TIDEHOLMPrivacy policy
Last updated: 3 November 2026
Short version: we never ask for your name or e-mail. Your game progress stays in your browser, unless you choose to make an optional nickname account: then your nickname and your game save are also stored on our server, so you can continue on another device. You can delete the account at any time in the game (Settings → Account → Delete account). We use anonymous statistics and, on this website, ads to keep the game free. Statistics cookies and personalised ads are only used if you agree. You can change your choice at any time with Privacy settings.
Who is responsible
greg (the developer of Tideholm), contact: tihsnormies@gmail.com.
What this website and game use right now
- Hosting: Cloudflare Pages (delivers the site; processes IP addresses for security).
- Statistics: none at the moment (no analytics provider is switched on).
- Payments (optional): Stripe Checkout with Managed Payments: when you buy something, Stripe is the seller of record and handles payment, tax and fraud checks on its own page. Tideholm never sees your card; it only learns that your account bought an item. Stripe privacy policy.
- GameAnalytics: anonymous gameplay events (levels, waves, buildings, upgrades, shop and ad interactions, errors) with a random player id, only after you accept statistics. GameAnalytics privacy policy.
- Banner ads: Adsterra (banner ads on the website and under the game menus, never during a battle, and only after you accept ads in the consent banner). Adsterra may use cookies and your IP address to choose and measure ads. Adsterra privacy policy. Buying “remove ads” in the Shop switches them off.
- Ads: Google AdSense code is on the site while Google reviews it; no ads are shown to players yet.
- Co-op relay: Cloudflare Workers (passes moves between the two players of a room; stores nothing).
- Nickname accounts (optional): Cloudflare Workers + Durable Objects (stores your nickname, optional PIN hash and game save; see below).
Data stored on your device
| Name | Where | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game save (profile, unfinished battle, settings) | Browser storage (IndexedDB and localStorage) on this site | Needed to keep your progress. Never sent to us. | Until you clear your browser data or reset the game |
tideholm.web.pid | localStorage, only if you use co-op | A random player number so a friend's game can recognise you when you reconnect. Not used for statistics. | Until you clear your browser data |
tideholm.consent | localStorage | Remembers your privacy choice | Until you change it or clear your browser data |
tideholm.sid, tideholm.src | sessionStorage | A random session number and where this visit came from (e.g. "youtube"), so statistics can count sessions and campaigns | Deleted when you close the tab |
tideholm.pid, tideholm.first | localStorage, only if you accept statistics | A random anonymous player number and the date of your first visit, to measure whether players come back (day-1 / day-7 retention) | Until you decline statistics (then deleted) or clear your browser data |
Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_*) | Cookies, only if you accept statistics and Google Analytics is active (see above) | Statistics | Up to 13 months |
| Google advertising cookies | Cookies, only if ads are active (see above); personalised only with your consent | Showing and measuring ads, preventing fraud | See Google's policy |
Data stored on our server (only if you create an account)
The account is optional ("Play without an account" keeps everything in your browser). It exists so the same progress can follow you to your phone, your computer or a new link. It has no e-mail, no password, no real name: only a nickname you choose and, if you want, a 4-digit PIN.
| What | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Your nickname (3–16 letters or numbers) | To find your account when you sign in on another device. It is also shown to the other player in co-op. | Until you delete the account |
| Your PIN, if you set one, stored only as a salted, one-way hash (PBKDF2-SHA256); nobody can read the PIN back | So only you can open the account | Until you remove the PIN or delete the account |
| Your game save: levels, stars, pearls, Workshop upgrades, achievements, daily streak, settings, language and an unfinished battle | To continue where you left off on any device | Until you delete the account; the last few earlier copies are kept as an undo (also deleted with the account) |
| When the save was last written, and for each signed-in device a random sign-in key (stored as a hash) and a label such as "iPhone Safari" | To keep devices signed in and to notice when two devices played at the same time | Until you sign out on that device or delete the account (at most 10 devices) |
We do not store your IP address in the account. To stop guessing of nicknames and PINs the server counts requests per IP address in memory for up to 24 hours (never written to disk), and after 5 wrong PINs the account is locked for a while. Without a PIN anyone who types your nickname can open your save, so the game recommends setting one. Account data is not used for statistics or ads and is never sold or shared. During testing the server runs on the developer's computer; at launch it moves to Cloudflare Workers (see Service providers).
Delete or export: Settings → Account → Delete account removes the account and all its copies from the server at once (the save on your device stays). Settings → Export save code gives you your full save as text at any time.
Statistics (analytics)
To understand whether the game works and is fun, the game sends events such as "page opened", "game loaded", "level 3 started", "level 3 won in 140 seconds", "an ad was shown" and technical errors, together with the device type (e.g. "iPhone"), the browser version, the game version, the screen quality setting and where the visit came from (e.g. a YouTube video or a search engine). We do not collect names, e-mail addresses, precise location, contacts or anything you type.
Without your consent, statistics are sent without cookies or stored identifiers (Google Analytics "consent mode" sends cookieless, anonymous pings). With your consent, a random player number lets us see whether players return.
Advertising
When ads are active on this website they are served by Google (AdSense, including H5 Games Ads). Google may use cookies and your device's advertising identifier to show and measure ads and to prevent fraud. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, ads are only personalised if you agree in Google's consent message; otherwise Google shows non-personalised ads. Learn more: How Google uses information from sites that use its services, and turn off personalised ads at Google Ad Settings.
Ads in the game appear only between levels and as an optional "watch an ad for bonus pearls" button. Watching ads is never required.
Co-op (playing together)
When you host or join a co-op game, your device connects to our relay server (on this website or Cloudflare Workers). The relay passes messages between the two players of a room: the 4-digit room code, your display name (your nickname if you are signed in to an account, otherwise a random "Keeper 42"-style name) and the game moves. It does not store them, it keeps no logs of the game data, and a room disappears when the host leaves. Your IP address is seen by the relay and by Cloudflare (see Service providers) only to deliver the connection.
Game portals
When you play Tideholm on another website (for example CrazyGames, Poki or itch.io), that website's privacy policy applies to its ads and statistics. Our own statistics and ads are switched off in those versions.
Service providers
- Cloudflare (hosting, security, the optional account storage and, if active, cookieless Web Analytics): processes your IP address to deliver the site and stop abuse. Cloudflare privacy policy.
- Google (if active: Google Analytics 4, AdSense): Google privacy policy. Google may process data in the USA under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.
Legal basis (EEA/UK)
Storing your game save and privacy choice, and, if you create one, your nickname account with its save on our server, is necessary for the service you request (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Statistics cookies, the player number and personalised ads are based on your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR, ePrivacy rules), which you can withdraw at any time. Cookieless, anonymous statistics and fraud prevention are based on our legitimate interest in running and improving a free game (Art. 6(1)(f)).
Children
Tideholm is a general-audience game and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you are a parent and believe your child's data was collected, contact us and we will delete it.
Your rights
Depending on where you live (e.g. GDPR in the EEA/UK, the Korean PIPA, US state laws such as the CCPA) you can ask for access, correction, deletion, restriction or objection, and complain to your data protection authority (in Norway: Datatilsynet). Because we don't know who you are, the easiest way is to use Privacy settings (decline) and clear your browser data. If you made a nickname account, delete it in the game (Settings → Account → Delete account), or write to us with the nickname. You can also write to tihsnormies@gmail.com. We do not sell personal information.
Changes
We update this page when the services change (for example when ads are switched on). The date at the top shows the latest version.