Privacy policy
Last updated 18 October 2026
OpenKerala is a free-to-play multiplayer browser game. You can walk, drive, build, vote and use text chat without an account, an email address or your real name. This page explains what we collect, why we need it, how long we keep it, and what you can do about it.
In short: we use limited information to run the game, keep players safe and measure usage. We may display advertisements and sponsored content on in-game billboards. We do not sell or rent your personal information, and we do not record voice chat.
What we collect when you play
- A display name you choose. It does not need to be your real name. Names are automatically checked for offensive words.
- Game activity. Your position in the game world, the vehicle you use, your in-game balance and progress, trips you post or join, and blocks you place in community plots. Other players need some of this to see you in the world.
- Text chat. Messages are delivered to nearby players and are automatically checked for blocked words. We do not keep a history of chat messages.
- Your opinion-board vote, if you cast one, stored against a scrambled identifier so each person gets one vote.
- Connection and device information. Like other websites, we receive your internet (IP) address, browser type and device type. We use this information to help the game run smoothly, keep it safe and fix problems.
Coming back after a break or an update
So you can reconnect without losing your place, the game keeps a resume key in your browser. On our side we keep your session (name, position, balance and progress) in a protected, encrypted form for up to 24 hours after you leave. After that it is deleted. We store only a scrambled version of your resume key, never the key itself.
Counting new and returning players
To see how many people play each day and whether they come back, your browser keeps a random visitor number that we create. It contains no name, email or account. We store only a scrambled version of it, with the first and last day it was seen, plus daily totals that do not identify anyone. We use this only for totals such as "players today". A record not seen for 90 days is deleted. Clearing your browser data gives you a new visitor number.
Google sign-in
Signing in with Google is needed for voice chat, friends, saved builds and outfits, buying costumes, voluntary contributions and feedback replies. Signing in is for players 18 and older, and you confirm this each time you sign in. When you sign in, we verify the sign-in with Google and keep:
- your Google account identifier (a number, not your password);
- your email address;
- your Google display name and profile picture link;
- the time you confirmed you are 18 or older.
Your Google display name is shown only to players you have accepted as friends, so they always know who you are. Everyone else, including players you send a friend request to, sees only the in-game name you choose. Your email address and picture are never shown to other players.
We never see your Google password, and we do not ask for access to your Gmail, Drive, contacts, calendar or any other Google data. We use this information to unlock voice chat, to give each account one vote on the opinion board, and to make moderation decisions apply to the right account. You can sign out at any time from the Voice panel.
Buying a costume
Signed-in players aged 18 or older can buy cosmetic costumes. Payments are handled by a third-party payment provider authorised in India, in its own secure window. You type your card, UPI or bank details into the provider's window, never into the game, and we never see or store them. The provider processes them under its own privacy policy, which it shows in that window.
For each purchase we keep: the costume and price, the time, whether it was paid, failed or refunded, the payment method type (for example "UPI" or "card"), the payment provider's order and payment reference numbers, your in-game name at the time, a scrambled identifier for your account, and a shortened form of your email address (for example an***@gmail.com). We use this to deliver the costume, keep it on your account, help you if something goes wrong, and keep the accounts the law requires.
Making a voluntary contribution
If you choose voluntary support, our third-party payment provider processes your payment. We do not collect your UPI PIN, full card details or bank login. Our ledger keeps the amount, currency, payment/order references, payment method type and status, timestamps and refund records, your scrambled account identifier, in-game name and masked email, the recipient disclosures at payment time, and the version and time of the terms and adult/domestic-funds declaration you accepted. We use these records to verify contributions, show your acknowledgement, reconcile accounts, handle complaints/refunds, prevent fraud and meet legal obligations. They are not public and do not create a donor leaderboard.
The payment provider processes payment and verification information under its own privacy notice. You may request access, correction or deletion by contacting us; records required for legal accounting, disputes or fraud prevention may need to be retained. Contribution records are kept for the applicable Indian tax/accounting period, with the exact schedule confirmed before live collection.
Voice chat
- Your microphone stays off until you allow it in your browser. It then transmits only while you hold the mic button or the V key, or while you have deliberately switched it to stay on.
- Only players near you in the game, or in a private group you joined, can hear you.
- To reach other players, your audio travels over encrypted connections, which may pass through a trusted voice-delivery provider. We do not record or store voice audio, and neither does that provider on our behalf.
