Privacy Policy

Data Controller

Taste Buds is operated from New York, United States. For the purposes of applicable data protection laws, the data controller is Taste Buds. For any data-related inquiries, contact tastebudsgame@gmail.com.

1. Information We Collect

Account information: When you sign up, we collect your email address, display name, and profile information you choose to provide (username, bio, social links, avatar).

Gameplay data: Song submissions, votes, reactions, comments, chat messages, wager activity, and league participation.

Spotify data: When you connect Spotify, we access your Spotify user ID and use it to search for tracks and create playlists on your behalf. We do not access your listening history or library.

Technical data: Browser type, device information, and usage patterns for error monitoring and performance improvement via Sentry.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To operate the game: displaying submissions, computing scores, tracking standings
• To enable social features: chat, direct messages, reactions, nudges
• To send notifications: round updates, wager results, badge achievements (you can manage preferences in your profile)
• To monitor errors and improve the Service via Sentry
• To enforce our Terms of Service and protect users

3. Information Sharing

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

• Service providers: Clerk (authentication), Neon (database), Vercel (hosting), Sentry (error monitoring), Pusher (real-time), Spotify (music data)
• Other users: Your username, avatar, submissions, and stats are visible to league members. Public profiles are accessible by URL.
• Legal requirements: If required by law, regulation, or legal process

4. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Gameplay data (submissions, votes, scores) is retained for the lifetime of the leagues you participate in. You may request deletion of your account at any time.

What happens when you delete your account: Your personal information (username, bio, avatar, social links) is removed immediately. Your league memberships, direct messages, and notifications are deleted. However, your song submissions, votes, and round results are preserved in an anonymized form (attributed to "Deleted User") to maintain the integrity of league history and standings for other participants. This is necessary for the functioning of the Service, as removing historical game data would alter scores and rankings for all league members.

5. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access: View all data we hold about you via your profile and league pages
• Correction: Update your profile information at any time
• Deletion: Delete your account from your profile settings, which removes your personal data. Anonymized gameplay records are retained as described in Section 4.
• Portability: Contact us at tastebudsgame@gmail.com to request an export of your data

To exercise any of these rights, use the in-app features or contact us at tastebudsgame@gmail.com. We will respond to requests within 30 days.

6. Cookies

We use essential cookies for authentication (Clerk session) and Spotify OAuth tokens. We use Sentry for error tracking which may set performance monitoring cookies. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

7. Security

We protect your data with HTTPS encryption, secure httpOnly cookies, parameterized database queries, and rate-limited API endpoints. Authentication is handled by Clerk, a SOC 2 compliant provider.

8. Children's Privacy

Taste Buds is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.

9. Changes

We may update this policy as the Service evolves. Material changes will be communicated via in-app announcement. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

10. Contact

For privacy questions or data requests, contact us at tastebudsgame@gmail.com.