Privacy

Last updated: November 2, 2026

Gotcha Cat (playgotchacat.com) is run by VS Nettipalvelu, Iso-Roobertinkatu 20-22 A 82, 00120 Helsinki, Finland (VAT FI26942098), email support@playgotchacat.com. We are the controller of the data described here. The game has no ads and no tracking or advertising cookies.

Playing without an account

On your device. Your stars, streak, coins, shop items, stickers and settings are saved in your own browser (local storage). Clearing your browser data removes them.
A random game ID and a made-up detective name (like “Swift Puffin 95”) are created in your browser. They are not linked to who you are.
Game results we receive: for each case you finish, whether you solved it and how long it took (to show the share of players who solve a case and their average time); in the weekly tournament, your taps on the pictures, times and score (to check results fairly and show the leaderboard and Top players).
Why: to run the game features you use (our legitimate interest in providing a fair game). We keep results for up to 3 years.
Usage statistics: when you open the game, start or finish a case, open the shop or share a result, your browser sends the event name with a coded form of your random game ID (we store only a one-way hash of it), the day, the site you came from (for example “google” or “youtube”), the interface language and the device type (phone, tablet or computer). For our landing pages we count views by page type and referring site, without any ID. No cookies are used for this, and nothing is shared with advertisers. We use only totals (for example how many players come back the next day) to improve the game — our legitimate interest. These records are deleted after 180 days, and right away when you delete your account.

Accounts (16 and over)

Accounts are only for players aged 16 and over. Younger players can play everything without one; we don’t store the birth date you enter, only whether an account may be created.
When you sign in with Google we receive your Google account ID and email address. We store them with your detective name, chosen avatar, game ID and your synced game progress, and set one cookie that keeps you signed in. Your email is never shown to other players.
Why: to provide the account you asked for (contract). We keep the account until you delete it.
In the Gotcha tab you can: hide yourself from Top players, download all your data, sign out, and delete your account. Deleting removes the account, its progress and all results tied to its game ID.

Who else processes data

Cloudflare hosts the site and the game server and processes standard request data (such as IP address) to deliver and protect it.
Google provides “Sign in with Google”; Google’s privacy policy applies to your Google account.
Stripe processes payments when you buy a coin pack. Stripe receives your payment details and email directly; we only receive the payment status, amount and the game ID it belongs to, which we keep for accounting as the law requires.
Links to YouTube open YouTube, where YouTube’s privacy policy applies.

Data may be processed outside the EU by these providers under their standard contractual safeguards.

Your rights

You can access, download, correct or delete your data, object to processing, and complain to the Finnish Data Protection Ombudsman (tietosuoja.fi). Most of this you can do yourself in the Gotcha tab; for anything else write to support@playgotchacat.com.