Privacy Policy

Who we are

The TV Stack is a free television trivia game at thetvstack.com, independently operated in Maryland, United States. You can reach us at thetvstack@gmail.com.

No accounts, no names

You can play without signing up or logging in. We do not ask for your name, email address, phone number or location while you play, and the game does not show you advertising.

What the game records

To understand how the game is played and improve it, we record gameplay activity, including: which weeks are viewed and played; when games start and finish; the order you submit, how many shows were correct and how many attempts you used; which clues and Close-Ups were opened; whether the answer was revealed; and how long was spent on a week, on the puzzle itself, and reading Close-Ups. Timers pause when the page is hidden or idle.

We also record a broad device type (for example, phone or desktop) and a broad screen-size group. We do not record your precise location, your IP address or your full browser details in these gameplay records.

If a link to the game includes a src referral label, we record a validated, limited version of that label to understand which shared links lead to visits and games. The first valid label is used for the current visit, including its games and replays; later labels do not replace it. A new visit begins after 30 minutes of inactivity, and the previous visit’s label is not carried forward. Visits without a valid label are reported as Unattributed. We do not collect the full referring URL for this gameplay attribution or use referral cookies. A tab-only copy of the label supports the current visit; labels already recorded with a visit remain in our server records under the retention practices described below. Referral attribution does not add tracking across separate visits.

How your browser is recognized

Your browser is given a random player code so that later visits from the same browser can be connected to earlier games. This code is not your name and is not linked to an account, but it does let us see activity from the same browser over time. It is pseudonymous, not completely anonymous.

Your browser also keeps a separate, private security key. It is used only to confirm that new game records really come from your browser, so that nobody else can change them. The key itself is never stored in our records — we keep only a scrambled fingerprint of it that cannot be turned back into the key.

If you clear your browser storage, use a different browser or use private browsing, you will appear as a new player. You can always keep playing.

What is stored in your browser

The game stores some information in your browser’s own storage (not in cookies): your random player code and security key, visit and game-progress details, timing totals, and your personal results used for your Stats page and share grid. Some of this lasts until you clear it; some is cleared when you close the tab.

Game-progress details let the game remember which weeks you have finished and show your results when you return. They do not restore an unfinished game: if you leave a game before finishing it, the board starts over when you come back.

This browser storage is separate from the hosting-provider cookies and visitor analytics described below. Those are set or collected by our service providers, not by the game itself.

Your personal Stats live only in your browser. They are not backed up to an account and will be lost if you clear your browser storage or switch browsers.

What is stored on our servers

Gameplay records and per-game summaries are stored with Lovable Cloud, our hosting and database provider. Visitors cannot read, change or delete these records. Only the game’s password-protected administration tools can view reports, which show player codes and gameplay details but no names or contact details.

Cookies

The game itself does not set cookies. Separately from the game’s browser storage described above, our hosting providers set two short-lived technical cookies:

__cf_bm (Cloudflare) helps protect the site from automated bots. Cloudflare states it expires after 30 minutes of inactivity.

__dpl (Lovable, our host) helps make sure you are served a consistent version of the website while it is being updated. It is used for technical purposes only.

We do not use advertising cookies or advertising pixels.

Other services that receive visitor information

Lovable hosts the website and runs basic visitor analytics and error reporting. This collects basic visit statistics, traffic sources, device information and other usage information, such as the pages visited and the page that sent you here. Lovable states that its visitor analytics sets no analytics cookies and stores nothing in your browser; it uses a temporary random identifier for each visit, which is discarded afterward, and it does not track individual visitors across separate visits.

Cloudflare delivers and protects the website and processes your IP address and basic browser information to do so.

Google Fonts supplies the site’s typefaces. Your browser contacts Google to download them, which shares your IP address and basic browser information with Google. Google states it does not use this to build profiles or target advertising.

These providers may process information in the United States or other countries under their own privacy policies.

Why we use this information

We use gameplay information to understand which weeks, clues and Close-Ups work well, how difficult the game is, and how often players return, so we can improve the game. Information in your browser powers your Stats and share results. Hosting information keeps the site running, secure and reliable. We do not sell your information or use it for personalized advertising.

How long we keep it

We have not set an automatic deletion date for gameplay records; they are currently kept until we delete them. Information in your browser stays until you clear it or, for tab-only information, until you close the tab. Our hosting provider keeps rolling database backups, which may contain copies for a limited time. Lovable’s and Cloudflare’s own visitor and log retention is set by those providers.

Your choices and requests

To ask about, or request deletion of, gameplay records from your browser, email thetvstack@gmail.com. We have an administrative procedure for this: because there are no accounts, we may ask you for the random player code from that browser to find the records, and we then delete the matching gameplay events and game summaries together. That code helps us locate records but does not by itself prove they are yours, so we will explain what we can do before releasing or deleting anything. Please don’t post your player code publicly.

Clearing this site’s browser storage removes your local results and stops your browser being recognized, but does not delete records already on our servers. Backup copies may remain for a short time after deletion.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional privacy rights. Contact us and we will respond in line with the law that applies to you.

Children

The TV Stack is a general-audience game marketed primarily to adults. It is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has used the game and want their records removed, contact us.

Changes and contact

We will update this policy when our practices change and show the new effective date at the top. Questions? Email thetvstack@gmail.com.