Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Foundational Philosophy

This Privacy Policy explains how Neurostack Technologies ("we", "us", or "our") handles user privacy for the mobile video game application 2048 (Package ID: com.neurostackos.game2048) available on the Google Play Store and accessible through our digital presence at https://2048.neurostackos.com.

At Neurostack Technologies, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right. Video games should stimulate the mind, test analytical limits, and provide engaging recreation without compromising personal sovereignty or harvesting user behavioral data. Consequently, 2048 was architected from the very first line of code as an offline-first, client-side, zero-tracking application. This document outlines in exhaustive technical detail the mechanics of your device storage, our integration with standard third-party advertising SDKs, and your rights under global privacy regulations including GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and COPPA.

2. Information Collection, Processing, and Local Storage

2.1 Username and Local Leaderboard Architecture

When you participate in high-score tracking or customize your leaderboard profile within 2048, the application provides an option to set a player username. We wish to state unequivocally and with complete transparency:

• Strict Local Storage Only: We take your chosen username exclusively for the purpose of personalizing your in-game high score record on the local leaderboard. This username, along with your high scores across all grid configurations (4x4, 6x6, 8x8, 10x10), tile state, undo counters, and coin balances, is stored strictly locally on your physical device using private, sandboxed application storage (Android SharedPreferences).
• No Server Transmission: We do not operate a remote database, cloud server, or telemetry server that receives or stores your username. Your username is never uploaded over the internet, never synced to external servers, and never transmitted to Neurostack Technologies or any third-party entity.
• No Identity Linkage: Because the username exists only in your phone's isolated sandbox memory, it is never tied to an email address, phone number, Google account, hardware serial number, or biometric identifier.

2.2 Absolute Zero Collection of Personal Identifiable Information (PII)

Neurostack Technologies does NOT collect, request, scrape, or log any of the following categories of information:

• Real legal names, physical home or mailing addresses, postal codes, or country of residence.
• Email addresses, mobile telephone numbers, or messaging usernames.
• GPS coordinates, cellular tower triangulation data, Wi-Fi SSID logs, or geographic telemetry.
• Contacts, phone books, address books, call logs, SMS text messages, or camera/microphone access.
• Biometric data, facial recognition meshes, or voice recordings.
• Social media account connections, friends graphs, or public profile data.

3. Third-Party Services, SDKs, and Advertising Disclosure

To support the continued engineering, optimization, and free availability of 2048 across global markets, the application integrates third-party software development kits (SDKs) solely for non-intrusive in-game advertising and Google Play billing functionality.

3.1 Google AdMob (Google Mobile Ads SDK)

The application displays banner advertisements at the bottom of select utility screens (such as the Theme Shop), interstitial ads following game completion cycles, and optional rewarded video ads that allow players to earn in-game coins. These advertising placements are served via the Google AdMob SDK provided by Google LLC.

Google AdMob may process certain technical device metrics to deliver relevant advertising, combat fraud, and monitor ad delivery metrics. This information is processed directly by Google according to Google's proprietary privacy standards and may include:

• Mobile Advertising Identifiers: Google Advertising ID (GAID / AAID) on Android devices, which you can reset or delete at any time in your Android system settings.
• Device Technical Characteristics: Device manufacturer, hardware model, operating system version, screen resolution, locale, language preferences, and mobile network carrier.
• Performance and Telemetry Data: Ad viewability, click timestamps, crash telemetry, and diagnostic logs associated with the ad delivery process.

Neurostack Technologies has configured AdMob to avoid requesting or transmitting sensitive categories. We strongly encourage users to review Google's official documentation regarding how Google collects and uses information: How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services and the Google Privacy Policy.

Opting Out of Personalized Advertising: On any modern Android device, you have complete control over ad personalization. You can disable interest-based advertising or reset your advertising ID at any time by navigating to Settings → Google → Ads → Delete advertising ID or Reset advertising ID.

3.2 Google Play In-App Billing

The application provides optional digital in-app purchases allowing players to unlock premium themes or obtain additional virtual coins. All monetary and financial transactions are executed exclusively through the official Google Play In-App Billing API managed by Google LLC.

Neurostack Technologies never handles, accesses, processes, or stores your credit card numbers, debit card details, bank account credentials, PayPal authorizations, or physical billing addresses. When a transaction completes successfully, Google Play returns an encrypted digital receipt token to your local device to unlock the requested theme. This receipt token is verified locally and recorded strictly in local device storage.

