Party games that respect your privacy
Effective date: 1 April 2026Game Jester is a mobile party game application developed by Hugh Mackenzie ("we", "us", "our"), based in the United Kingdom. Game Jester includes several party games, including Polygraph — an interactive social deduction game that optionally uses face analysis, heart rate monitoring, and voice analysis to enhance gameplay.
We are the data controller for any personal data processed through Game Jester. If you have any questions about this policy or your data, you can contact us at:
Email: privacy@gamejester.app
Address: Cullyblean Steading, Tullynessle, Alford, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
Game Jester is designed to minimise data collection. We do not use advertising SDKs, analytics trackers, or crash reporting services. We do not collect location data, contacts, browsing history, or advertising identifiers.
| Data | Purpose | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Player names (first name or nickname) | Game operation — identifying players during the game | Device only |
| Game preferences (sound, vibration) | Remembering your settings | Device only |
| Game scores and practice times | Tracking your progress | Device only |
| Bluetooth signal strength (RSSI) | Proximity-based game mechanics | Device only, session duration |
The Polygraph game includes an optional Digital Detective feature that uses AI to analyse player behaviour. This feature is off by default and only activates after you provide explicit consent through a multi-step process. The data collected depends on the consent tier you choose:
If a player connects an Apple Watch, the app receives heart rate readings during gameplay to power the game's pressure detection mechanics. Heart rate data is:
When you enable data upload, the app generates a cryptographic key pair stored securely in your device's Keychain (iOS) or Keystore (Android). Your device is identified by a SHA-256 hash of the public key — a random-looking string that cannot be linked to you personally, your Apple ID, Google account, phone number, or any other identifier. You can reset this identity at any time (see Section 10).
| Location data | Contacts or address book |
| Advertising identifiers (IDFA/GAID) | Browsing history |
| Email addresses | Phone numbers |
| Financial or payment data | Photos from your camera roll |
Important notice regarding biometric data (including for residents of Illinois, USA):
When you consent to Tier 2 or Tier 3 data collection, Game Jester captures face landmark geometry — numerical measurements of facial feature positions extracted from the front-facing camera. This data constitutes biometric information under certain laws, including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
Before any face landmark data is captured, you will be presented with an in-app notice and asked to provide explicit written consent (via a digital acknowledgement). Face landmark capture will not begin until you affirmatively consent.
Purpose: Face landmark data is used to detect facial micro-expressions (blink rate changes, mouth compression, head movement) as part of the Polygraph game's pressure detection mechanics. This data may also be used for AI model training and research as described in Section 4.
Retention and destruction:
Sharing: Face landmark data is never sold in a form that identifies you. It may be included in anonymised research datasets as described in Section 5. We do not use face landmark data for facial recognition, identity verification, or surveillance purposes.
Your right to refuse: You may decline biometric data collection at any time by selecting Tier 1 (which does not capture face landmarks) or by disabling the Digital Detective feature entirely. Declining will not affect your ability to play the game.
We process player names, game preferences, Bluetooth data, and real-time sensor data (face landmarks, heart rate, voice) to operate the Polygraph game and its Digital Detective feature. This processing occurs primarily on your device.
When the Digital Detective is enabled, game context (role descriptions, question-and-answer summaries, and pressure readings) is sent to OpenAI's API to generate targeted follow-up questions. Player real names are not sent to OpenAI. OpenAI processes this data under their API data usage policy, which states that API inputs are not used to train their models.
With your explicit consent, uploaded session data is used to train and improve machine learning models that detect deception cues (voice stress, facial micro-expressions, physiological responses). These models are designed to run on-device in future versions of the app, improving the Digital Detective's accuracy without requiring an internet connection.
We may license anonymised and aggregated datasets to academic institutions and AI research organisations for the purpose of advancing deception detection, behavioural analysis, and multimodal AI research. See Section 5 for details on how we anonymise data.
We may create anonymised, aggregated, or de-identified data from personal data collected through the app by removing, replacing, or transforming information that could reasonably be used to identify any individual. This includes but is not limited to: removing player names, replacing voice recordings with extracted numerical features, stripping video to landmark-only representations, and removing device identifiers.
