders such as "Expedition back", "Nest is full" and "Event started" are scheduled on your device and send no data to anyone.
• Only "League ending" comes from our server. If you allow notifications and keep it on, OneSignal receives a push token, your time zone and your preference.
• All notifications together: at most 2 a day, none between 22:00 and 08:00.
• You can turn this off in Settings or in iOS Settings.
• Why: you asked for it. (Consent.)

2.10. Support

• If you email us, we receive your email address and what you write, plus any details the app adds to the message (app version, device, username, support code).
• Why: to help you. (Legitimate interests / contract.)

2.11. On your device only

Your game save, settings and local counters stay on your device in an encrypted database. They are not sent to us unless described above.

3. What we do not do

• We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for money.
• We do not ask for your real name, phone number, contacts, photos or precise location.
• We do not use your data to train AI models. The name check in 2.2 uses Anthropic's service to process the name text only.

4. Who helps us (service providers)

These providers act on our instructions. Google and Apple also process data under their own policies when you use their sign-in, store or ads. Where data leaves your country (for example from the EU or Türkiye to the US), we rely on the safeguards the law requires, such as Standard Contractual Clauses [[and the KVKK transfer mechanism]].

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect players or the service, or as part of a sale or transfer of the game, in which case this policy continues to apply.

5. How long we keep it

6. Your choices and rights

In the game, Settings → Privacy & data:

• Usage analytics on or off.
• Ad preferences (consent form where it applies). On iPhone, tracking permission is also in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.
• Download my data: opens an email to privacy@lanternants.app. We send you a copy within 30 days.
• Delete account: deletes your account and online data. You can also do this without the app at lanternants.app/delete-account.

Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to access, correct, delete or port your data, to object to or restrict processing, and to withdraw consent at any time (this does not affect what happened before). In Türkiye you have the rights in Article 11 of the KVKK. In some US states you have rights to know, delete and correct, and to opt out of targeted advertising; use the ad preferences above or write to us. To use any right, email privacy@lanternants.app. We may ask you to confirm the account is yours. We will not treat you differently for using your rights.

You can also complain to a data protection authority, for example the KVKK Board in Türkiye or the authority where you live in the EU or UK.

7. Children

Lantern Ants is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal data, write to privacy@lanternants.app and we will delete it.

8. Security

Your save is stored in an encrypted database on your device. Connections to our server use HTTPS. Access to our systems is limited to what is needed to run the game. No system is perfectly secure; if something goes wrong that affects you, we will tell you as the law requires.

9. Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we will update the date above and tell you in the game before the change takes effect.

10. Contact

privacy@lanternants.app · [[postal address]]