Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 11, 2026 (analytics added)

ShaderWait ("we", "us") is run by Jagger Bollendorf. This policy explains what we collect when you use shaderwait.com and what we do with it. Short version: we collect what we need to run the site, we don't sell your personal data, and you can ask us to delete it anytime.

What we collect

• Account data: your email address and a password hash (bcrypt; we never store your actual password), your handle, and when you joined.
• Preferences & profile: platforms, games, beginner mode, alert terms, digest opt-in, XP, streaks and badges.
• Content you post: community questions, answers, votes, reports and Discord server listings. Public posts are visible to everyone with your handle.
• AI provider keys (optional): if you connect your own OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI or Gemini key, it's encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM, only used server-side for your requests, and never shown back to you in full. Your prompts to AI tools are sent to that provider (or our configured provider) under their privacy terms.
• Billing: Pro subscriptions are processed by Stripe. We store your Stripe customer ID and subscription status, but never your card number.
• Discord (optional): if you link Discord, we store your Discord user ID to manage the Pro role.
• Email: verification, password reset, alerts and the opt-in daily digest are sent through our email provider.
• Technical data: IP address (for rate limiting and abuse prevention, kept in memory, not logged long-term), and basic server logs.

Cookies & local storage

We use a session cookie (sw.sid, httpOnly) to keep you logged in and protect forms against CSRF. Your browser's local storage holds UI preferences (platform filter, beginner mode) and your cookie-consent choice (sw_consent).

Analytics

• Built-in, cookie-free stats: for each page view we record the page path, the referring website's domain (not the full URL), the date, and a visitor ID that's a one-way hash of your IP address + browser user-agent + a secret salt that changes every day. We never store raw IP addresses, the ID can't be reversed, and it can't link your visits across days. Bots and API calls aren't counted. Data is kept for up to 90 days and only admins see aggregate totals.
• Google Analytics 4 (if enabled): sets cookies (_ga, _ga_*) to measure visits, pages and approximate location/device. IP anonymization is on and ad-related consent signals default to "denied". Visitors in the EEA, UK and Switzerland: GA only loads after you click "Accept" in our consent banner. Elsewhere it loads by default and you can click "Opt out". You can change your choice by clearing site data, or install the Google Analytics opt-out add-on. See how Google uses data from partner sites.

Advertising

Free-tier pages may show ads. Pro members don't see ads. We plan to use Google AdSense. When we do:

• Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other websites.
• Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this and/or other sites on the Internet.
• You can opt out of personalized advertising in Google Ads Settings, and opt out of some third-party vendors' cookies at aboutads.info. See also how Google uses data from sites that use its services.
• Visitors in the EEA, UK and Switzerland will be asked for consent through a Google-certified consent tool before personalized ads are shown. US-state privacy choices ("Do Not Sell or Share") will be offered the same way.

How we use data

To run your account, personalize your feed, send emails you asked for, process subscriptions, prevent spam and abuse, moderate community content, and improve the site. We don't sell your personal information.

Who we share with

Only service providers needed to run ShaderWait: hosting (Render), analytics (Google Analytics, if enabled), payments (Stripe), email delivery, Discord (if linked), AI providers (when you use AI tools), and ad partners (Google, once ads are live). We may disclose data if required by law.

Retention & deletion

You can delete your account yourself anytime from the Account page (Danger zone). We keep account data while your account exists. Email jagger@mail.grokbot.com to access, correct, export or delete your data. We'll respond within 30 days. Deleted AI keys are removed immediately. Billing records may be kept as required by tax law.

Kids

ShaderWait is not directed to children under 13, and you must be 13 or older to create an account. If we learn we've collected data from a child under 13, we'll delete it. Parents can contact us at the email above.

Security

HTTPS everywhere, hashed passwords, encrypted API keys, CSRF protection, rate limiting. No system is perfect; tell us if you find a problem.

Changes

We'll update this page and the date above when this policy changes.