Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Overview

Welcome to Billiball ("we", "our", or "us"). We develop and operate the Billiball mobile application and associated online services (collectively, the "Services"). We recognize the paramount importance of your privacy and are committed to treating personal information responsibly, ethically, and in full compliance with applicable privacy legislations worldwide, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, store, process, transfer, and disclose your personal data when you download, install, access, or play Billiball. By accessing our Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy.

3. Categories of Information We Collect

We gather personal information directly from you, automatically through your device interactions, and from authorized third-party identity and payment providers.

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

Account Credentials: If you authenticate using Google Sign-In or Apple Sign-In, we receive authentication tokens, unique federated user identifiers, display name, public avatar URL, and email address (or Apple private relay email).
Guest Identifiers: For users who opt to play as a guest without third-party authentication, we create a pseudo-anonymous UUID tied solely to your local installation.
Support & Communications: Any messages, feedback submissions, bug reports, and correspondence you send to our support desk, including email address and attached screenshots or logs.

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

Gameplay Data: In-game progression, win/loss records, match streaks, rating points, ball contact logs, timing grades, cues unlocked, table themes, and achievement milestones.
Device Hardware & Software Identifiers: Device manufacturer, hardware model, operating system version, system language, screen resolution, unique advertising identifiers (IDFA on iOS, GAID on Android), and hardware platform specifications.
Network & Diagnostic Information: IP address, Internet Service Provider (ISP), network connection type (Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G), ping latency, game session timestamps, battery status, and crash traces captured at the exact moment of failure.

3.3 Purchase & Transaction Data

When purchasing virtual currency, VIP passes, or cosmetic items, the transaction is processed directly through the platform app stores (Apple App Store via In-App Purchase StoreKit or Google Play In-App Billing). We receive purchase validation tokens, order identifiers, item SKUs, and purchase timestamps. We never collect, receive, or store your credit card numbers, bank accounts, or financial credentials.

4. Legal Bases for Processing Data

We process your personal data under the following legal frameworks:

Performance of a Contract: Processing necessary to provide matchmaking, sync user profiles across devices, restore in-app purchases, and maintain game server connectivity.
Legitimate Interests: Securing our systems against fraud, exploiting, and malicious attacks; debugging technical issues; and improving gameplay balancing.
Legal Compliance: Retaining financial transaction records to comply with accounting standards, taxation laws, and regulatory obligations.
Consent: Serving targeted or personalized advertising where required by applicable local privacy frameworks.

5. How We Use Your Information

We utilize the collected information for specific operational and analytical purposes:

Operating, maintaining, and enhancing the real-time multiplayer billiards experience.
Matching players of comparable skill level based on rating algorithms and latency conditions.
Verifying and delivering digital content, virtual coins, VIP privileges, and referral rewards.
Detecting, investigating, and preventing cheating, botting, unauthorized modding, and abuse.
Diagnosing crashes, deadlocks, and server synchronization faults via Firebase Crashlytics.
Displaying banner ads, interstitials, and rewarded video ads through authorized ad networks.
Complying with statutory reporting requirements and cooperating with law enforcement investigations when legally required.

6. Advertising & Marketing

Billiball is supported in part through advertising served by Google AdMob. Third-party advertising networks may utilize unique device identifiers (such as Apple IDFA or Google Advertising ID) and approximate location data to deliver relevant advertisements.

You can limit ad tracking or reset your device advertising identifier at any time through your operating system settings:

iOS: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking, and disable tracking permissions for Billiball.
Android: Go to Settings > Google > Ads > Delete advertising ID or Reset advertising ID.

7. Third-Party Service Providers

We share data only with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Services under strict confidentiality agreements and data processing addendums:

Google Firebase: Provides authentication services, real-time database synchronisation, Cloud Functions, and Firebase Analytics.
Firebase Crashlytics: Collects automated crash logs, stack traces, and device state metrics to resolve application crashes.
Google AdMob: Serves contextual, rewarded, and programmatic in-game advertisements.
Apple Inc. & Google LLC: Manages store transactions, in-app billing verification, and optional game service integrations.

8. International Data Transfers

Our game servers, database nodes, and cloud functions are located in multiple regions across the globe to optimize real-time multiplayer latency. Consequently, your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside of your country of residence. Where cross-border transfers occur, we implement appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, to ensure your data receives an equivalent standard of protection.

9. Data Retention & Erasure

We retain personal data only for as long as your account remains active or as strictly required to fulfill the purposes described in this policy:

Active Accounts: Profile data, virtual items, match stats, and friend lists are retained as long as your account is maintained.
Crash & Log Telemetry: Aggregated technical logs and crash diagnostics are retained for up to 90 days before automated deletion.
Financial & Purchase Records: Purchase tokens and order references are archived for up to 5 years to comply with statutory accounting and tax regulations.

10. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you possess specific legal rights regarding your personal information:

Right of Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: You can update or correct inaccuracies in your profile information directly in the game or via support.
Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You may request the permanent deletion of your account, match history, and associated identifiers.
Right to Restrict or Object: You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or request restrictions on data processing.
Right to Data Portability: You may request to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please submit your request to support@billiball.com. We will verify your identity and respond within 30 days.

11. Account & Data Deletion Instructions

You may request complete account and data deletion at any time through either of the following methods:

In-App Deletion: Navigate to Settings within the game, tap on your account profile, and select "Delete Account". Confirm your decision when prompted.
Email Request: Send an email from your registered address to support@billiball.com with the subject line "Request Data Deletion" and provide your in-game User ID.

Once submitted, all personal identifiers, match statistics, virtual inventory, and friend lists will be permanently purged or anonymized within 30 calendar days. This action is irreversible.

12. Children's Privacy

Billiball is intended for a general audience and is not targeted at children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Economic Area). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these age thresholds.

If a parent or guardian discovers that their child has provided us with personal information without required consent, please contact us immediately at support@billiball.com. We will promptly delete such records from our databases.

13. Technical Security Measures

We implement robust administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, destruction, loss, alteration, or disclosure:

All client-to-server communications utilize Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.2/1.3) and WebSocket Secure (WSS) encryption.
Authentication tokens are securely stored on client devices using platform-grade encryption (Keychain on iOS, EncryptedSharedPreferences on Android).
Database access is strictly restricted to authenticated backend services using role-based access control and principle of least privilege.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to revise this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our operational practices, technological advancements, or regulatory requirements. Whenever modifications are made, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this document. For material updates, we may notify you via an in-game notification or pop-up dialogue prior to the changes taking effect. Continued participation in the Services following notice of changes constitutes your agreement to the revised policy.