Privacy Policy

Last updated 5 July 2026

This policy explains what data The Gauntlet (“we”, “the site”) collects, why, and the control you have over it. We keep collection to the minimum needed to run the site.

What we collect

• Account data. If you sign in with email, your email address and a hashed password. If you sign in through Steam, your Steam ID, public persona name and avatar. We never see or store your Steam password.
• Content you create. Submissions, community rulesets, comments, reviews, ratings and votes — stored with your user ID and shown publicly under your display name.
• Steam library (opt-in). If you link Steam, we cache the games you own that exist in our catalogue plus your achievement completion, to show them on your profile.
• Permadeath uploads (opt-in). If you enable the companion, the screenshots and stats it uploads on a character’s death, shown on your profile and (for companion uploads) the front page.
• Technical data. A single session cookie to keep you signed in. We do not run third-party advertising or cross-site tracking.

How we use it

To authenticate you, attribute your contributions, show your profile and library, run moderation, and operate site features (player-count history, leaderboards, announcements). We do not sell your data.

Cookies

We use one strictly-necessary cookie (gauntlet_session) to keep you signed in. It is not used for advertising or analytics. Because it is essential to the service, it is set when you sign in; clearing it logs you out.

Third parties

We call the Steam Web API and Steam OpenID to authenticate Steam users and read public profile / library data, subject to Valve’s terms. The site is hosted on Cloudflare, which processes requests to deliver the site.

Your rights & data deletion

You can view and edit most of your data from your account. You may request a copy of your data or full deletion of your account and associated content at any time — use Settings → Delete account or email us via the contact page. Deletion removes your account, sessions, linked Steam library and permadeath uploads; public contributions are anonymised or removed. If you are in the EU/UK, these rights are yours under the GDPR/UK GDPR.

Retention

Account and content data is kept until you delete it. Player-count history is aggregate and not tied to individuals. Sessions expire after 30 days.

Contact

Questions about this policy or a data request? Reach us on the contact page.

This document is a plain-language summary provided for transparency and is not legal advice.