The short version
DrawDuel is a free browser game. You can play as a guest without handing over a name or an email. We keep the smallest amount of data needed to run a match, track your rank, and show ads to players who are not on Pro.
We do not sell your personal data. You can delete your account, and everything tied to it, at any time from the account page.
What we collect
Guest play: when you start a duel as a guest we create an anonymous account and store a token in your browser so your rank survives a refresh. That account holds a display handle, your Elo and match history, and nothing that identifies you in the real world.
Registered accounts: if you sign in with Google we store your email address and a Google account identifier so we can recognize you on your next visit. We never receive or store your Google password. Google verifies you and only tells us that you signed in and what your confirmed email address is.
Gameplay data: the prompts you draw on, your drawings, match outcomes, and Elo changes. Drawings from a finished duel can appear on public replay and leaderboard pages.
Technical data: your IP address and basic request metadata, used for rate limiting and abuse prevention. We do not build advertising profiles from it.
Cookies and local storage
We use your browser's local storage to keep you signed in between visits. That is functional, not tracking, and the game does not work without it.
Our advertising partners may set their own cookies in your browser. Those are described in the next section, and you can refuse them without losing access to the game.
Advertising and Google AdSense
We show ads to keep DrawDuel free. We use Google AdSense, and Google is a third-party vendor that uses cookies to serve ads on this site.
Google's use of advertising cookies lets it and its partners serve ads based on your visits to DrawDuel and other sites. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings at https://www.google.com/settings/ads, and you can opt out of third-party vendor cookies at https://www.aboutads.info.
When you first visit, we ask for your consent to advertising and analytics cookies. Until you accept, Google's tags run in a limited, non-personalized mode, and we remember your choice on this browser so you are not asked again.
Pro members do not see ads, and no ad cookies are loaded for them.
Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how players find and use DrawDuel, such as which pages they land on and how many finish a duel. This helps us decide what to fix and build next.
Google Analytics sets its own cookies and processes data, including a truncated form of your IP address, on our behalf. We use it for aggregate measurement, not to identify you or target ads. You can opt out across all sites with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
How we use your data
To run matches, judge drawings, and keep your ranked rating accurate over time.
To show public leaderboards and shareable replay pages, which is part of how the game works.
To keep the service healthy: rate limiting, blocking abuse, and fixing bugs.
Who we share it with
Service providers that make the game run, such as our hosting platform and the AI model that judges drawings. They process data on our behalf and only for that purpose.
Google, for serving ads, as described above.
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising beyond the ad cookies you can opt out of.
Your rights and choices
You can delete your account and all data attached to it from the account page at any time. Deletion is immediate and permanent.
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, or export your data, or to object to certain processing. To make a request, email privacy@drawduel.io.
You can opt out of personalized ads using the Google and aboutads.info links above without affecting your ability to play.
Data retention
We keep account and match data while your account exists so your rank and history stay intact. When you delete your account, that data is removed. Public match records may keep an anonymized result so historical leaderboards stay consistent.
Children
DrawDuel is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect data from them. If you believe a child has given us personal data, email us and we will remove it.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle data we will update this page and the date at the top. Material changes will be called out on the site.
Contact
Questions about privacy or a data request? Email privacy@drawduel.io.