Spark & Cipher Privacy Policy
This policy explains how Vikaranet (Pty) Ltd ("we", "us") handles information in the Spark & Cipher card game for Android (the "app") and its online game service.
In short: levels and games against bots stay on your phone. If you choose to play online, we keep a game account with a player name you pick, your credits and your results. We never ask for your real name, email or phone number. The app shows ads from Google AdMob, and Google collects some device information to serve them. Purchases are handled by Google Play. You can delete your online account at any time.
What the app does
Spark & Cipher is a bluffing card game. You can play 20 levels and quick games against computer players offline, or play online against other people in ranked matches, private challenge rooms and tournaments. Quick Cups are entered by watching a short video; other tournaments use in-game credits, which you can earn free each day, earn by watching optional reward videos, or buy. Credits have no cash value. When not enough people are online, computer players fill empty seats in tournaments and can be offered in the ranked queue; they are always marked "(bot)" and never receive prizes. The app shows occasional full-screen ads between games.
Information the app handles
| Information | Examples | Where it is kept |
|---|---|---|
| Offline game data | Player name, level progress and stars, sound setting | On your phone only. Android may include it in your Google device backup if you have backup turned on. |
| Online account (only if you play online) | The player name you choose, a 4-digit tag, a random account number, and a sign-in key for your phone (we store it only in scrambled, hashed form) | Our game server, hosted by Cloudflare |
| Online game activity | Credits balance and history of credits earned or spent, match results, rating, league points, tournament entries | Our game server, hosted by Cloudflare |
| Purchase records | Which credit pack you bought, the Google Play order number and purchase token | Processed by Google Play. We keep the order number and token to confirm the payment with Google and add your credits once. We never see your card or bank details. |
| Reward video confirmations | Your random account number, a transaction number and what the video was for (free credits, entering a Quick Cup or doubling a prize), sent to our server by Google when you finish a reward video | Our game server, so we can give the reward once |
| Tournament reminders | The tournaments you entered and their start times | On your phone only, to show a reminder 5 minutes before the start |
| Advertising data | Advertising ID and other device identifiers, IP address and the approximate location derived from it, device model and Android version, ad interactions, crash and performance diagnostics | Collected and processed by Google (AdMob) |
| Ad consent choice (EEA, UK, Switzerland) | Whether you allowed personalised ads | On your phone, managed by Google's consent tool |
What other players see
When you play online, other players can see your player name and tag, your rating, and your results in matches, leaderboards and tournament brackets. There is no chat in the game.
What we do not do
- We do not ask for your real name, email address, phone number, contacts, photos or precise location.
- We do not sell or trade your information, and we do not use it for our own advertising.
- Credits cannot be cashed out, transferred between accounts or exchanged for money.
How we use information
We use online account and game data to run matches, keep score, rank players, run tournaments and leagues, pay out prizes in credits, and prevent cheating and fraud. Purchase and reward-video confirmations are used only to add the right credits once. Advertising data is used by Google to show ads, measure them and prevent fraud.
Permissions
- Internet and network state: to play online, load ads and process purchases. Levels and quick games play offline.
- Advertising ID: used by Google AdMob to show and measure ads. You can reset it or opt out of personalised ads in Android settings.
- Notifications: asked for the first time you enter a tournament, only to remind you shortly before it starts. You can turn them off in Android settings at any time.
Third parties
- Cloudflare (Cloudflare, Inc.) hosts our game server and database under the Cloudflare privacy policy.
- Google AdMob (Google LLC) provides the ads and processes advertising data under Google's privacy policy. See also how Google uses information from apps that use its services.
- Google Play Billing processes purchases under the Google Payments privacy notice.
- Google Play distributes the app and may provide us with aggregated crash and performance data.
If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, the app asks for your consent before ads use your data for personalisation. You can change your choice at any time with Privacy choices on the main menu.
Where your data is stored and how we protect it
Offline game data stays in the app's private storage on your phone. Online data is sent over encrypted connections (HTTPS and secure WebSockets) to our server on Cloudflare's network, which may process it in data centres outside Botswana. Your sign-in key is stored only as a hash. Only Vikaranet can access the game database.
How long we keep it
We keep your online account until you delete it. If you delete it, your account and game data are removed straight away. We keep Google Play order numbers for credit purchases, with your account removed from them, because we must keep payment records.
Deleting your account and data
In the app (fastest)
Open Spark & Cipher, tap Play online, open the Store tab, tap Delete my account and confirm. Your account is deleted immediately.
Without the app
Email privacy@vikaranet.com with the subject "Delete my Spark & Cipher account" and your player name and tag (for example Victor#1234). We delete the account within 7 days and reply to confirm.
What is deleted
- your player name, tag, account number and sign-in key;
- your credits balance and credit history (unused credits are lost and are not refunded);
- your rating, league points, open tournament entries and game history.
Past tournament brackets may still show results from completed matches, without a link to your account. Offline progress stays on your phone until you clear the app's storage or uninstall it.
Your other choices
- Reset your advertising ID or turn off personalised ads in Android Settings › Google › Ads (or Settings › Privacy › Ads).
- For data held by Google, use Google's privacy controls.
- You can ask us for a copy of your online data, or to correct it, using the contact details below.
Children
The app is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from children. If you believe a child has an online account, contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when the app changes. The effective date at the top shows the latest version.
Contact us
Vikaranet (Pty) Ltd, registration no. BW00010041782
Plot 360, Independence Avenue, Extension 4, Gaborone, Botswana
Email: privacy@vikaranet.com