HOT CHOCOLATE Privacy Policy

This policy explains how Houlem LLC, operating HOT CHOCOLATE ("we," "us," or "our"), collects, uses, discloses, and protects information through our website, game, accounts, checkout, newsletter, and related services.

1. Information We Collect

Account information

We may collect email address, username, account identifiers, verification status, creation date, authentication and security information, and privileges or entitlements. Passwords are protected using one-way hashing and are not intended to be stored as readable text.

Purchase information

We may receive order and product details, amounts, transaction status, payment-provider identifiers, purchase date, order email, and refund or dispute status. Stripe or another provider may process payments. We do not intend to receive or store complete card numbers when the provider processes those details directly.

Gameplay information

Online features may collect scores, progress, achievements, challenge results, leaderboard entries, player identifiers, game version, and information needed to detect errors, abuse, cheating, or invalid scores. Usernames and leaderboard results may be public; do not use sensitive information as a username.

Newsletter and technical information

Newsletter subscriptions may include email address, subscription status, dates, and delivery information. Our systems may process IP address, browser and device information, operating system, timestamps, logs, security data, and cookie or session identifiers to operate, secure, diagnose, and improve the Services.

2. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Necessary cookies support authentication, sessions, account security, verification, checkout, fraud prevention, and privacy choices. They may operate without optional consent where law permits. No optional analytics, advertising, or marketing cookies are currently enabled. If that changes, we will update our disclosures and obtain consent where required. See our Cookie Policy.

3. How We Use Information

We use information to create and secure accounts; verify email; authenticate users; process and fulfill purchases; send transactional messages; recover accounts; operate gameplay and leaderboards; detect fraud, cheating, and abuse; diagnose errors; provide support; send permitted newsletters; comply with law; enforce our Terms; and improve HOT CHOCOLATE.

4. Transactional and Marketing Emails

We may send verification, purchase, security, password-reset, and important service messages. These are separate from optional promotional communications. Marketing emails include legally required unsubscribe controls; unsubscribing does not stop essential account or transaction messages.

5. How We Disclose Information

We do not sell personal information for money. We may disclose information to providers supporting payment processing, hosting, cloud infrastructure, email, security, error monitoring, customer support, and analytics if enabled. We may also disclose it to comply with law, valid legal process, protect users or the Services, or complete a lawful business transaction.

6. Stripe

Stripe may process payments under its own privacy and security practices. We may receive transaction identifiers, payment status, limited payment-method information, and information necessary to fulfill and manage orders.

7. Public Information

Username, leaderboard position, score, achievement, or challenge information may be public. Private email addresses and payment information are not intended for public leaderboards.

8. Data Retention

We retain information only as reasonably necessary to maintain accounts and purchases, prevent fraud, resolve disputes, enforce agreements, and meet accounting, tax, security, and legal obligations. Unverified registrations may be deleted after a limited period. Backups or legally required records may persist for a limited period after deletion.

9. Privacy Requests

Depending on applicable law, you may request access, correction, deletion, information about use or disclosure, withdrawal of consent, opt-out of certain processing, or portability. We may verify your authority and retain information where law permits, including transaction, security, fraud-prevention, and legal records.

10. California Privacy Rights

Where the California Consumer Privacy Act applies, residents may have rights to know, delete, correct, opt out of qualifying sale or sharing, limit certain sensitive-data uses, and exercise rights without unlawful discrimination. We do not currently sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Where legally required, we will recognize qualifying opt-out preference signals such as Global Privacy Control.

11. EEA and United Kingdom

Where European or UK law applies, processing may rely on contract performance, legal obligation, legitimate interests, or consent. Eligible users may have rights to access, correct, delete, restrict, object, receive portable data, withdraw consent, and complain to a supervisory authority.

12. Children

HOT CHOCOLATE is not intended to knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without legally required authorization. If we discover improper collection, we will take appropriate action. Parents or guardians may contact us below.

13. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards. No online service can guarantee absolute security, and users must protect their credentials.

14. International Processing

We and our providers may process information in the United States and other countries, using appropriate transfer mechanisms where required.

15. Third-Party Links

Third-party sites and services have their own policies. We are not responsible for practices outside our control.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy for changes to HOT CHOCOLATE, providers, data practices, or law. The effective date identifies the latest revision, and additional notice will be provided where required.

17. Contact Us