Beige Chess App
Privacy Policy
Last updated: 5 August 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how Dead Inside Studios ("we," "us," "our") collects, uses, stores, and shares information through the Beige Chess App puzzle trainer (the "App"), available at puzzles.beigechessapp.com and as an iOS/Android app.
We are a solo-developed, hobby-scale project. This policy describes exactly what the App actually does — no more, no less — so read it as a literal description of our systems, not generic boilerplate.
1. Information we collect
a) Information you provide directly
- Account details: when you create an account (required to use the App — see Terms of Service), we collect the email address associated with your sign-in. If you sign in with Apple or Google, we receive whatever identity information that provider shares, typically your name and email address (Apple may provide a private relay email instead of your real one, which we treat the same way).
- Support requests: if you contact us for help, we (via Help Scout, see §4) receive your email address and the content of your message.
b) Information generated by using the App
- Your puzzle-solving rating (overall, and broken down per motif, per piece, and per game phase), solved/failed puzzle counts, the list of puzzle IDs you've solved, and a timestamped activity log used to show streaks and monthly trends.
- Your gameplay settings stored on our servers so they follow you across devices (e.g. whether you're linked to Lichess).
c) Information from third parties you choose to connect
- Lichess: if you choose to link a Lichess account, you're redirected to Lichess's own login page to authorize the connection (we never see your Lichess password). With your authorization, we import your Lichess username, your puzzle rating, and your puzzle-solving history from Lichess's public API, and re-tag that history using our own analysis pipeline. You can unlink this at any time.
d) Information collected automatically
- Our hosting infrastructure (Amazon Web Services) generates standard operational logs for any web request, which may include your IP address and basic request metadata (timestamp, endpoint called). These are used only for security, abuse prevention, and debugging, and are not linked to your account profile or used for tracking.
2. What we don't collect
We do not use advertising SDKs, analytics/tracking SDKs, or third-party tracking pixels of any kind. We do not access your device's camera, microphone, contacts, or precise location. We do not currently collect any payment information — the App is free with no in-app purchases.
3. How we use your information
- To provide the App's core features: tracking your rating, serving puzzles matched to your level and filters, and syncing your progress across devices you sign into.
- To respond to support requests you send us.
- To maintain the security and integrity of the App and prevent abuse.
- To comply with legal obligations where applicable.
We do not use your information for advertising, and we do not sell your personal information to anyone.
4. Who we share information with
We share information only with the service providers that operate the App, and only to the extent needed for them to do their job:
| Provider | What they handle | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Web Services (Cognito, DynamoDB, Lambda, API Gateway, Lightsail) | Account authentication, your rating/progress data, puzzle catalog hosting | Runs the entire backend |
| Lichess.org | Your Lichess username and puzzle history | Only if you choose to link your Lichess account |
| Help Scout | Your email and support message content | Only if you contact support |
| Apple / Google | Identity information from their sign-in flow | Only if you choose "Sign in with Apple/Google" |
We do not share your information with data brokers or advertisers, and we don't allow these providers to use your data for their own purposes beyond providing their service to us.
5. Where your information is stored
Our AWS infrastructure runs in the us-east-1(US East, Northern Virginia) region, so your account and progress data is stored in the United States. Help Scout is also US-based. If you link Lichess, Lichess's own servers (a French non-profit organization) hold your Lichess-side data under their own privacy policy. This means your personal information is transferred and stored outside Australia. We only use established providers with their own security and compliance programs, and we don't have reason to believe your information receives lesser protection as a result, but we can't guarantee the practices of a third party we don't control.
6. Data retention and deletion
Your data is kept for as long as your account exists. You can permanently delete your account and all associated data at any time from Settings → Delete Accountin the App — this is a real, immediate deletion (not a soft-disable): it purges every database record tied to your account and deletes your sign-in identity itself. Support tickets you've sent us may be retained separately in Help Scout per their own retention practices.
7. Your rights
- Access & correction: your current rating, stats, and settings are visible directly in the App (Player Insights / Settings screens).
- Deletion: use Delete Account (§6) for full self-service erasure at any time, no need to contact us first.
- Questions or anything the App doesn't self-serve: contact us (§14).
8. Sign in with Apple / Google
These sign-in options are live. Using them shares the identity information described in §1(a) with us via Apple/Google's own sign-in flow.
9. Children's privacy
The App is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us (§14) and we'll delete it.
10. Security
We rely on AWS's security infrastructure and industry-standard practices: all traffic to and from the App is encrypted (HTTPS/TLS), authentication is managed by Amazon Cognito rather than custom code, and access to production systems is restricted. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable steps appropriate to a service of this scale.
11. Cookies and local storage
The App does not use cookies. It uses your browser's or device's local storage to remember your preferences, keep you signed in between sessions, and cache your stats for offline display. This data lives on your own device and isn't a tracking mechanism.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the App evolves. The "Last updated" date at the top will always reflect the latest version, and we'll call out material changes (e.g. a new sign-in method or a new data use) within the App.
13. Australian Privacy Act and complaints
We aim to handle your personal information consistent with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) as a matter of good practice, regardless of whether the small-business threshold in that Act currently applies to a project of this size (that threshold is itself under government review and may change).
If you have a privacy complaint, contact us first (§14) so we can try to resolve it directly. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC): oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992.
14. Contact us
Questions about this policy or your data: support@beigechessapp.com
This document was drafted with the help of AI tooling based on a direct review of this project's actual codebase and infrastructure, not a generic template. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer — treat it as a strong first draft, and consider a solicitor's review before relying on it, especially given the pending Australian Privacy Act reforms noted in §13.
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