Information We Collect & Why

Comments:
When visitors leave comments on our site or forums, we collect the data shown in the comment form, alongside the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to prevent automated spam.

Gravatar Integration: An anonymized string created from your email address (a hash) may be sent to the Gravatar service to see if you use it. Their privacy policy is available at https://automattic.com/privacy/. Upon comment approval, your profile picture is visible to the public alongside your comment.

Guild Applications: When a guild applies via our "Join Our Alliance" recruitment page, we securely store the information submitted in the application form solely for leadership review.

Media Uploads: If you upload screenshots to our Media Gallery or Hall of Fame, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors to the site can technically download images and extract location data.

2. Cookies & Embedded Content

Comment Cookies: If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies for your own convenience so you don’t have to re-enter them later. These cookies expire after one year.

No Login Cookies: Because our platform does not require user registration, login accounts, or password resets for regular members, we do not deploy account-tracking or password cookies.

Embedded Media: Articles or guides on this site may feature embedded content (such as YouTube videos or images). Embedded content from other websites behaves exactly as if you visited that external site directly, meaning they may collect data, use their own cookies, or track your interaction if you are logged into their specific platform (like Google/YouTube).

3. Data Retention, Sharing, & Rights

Retention: Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely so we can automatically recognize and approve follow-up comments instead of holding them in a moderation queue. Application form details are kept as long as necessary for recruitment communication.

Data Sharing: We do not sell, rent, or trade your information with anyone. Visitor comments may be routinely verified through an automated spam detection service.

Your Data Rights: If you have left comments or submitted an alliance application on this site, you can request an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, or request that we completely erase any personal data. This does not include data we are required to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.