Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how LudScout ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and shares your personal information when you use our website and services (the "Service"). This policy applies to all visitors and registered users.

By using LudScout, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service. This policy is effective as of August 9, 2026 (version 1.0).

We collect and process the following types of information:

• Account information: Your email address, authentication details, and role within the app.
• Name or username: Your display name as provided by the authentication system.
• Steam profile information: Your Steam ID, profile name, avatar, and visibility status, retrieved via the Steam Web API when you connect your account.
• Steam game ownership: The list of games you own on Steam, retrieved to generate personalized recommendations.
• Steam playtime and play-history: Hours played and last-played timestamps for games in your library.
• Game preferences: Optional quiz answers or free-text descriptions you provide about your gaming mood, playstyle, and preferences.
• Recommendation history: Recommendations are generated on-demand and are not permanently stored in our database. Shared picks you choose to save are stored until you delete them.
• Wishlist data: Games you bookmark, including names, images, Steam store URLs, and price information.
• Subscription and payment status: Whether you have an active Pro subscription and your Stripe customer ID. We do not store your full card number — payment details are processed securely by Stripe.
• Feedback: Messages you submit through our feedback form.
• Device, browser, analytics, and technical information: Information such as browser type, device type, pages visited, and usage patterns. None — LudScout does not currently use third-party analytics providers. Internal usage tracking is handled by the Base44 platform for product improvement.

We collect information for the following purposes:

• To generate personalized game recommendations based on your Steam library and playtime data.
• To create and manage your account and authenticate you.
• To process Pro subscriptions.
• To send transactional emails (e.g., welcome emails, curated list updates, price-drop alerts).
• To maintain your wishlist and shared picks.
• To respond to your feedback and support requests.
• To improve our recommendations, features, and overall Service quality.
• To comply with legal obligations and protect against fraud.

Your information may be processed by the following third-party services:

• Steam (Valve Corporation): We retrieve your Steam profile, game library, and playtime data via the Steam Web API when you connect your account. This data is initiated by you and governed by Valve's privacy practices.
• Stripe: Processes subscription payments and donations securely. Stripe receives your payment information directly — we do not store full card numbers.
• Base44: Provides application hosting, database infrastructure, authentication, and email services. Base44 — provides application hosting, database, and authentication infrastructure.
• AI / Language-Model Providers: Google (Gemini) — used to generate game recommendations based on your Steam playtime data. Your game library and playtime data are sent to this provider to produce recommendations.
• Email Providers: Base44 — used to send transactional emails (e.g., welcome emails, catalog updates).
• Analytics Providers: None — LudScout does not currently use third-party analytics providers. Internal usage tracking is handled by the Base44 platform for product improvement.

Each third-party service has its own privacy policy and data practices. We encourage you to review their policies. Steam information and other third-party information may be incomplete, delayed, inaccurate, or unavailable at times.

We use your data to:

• Generate personalized game recommendations by sending your Steam playtime data to our AI provider.
• Authenticate you and maintain your session.
• Process payments and manage subscriptions.
• Send you transactional and account-related emails.
• Store your wishlist, shared picks, and feedback.
• Track price changes on your wishlist to alert you of sales.
• Analyze usage patterns to improve the Service.

Your data is stored on Base44's hosted infrastructure, which provides our database and application hosting. Payment data is stored by Stripe. Your Steam data is retrieved from Valve's Steam Web API and may be cached in our database to provide recommendations. Your Steam ID, cached profile/game data, wishlist, and shared picks are retained for as long as your account is active. When you disconnect Steam, your Steam ID and cached Steam data are removed. When you delete your account, all associated data is deleted except where retention is required by law (e.g., for payment, fraud-prevention, or tax records).

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. If you disconnect Steam or delete your account data, we will remove the associated Steam information and personal data from our active database. Some information may be retained for payment processing, fraud prevention, tax, or legal purposes as required by applicable law.

Your Steam ID, cached profile/game data, wishlist, and shared picks are retained for as long as your account is active. When you disconnect Steam, your Steam ID and cached Steam data are removed. When you delete your account, all associated data is deleted except where retention is required by law (e.g., for payment, fraud-prevention, or tax records).

We do not sell your personal data. We share data only with:

• Steam Web API — to retrieve your profile and game data (as initiated by you).
• Stripe — to process payments securely.
• AI providers — your game library and playtime data are sent to generate recommendations. We do not send personally identifiable information beyond your game list.
• Base44 — for hosting, database, authentication, and email infrastructure.
• Service providers — as needed to operate and maintain the Service.

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, safety, or property.

Depending on your location (e.g., EU/GDPR, California/CCPA), you may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate data.
• Request deletion of your data.
• Opt out of marketing communications.
• Object to or restrict certain processing of your data.
• Export your data in a portable format.

To exercise these rights, visit your Account Settings page or contact us at hello.ludscout@gmail.com.

You can disconnect your Steam account at any time from your Account Settings page. Disconnecting Steam removes your Steam ID from your account. You can also delete all stored Steam data (including cached search results) from the same page. After disconnection, your recommendations will no longer be based on your Steam library.

You can request deletion of your account data from your Account Settings page by using the "Delete Account Data" option. This will permanently remove your Steam data, wishlist, shared picks, feedback, and consent records. Some information may be retained for payment, fraud-prevention, tax, or legal purposes as required by law.

To fully remove your authentication account, contact us at hello.ludscout@gmail.com.

You can delete all stored Steam data (your Steam ID and cached search data) from your Account Settings page using the "Delete Steam Data" option. This action cannot be undone.

LudScout is not directed to children under 13. You must be at least 13 years old to create a LudScout account. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us at hello.ludscout@gmail.com and we will delete it.

No. LudScout does not sell your personal data to third parties. We do not use your data for advertising purposes. Your Steam data is used solely to generate game recommendations for you.

We take reasonable measures to protect your data, including encrypted transmission (HTTPS), secure storage of API keys and secrets in server-side secret management, and restricted access controls. However, no method of internet transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We use essential cookies to maintain your login session and provide core functionality. We may use analytics cookies to understand site usage. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some features may not work properly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the version number and effective date at the top of this page and notify users of significant changes. Continued use of the Service constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact us at hello.ludscout@gmail.com or through the feedback form on the site.

Business name: LudScout (Sole Proprietorship, operated by Alistair Song-White)
Business address: 4922 Proctor Avenue, Oakland, CA 94618, USA