Privacy notice

Last updated: 22 July 2026

This notice explains how PJ's Puzzles (pjspuzzles.co.uk) collects and uses personal data when you use our puzzle games and related pages.

Who we are

The site is operated by the owner/developer/administrator of PJ's Puzzles. For privacy questions or data requests, use the contact form or email info@pjspuzzles.co.uk.

What we collect

Depending on how you use the site, we may process:

Account details — email address, display name, account creation time, and (if you use a password account) a hashed password. Google sign-in stores Google’s account identifier for your login and may use the email Google provides.
Gameplay records — scores, completion times, and related solve data linked to your account id so we can show leaderboards and your stats. Display names appear on public leaderboards when you submit a score.
Messages you send us — name, email, and message text from the contact form (delivered by email; not kept as a site account record).
Password-reset requests — when SMTP is configured, we email a time-limited reset link to the address on your account.
Technical data needed to run the site — session cookies and ordinary web-server logs (for example IP address and request metadata) that hosting software may retain for security and operations.

Some games also keep short-lived progress hints in your browser (cookies or local storage), such as whether you already played today’s puzzle. That data stays on your device unless you clear it.

Why we use it

To create and maintain your account and keep you signed in
To record scores, show leaderboards, and provide stats pages
To respond to contact messages and send password-reset emails
To keep the service secure and working reliably

We rely on processing that is necessary to provide the service you ask for (for example accounts and scoreboards), and on legitimate interests in running and securing a small public website. We do not sell your personal data and we do not use advertising or third-party analytics trackers on this site.

Cookies

We use:

Session cookie — required to keep you signed in (typically lasting up to 14 days while you remain active).
Game preference / progress cookies — optional UX helpers for individual games (for example remembering that you finished today’s Checkmate). They are not used for advertising.

These cookies are needed for the features above. You can block or clear cookies in your browser; signing out ends your hub session, and clearing site data removes local game progress stored in the browser.

Who we share data with

We only share data with providers who help us run the site:

Hosting — the server environment that stores the site and databases (currently Amazon Web Services)
Google — if you choose “Sign in with Google”, Google authenticates you and provides identity details we need for login (Google Privacy Policy)
Email delivery — our SMTP provider, when contact or password-reset email is enabled

We do not share data for marketing lists or advertising networks.

How long we keep it

Account and gameplay records — for as long as your account remains open
Password-reset links — expire after one hour
Contact emails — kept only as long as needed to reply and handle follow-up
Session cookies — until they expire or you sign out

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you can ask us to access, correct, or delete your personal data, and in some cases to restrict or object to processing, or to receive a copy in a portable form. To exercise these rights, contact us via the contact form (include the display name and email on the account if you have one).

You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we handle your data.

Children

The site is a general-audience puzzle site. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has created an account, please contact us so we can remove it.

Changes

We may update this notice when the site’s practices change. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do.