Once data has been truly anonymised such that re-identification is not reasonably possible, it is no longer considered personal data under applicable data protection laws. We may use such anonymised and aggregated data for any lawful purpose, including:
We commit to not attempting to re-identify any individual from anonymised data, and we contractually require the same of any third party to whom we provide anonymised datasets.
| Recipient | Data shared | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | Game context, Q&A summaries, pressure readings (no player names) | AI-generated detective questions |
| Cloudflare | Encrypted session packages (Cloudflare cannot read the contents) | Secure cloud storage (R2 object storage) |
| Research partners (future) | Anonymised datasets only | AI research and model training |
We do not sell personal data. We do not share data with advertisers. We do not use data for profiling, targeted advertising, or any purpose unrelated to the game and associated research.
We take data security seriously. Session data is protected by multiple layers:
| Data type | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Player names, game preferences, scores | Stored on your device until you clear them or uninstall the app |
| Real-time sensor data (HR, face, voice) not uploaded | Destroyed when the game session ends |
| Uploaded session packages (Tier 1/2/3) | 5 years from date of collection, then permanently deleted |
| Anonymised/aggregated statistical data | Retained indefinitely (no longer personal data) |
| Device cryptographic identity | Until you reset it or uninstall the app |
| Deletion request records | 7 years (legal compliance) |
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), we process your data on the following lawful bases:
| Processing activity | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Basic game operation (names, preferences, scores) | Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) — necessary to provide the game experience you expect |
| Sensor data during gameplay (face, HR, voice) | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) — you choose to enable features that use these sensors |
| Uploading session data for AI training | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) — explicit opt-in via tiered consent flow |
| Processing biometric data (face landmarks) | Explicit consent (Art. 9(2)(a)) — special category data requires explicit consent |
| Processing health data (heart rate) | Explicit consent (Art. 9(2)(a)) — special category data requires explicit consent |
| Sending game context to OpenAI | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) — you choose to enable the Digital Detective |
You may withdraw your consent at any time through the app's settings or the "My Data" screen. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@gamejester.app. We will respond within one month.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
If you are a California resident, you have the right to:
If you are an Illinois resident, please see Section 3 (Biometric Data Notice) for specific disclosures required under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, including our collection practices, purpose, retention schedule, and your right to refuse.
If you are a Washington resident, heart rate data collected from wearable devices is consumer health data. We collect this data only with your opt-in consent. We do not sell consumer health data. You may withdraw consent and request deletion at any time.
Residents of Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, Oregon, and other states with comprehensive privacy laws have similar rights to access, delete, correct, and opt out. Contact us at privacy@gamejester.app to exercise your rights.
The Digital Detective feature (which collects sensor data) is restricted to players aged 13 and over. Before activating the Digital Detective, the app requires the host to confirm that all players are aged 13 or older.
The Digital Detective is automatically disabled for game packs designated as children's content.
Without the Digital Detective enabled, Game Jester collects only basic game data (player first names, preferences, scores) stored locally on the device. No data is transmitted from the device when the Digital Detective is off.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 for the purpose of AI model training or data upload. If we become aware that we have collected such data, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a child under 13 has provided data through the Digital Detective feature, please contact us at privacy@gamejester.app.
You have multiple ways to delete your data:
Contact privacy@gamejester.app with:
We will process deletion requests within 30 days. If your data has been included in a licensed dataset, we will notify the licensee of the deletion requirement.
You can withdraw consent at any time via the app settings. This will immediately stop all data upload and future collection, but will not automatically delete data already uploaded. To delete previously uploaded data, use the deletion options above.
Uploaded session data is stored on Cloudflare's R2 storage service. Cloudflare operates a global network, and your data may be processed in countries outside the UK or your country of residence. Cloudflare maintains appropriate safeguards for international data transfers, including Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and compliance with applicable data protection frameworks.
When game context is sent to OpenAI for AI question generation, it may be processed in the United States. OpenAI's data processing is governed by their API data usage policies.
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make material changes to how we collect or use your data, we will:
We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Hugh Mackenzie
Data Controller
Email: privacy@gamejester.app
Address: Cullyblean Steading, Tullynessle, Alford, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
We aim to respond to all privacy enquiries within 30 days.