- Other players can still record what they hear. No voice platform can prevent that. Treat public voice as a public place.
Reports and moderation
You can report another player. We record the report, the reason you picked, and the names of the players involved so our moderators can review it. If several different people report the same player, that player's voice and text chat are suspended automatically. Moderators may also mute, remove or suspend players who break the terms. Reports are not published.
Analytics
We use privacy-friendly analytics tools, run for us, to count page visits, measure how quickly pages load, and see which parts of the game are used. They record things like the page address, referring site, rough screen size, browser type and country. They do not use advertising cookies, do not follow you to other websites, and are not used to build a profile of you.
In-game billboards and sponsored content
Billboards may show advertisements, sponsored content and promotional links. We select billboard content for an in-game location, not using personal advertising profiles. Billboard images are served by our game server; this feature does not load third-party advertising trackers.
We estimate views from your character's proximity to a board and time nearby, and count presses on its link button. A button press is counted even if you decide not to open the external website. These figures do not prove that you looked at the board or visited a website.
To limit repeat counting, we temporarily associate board and content references and interaction times with your game session. These records stay in server memory until your live or resumable session ends, including the reconnection period described above. Saved board statistics contain aggregate totals, not individual player interaction histories.
Opening an external link is optional, and the game asks you to confirm before opening the site. If you proceed, that site receives ordinary connection information such as your IP address and browser details and handles information under its own privacy policy. Our statements about tracking inside the game do not describe what an external site may do.
Storage in your own browser
We store a small amount of data in your browser: your resume key so you can reconnect, your sign-in if you used one, the random visitor number described above, and a few game settings. It is sent only to our own game. Clearing your browser data removes it.
Who we share information with
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information, or provide it to advertisers for targeting. We may share aggregate board-level view and button-press totals with advertisers or sponsors. These reports do not include player names, email addresses, account or session identifiers, IP addresses or individual movement histories. We use service providers to run the game — hosting, network security and delivery, voice delivery, Google sign-in, analytics and, if you buy a costume or contribute, payment processing. Payment providers also process information for their own regulatory and fraud-prevention obligations under their privacy notices. We may disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect players and the game from harm.
How long we keep it
| Information | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Text chat and voice audio | Not stored |
| Temporary connection records | While needed to manage visits and keep the game running safely. Some records may remain between visits until they are refreshed or cleared during normal operation. |
| Position and live game state | While you are connected |
| Resumable session (name, balance, progress) | Up to 24 hours after you leave |
| Scrambled visitor number | 90 days after your last visit |
| Temporary billboard repeat-counting records | Until your live or resumable session ends, including the reconnection period described above; held only in server memory |
| Aggregate billboard statistics | Current totals until reset or content replacement; retired totals while held in the limited board-content history, until replaced or removed |
| Reports | Until reviewed or no longer needed for moderation |
| Blocks in community plots | Until changed, removed or the world is reset |
| Opinion-board vote (scrambled) | For as long as the board runs |
| Google sign-in details | Until you sign out, your session ends, or you ask us to delete them |
| Purchase records | As long as Indian tax and accounting law requires (usually up to 8 years); the costume stays on your account while it exists |
| Contribution records and consent declarations | The applicable legal accounting period; longer where a dispute or lawful retention requirement applies |
Service providers that help us run and protect the game also handle connection information. Their records may be kept for different periods under the relevant service policies and legal requirements.
Keeping it safe
Connections to the game are encrypted. We keep as little as we can, store scrambled identifiers instead of raw ones where possible, and limit access to the people who run the game. No online service can promise perfect security, but we take reasonable steps to protect what we hold.
Children
OpenKerala is not directed at children under 13. Signing in, and so voice chat and friends, is only for adults aged 18 or older. If you believe someone under 18 has signed in, contact us and we will remove the account data.
Your rights and choices
- Play without signing in — everything except voice still works.
- Sign out from the Voice panel at any time.
- Mute anyone individually, or mute everyone, without leaving voice.
- Ask us what information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it, by emailing the address below. Because we keep so little, this is usually quick.
- If you are not satisfied with our reply, you may raise a grievance with us at the same address, and you may also contact the data protection authority where you live.
Changes
If this policy changes, we will update the date at the top of this page. If a change significantly affects how we use your information, we will make it clear in the game.
Contact
Questions, requests or grievances: [email protected] · Contact us.