4. Summary of Device Permissions Requested

To provide full transparency, the following technical permissions are declared in the Android application manifest (AndroidManifest.xml) and are restricted exclusively to their required technical utilities:

Notice what is absent: 2048 does not request permissions for fine location, background location, contacts, camera, audio recording, external storage writing, Bluetooth scanning, SMS access, or phone state reading. The app operates safely within a minimal, sandbox environment.

5. Offline Operation and Data Erasure

2048 is completely functional without any active internet connection. You can play every board configuration (4x4, 6x6, 8x8, 10x10), earn coins, use undos, unlock locally earned themes, and review your high scores completely offline (in airplane mode or with Wi-Fi disabled).

How to Permanently Erase All Stored Game Data

Because all data (usernames, high scores, coins, unlocked themes) is stored locally on your device hardware, you retain full, unilateral authority over your information at all times. You can wipe your data immediately without submitting a ticket or contacting our team:

1. Open your Android device's Settings app.
2. Navigate to Apps or Application Manager.
3. Select 2048 from your installed applications list.
4. Tap Storage & Cache → tap Clear Storage (or Clear Data).

Executing this step instantly and permanently purges your local SharedPreferences database, deleting all recorded usernames, scores, and preferences. Alternatively, uninstalling the application automatically deletes all sandboxed files associated with the game.

6. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Compliance

Neurostack Technologies is committed to protecting the online privacy of children. 2048 is designed as a family-friendly mathematical puzzle game suitable for general audiences of all age brackets. The game contains no violence, objectionable language, mature content, or social communication features.

In strict accordance with the United States Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and international child safety standards, we do not knowingly solicit, collect, or store personal identifiable information from children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in applicable European jurisdictions). As established throughout this policy, the application does not transmit or store any personal data on external servers for any player, regardless of age. If a parent or legal guardian discovers that their child has entered their personal real name as a local leaderboard username and wishes to remove it, they may easily delete it by clearing app storage as described in Section 5 or by contacting us.

7. Global Privacy Regulations Compliance

7.1 European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

For players residing within the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or Switzerland, the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679) provides distinct statutory rights regarding personal data. Under GDPR definitions, Neurostack Technologies does not serve as a data controller or data processor of personal data because we neither collect, process, nor transmit personal identifiable information to any cloud infrastructure.

To the extent that technical telemetry or device advertising IDs are processed by Google AdMob, Google acts as an independent data controller. EEA users are presented with standard EU Consent Framework prompts to choose between personalized or non-personalized advertising experiences. Furthermore, you hold the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict, and object to processing through your device controls and Google account privacy dashboards.

7.2 California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA), California residents have specific rights regarding their personal information:

• Right to Know: You have the right to request information regarding categories of personal data collected. As declared, Neurostack Technologies collects zero personal information.
• Right to Delete: You can delete all locally held game data, usernames, and scores immediately via your device's application manager.
• Notice of Non-Sale of Personal Data: Neurostack Technologies has never sold, leased, rented, or shared personal data with third parties for monetary or commercial consideration, and will never do so in the future. We do not sell your personal data.
• Non-Discrimination: You will never be penalized, denied services, or provided a degraded gameplay experience for exercising your statutory privacy rights.

8. Information Security Architecture

Although Neurostack Technologies maintains no cloud repositories of player data, we prioritize security across the mobile client architecture. We employ standard Android OS sandbox isolation, preventing other applications installed on your device from accessing or tampering with 2048's local data files. All network traffic between your device and Google's advertising and billing infrastructure utilizes secure Transport Layer Security (TLS 1.3) cryptographic protocols with verified SSL certificates to prevent interception or tampering.

9. Policy Updates and Version History

Neurostack Technologies reserves the right to amend or update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in regulatory statutes, mobile operating system frameworks, or application functionality. Whenever updates occur, the revised version will be published immediately on our web portal at https://2048.neurostackos.com/privacy with an updated effective date. We encourage players to review this page periodically to remain informed about our unwavering dedication to user privacy.

10. Contacting the Developer & Legal Inquiries

If you have any questions, comments, legal inquiries, or compliance requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our operational practices, our engineering and legal team can be reached directly via electronic mail or through our official corporate portal: