Privacy Policy
Last Updated: March 24, 2026
MindForge ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website mindforge.games (the "Site"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your information when you visit our Site or use our services.
By using MindForge, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.
1. Information We Collect
Information You Provide
- Account Information: When you sign in via Google OAuth, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from your Google account.
- Profile Data: Display name, avatar, and guild preferences you set within MindForge.
- User Content: Game collections, ratings, votes, top-10 lists, and other content you create on the platform.
- Feedback: Any messages or feedback you submit through our feedback widget.
Information Collected Automatically
- Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, and interactions with the Site.
- Device Information: Browser type, operating system, and screen resolution.
- Cookies: We use cookies for session management, authentication, and caching. See Section 7 for details.
- Log Data: IP address, access times, and referring URLs collected by our hosting provider.
Information We Do NOT Collect
- We do not collect payment or financial information.
- We do not collect information from children under 13 (see Section 10).
- We do not purchase data from third-party data brokers.
Information from Third-Party Analysis
- We store publicly available YouTube video transcripts for the purpose of board game research and analysis.
- We use AI services (Anthropic Claude, OpenAI) to analyze these transcripts — extracting game mentions, sentiment, and discussion summaries.
- Analysis results are stored as structured data (e.g., game references, sentiment scores). Full transcripts are not displayed to users.
- No user personal data is sent to AI services — only public video transcript text is processed.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide, maintain, and improve the MindForge platform
- Authenticate your identity and manage your account
- Display your game collections, votes, and community contributions
- Personalize your experience (e.g., game recommendations)
- Respond to your feedback and support requests
- Monitor site performance and detect abuse
- Comply with legal obligations
We do not use your information for:
- Selling to third parties
- Targeted advertising
- Automated decision-making that produces legal effects
3. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share information in the following limited circumstances:
- Public Profile Data: Your display name, avatar, guild memberships, and game collections may be visible to other MindForge users as part of the platform's community features.
- Service Providers: We use third-party services for hosting (Bluehost), authentication (Google OAuth), and analytics. These providers only access data necessary to perform their services and are bound by their own privacy policies.
- Legal Requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or governmental regulation.
- Safety: We may share information to protect the rights, safety, or property of MindForge, our users, or the public.
4. Third-Party Services
MindForge integrates with the following third-party services:
| Service | Purpose | Their Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Google OAuth | Account sign-in | Google Privacy Policy |
| BoardGameGeek | Game page linking (BGG IDs) | BGG Privacy Policy |
| YouTube | Embedded video content | YouTube/Google Privacy Policy |
| Anthropic (Claude) | AI-powered transcript analysis | Anthropic Privacy Policy |
| OpenAI | AI-powered transcript analysis | OpenAI API Data Privacy |
| Bluehost | Website hosting | Bluehost Privacy Policy |
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services. We encourage you to review their privacy policies.
5. AI & Automated Analysis
What We Analyze
We analyze publicly available YouTube video transcripts related to board games. These transcripts are created by YouTube's automatic captioning or by video creators and are publicly accessible.
How We Analyze
We use third-party AI services (Anthropic Claude and OpenAI) to extract structured information from video transcripts, including game mentions, recommendations, and sentiment. The results are factual summaries and data points — not reproductions of the original video content.
Purpose
AI analysis helps users discover board games discussed in videos and understand community sentiment about those games. This powers features such as game mention tracking, recommendation summaries, and trend analysis across the board gaming community.
Automated Decisions
We do not use AI to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on users. Game recommendations and analysis results are informational only and do not affect your access to the platform, your account standing, or any rights.
No Profiling
AI analysis is performed on public video content, not on individual user behavior or personal data. We do not build AI-driven profiles of individual users, and no personal data is sent to AI services as part of the transcript analysis process.
6. Data Retention
- Account Data: Retained as long as your account is active. You may request deletion at any time (see Section 8).
- Usage Logs: Server logs are retained for up to 90 days for security and performance monitoring.
- User Content: Game collections, votes, and lists are retained until you delete them or request account deletion.
- Feedback: Retained for product improvement purposes unless you request removal.
7. Cookies
MindForge uses the following types of cookies:
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Session | Authentication and login state | Browser session |
| Preferences | Remember your display settings | Up to 1 year |
| Caching | Improve page load performance | Varies |
We do not use advertising or tracking cookies. We do not participate in cross-site tracking networks.
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect your ability to sign in or use certain features.
8. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate information.
- Deletion: Request deletion of your account and associated data.
- Portability: Request your data in a portable format.
- Objection: Object to certain processing of your data.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@mindforge.games.
For California Residents (CCPA)
You have the right to know what personal information we collect, request its deletion, and opt out of any sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information.
For European Users (GDPR)
Our legal basis for processing your data is:
- Consent: When you sign in via Google OAuth
- Legitimate Interest: For site security, performance, and improvement
- Contract: To provide the services you requested
9. Data Security
We implement reasonable security measures to protect your information, including:
- Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) for all data in transit
- Secure authentication via OAuth (we never store your Google password)
- Access controls limiting who can view user data
- Regular security reviews of our codebase
No method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Children's Privacy
MindForge is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at contact@mindforge.games.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify users of significant changes by posting a notice on the Site. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.
Your continued use of MindForge after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, contact us at:
Email: contact@mindforge.games
Website: mindforge.games