Privacy Policy
Stumble Bee is a daily word game. It has no passwords, no ads and no advertising trackers. This page explains what we do collect, why, and how to have it deleted. It covers this website (stumblebeegame.com, and its earlier address hivemindgame.app) and the app.
Who we are
Stumble Bee is made by Brave Nomad Games, an independent game developer. For anything on this page, contact bravenomadgames@gmail.com.
What we collect
If you play the game
The game works without an account. You are identified only by a random ID created on your device, which is not linked to your name, email, phone number or any advertising identifier.
| Data | Why | Visible to others? |
|---|---|---|
| The display name you choose | So other players know whose definition they are reading | Yes — in games you join, and on the leaderboard. Choose a nickname, not your full name |
| Definitions you write, and the votes you cast | They are the game: other players read and vote on them | Yes — definitions are shown to other players, including people you do not know |
| A random player ID, with your score and streak | To keep one vote per person and to show the leaderboard | The ID itself is technically readable by other players' devices, because it is how definitions, votes and leaderboard rows are linked. It is random and says nothing about you |
| Words you save privately in the app | Your own collection | No — this stays on your device |
What we do not collect
- No advertising identifiers, ad networks or advertising profiles
- No location data
- No contacts, photos, microphone or camera access
- No third-party analytics or tracking on this website — no cookies are set here
What the website collects
- An anonymous sign-in. When you open the game, your browser is signed in anonymously with Firebase. That produces a random ID that is not linked to your name, email or anything else. Clearing your browser data starts you over as a new player, and we cannot connect the two.
- A transfer code, if you make one. It lets you move your player (username, definitions, votes, wins) to another device or to the game's future web address. Firebase stores only a scrambled version of the code, and your browser keeps a copy so it can show it to you again. No email is collected: if you email the code to yourself, your own email app sends it and we never see the address. Anyone who has your code can play as you, so keep it private.
- Your username and definitions. These are public: anyone who opens the site can read them, on the day's page, in the archive and on the leaderboards. Please do not put anything private in either.
- Your votes. Stored against your random player ID so you cannot vote twice. The site does not display who voted for what, but the vote records are readable by other players' devices (that is how vote totals are counted), so someone technical could match a vote to a username. Don't treat your vote as secret.
- Online rooms. If you host or join a room, your username, what you write and how you vote in that room are shared with the other players in it. A room and its messages are deleted when the host closes it. The room list shows each open room's name, host and player count; a private room's code is never shown.
- Reports. If you report a definition, we store which one and your player ID, so we can review it and so one person cannot report the same thing twice.
- Your email, if you join the app waitlist. Used to tell you when the app is out. Kept until the app launches and that email has been sent, then deleted.
- Your email and a time, if you ask for the daily reminder. Used only to send you one reminder a day at the time you chose. Reminder emails have not started yet; nothing is sent until they do. Every reminder will carry an unsubscribe link, and you can also email us to be removed.
- Browser notifications, if you turn them on. Your browser gives us a notification address (a long random web address run by your browser's maker, such as Google, Mozilla or Apple) plus the hour you chose. We use it only to send the daily reminder. Turning notifications off on the site, or blocking them in your browser, removes it.
- A small amount in your own browser: your username, your settings (theme, animations, sound), and which definitions you have hidden. That stays on your device and is not a tracking cookie.
- Refusal statistics. When the automatic filter turns a definition down we record that it happened and how borderline it was, so the filter can be tuned. The words you typed are not stored unless you ask for the definition to be checked by a person.
When you join the waitlist or the daily reminder, we are sent a short notification email with your email address, so we know someone signed up.
We never share any of this with anyone except the service providers listed below, and never sell it. There are no advertising trackers and no third-party analytics on this site. If that changes, we will say so here first.
Who else handles the data
| Service | What it handles |
|---|---|
| Google Firebase | Anonymous sign-in, and storing definitions, votes, usernames, rooms, reports and sign-ups |
| Your browser's push service (Google, Mozilla, Apple or Microsoft) | Delivering notifications, only if you turn them on |
| Firebase App Distribution / Apple TestFlight | Delivering test builds to invited testers |
| Cloudflare | Hosting this website |
These providers store data on servers that may be outside your country, including in the United States. We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it with anyone beyond the providers above.
Children
Stumble Bee is not intended for children under 13, and the game can produce and show adult language when the adult words setting is on. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us data, email bravenomadgames@gmail.com and we will delete it.
Your choices and rights
- Get a copy of your data, or have it deleted. Email bravenomadgames@gmail.com and we will act within 30 days. Because there are no passwords, we will ask for your username to find your data
- Delete local data. Uninstalling the app removes everything stored on your device, including your saved words. Definitions already published to other players stay in the game unless you ask us to remove them
Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights — for example under the UK and EU GDPR, or under California law — to access, correct, delete or object to our use of your data. The email above is how to exercise any of them. Our lawful basis for the game itself is our legitimate interest in running the game you are playing. For the waitlist, the daily reminder and notifications, it is your consent, which you can withdraw at any time by unsubscribing, turning notifications off, or emailing us.
Security
Data in the game is protected by server-side rules that limit what any device can read or change. No system is perfect, and this is a small independent project rather than a bank — please do not put sensitive information into it.
Changes
The game is in development, so this policy will change as features arrive. The date at the top always shows the current version, and material changes will be announced on our social channels.