Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 1, 2025  |  Last Updated: May 14, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how PlayEmulator.Online ("we", "our", or "the Site") collects, uses, and protects information from visitors and registered users. By using this site you agree to the practices described below.

1. Information We Collect

a) Information you provide voluntarily

• When you register: username, e-mail address, and password (stored as a bcrypt hash).
• When you contact us: name, e-mail, and message content.

b) Information collected automatically

• Log data: IP address, browser type, referring URL, pages visited, and timestamps.
• Cookies & local storage: session tokens, preferences (e.g. language), and favourites list.
• Analytics: We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand aggregate traffic. GA4 may set its own cookies. See Google's Privacy Policy.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To provide and improve the Site's features (game library, favourites, leaderboards).
• To send transactional e-mails (e.g. password reset) — we do not send marketing e-mails without explicit consent.
• To detect abuse, spam, or fraudulent activity.
• To compile anonymous, aggregate statistics about usage.

3. Cookies

We use the following categories of cookies:

Cookie	Purpose	Type
PHPSESSID	User session authentication	Essential
_ga, _ga_*	Google Analytics traffic measurement	Analytics
retro_lang	Language preference	Functional

You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time. Some features (e.g. favourites, login) require essential cookies to function.

4. Third-Party Services

• Google Analytics 4 — analytics (opt-out)
• Google AdSense — advertising; Google may use cookies to serve personalised ads based on your visits. See AdSense policies.
• Cloudflare — CDN and DDoS protection; may log IP addresses per their Privacy Policy.

We do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties.

5. Data Retention

• Account data is retained as long as your account is active. You may request deletion at any time.
• Server logs are retained for up to 30 days for security purposes.
• Analytics data is retained per Google's default retention settings.

6. Children's Privacy

PlayEmulator.Online is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction (including the EU under GDPR and California under CCPA), you may have the right to:

• Access, correct, or delete your personal data.
• Withdraw consent at any time.
• Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

To exercise these rights, contact us.

8. Security

We use HTTPS, hashed passwords (bcrypt), prepared SQL statements, and CSRF tokens to protect user data. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy periodically. Significant changes will be announced on the homepage. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy? Please use our Contact page or email us at legal@playemulator.online.