Privacy Policy

Introduction

CodeArena ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our website and services at codearena.co (the "Service").

By using the service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Information We Collect

Personal Information You Provide

• Account Information: Username, email address, and password when you register
• Profile Information: Avatar, bio, and display preferences
• Payment Information: For Pro subscribers, payment details are processed securely by Stripe. We do not store your full credit card number
• Feedback: Any comments, suggestions, or feedback you submit

Usage Data Automatically Collected

• Code Submissions: Your code solutions during battles, practice sessions, tournaments, and weekly challenges
• Battle Statistics: Win/loss records, ELO ratings, solve times, streaks, and performance metrics
• Tournament Data: Tournament registrations, match results, bracket progression, and tournament history
• Messages: Direct messages sent to other users through our messaging feature
• Friend Connections: Your friend list, friend requests, and social interactions
• AI Coach Interactions: For Pro users, conversations with our AI Coach to provide personalized feedback
• Navigation Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent on the service
• Technical Information: IP address, browser type, device information, operating system
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: Session identifiers, authentication tokens, preferences

How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for the following purposes:

• Provide and Maintain the Service: Enable coding battles, matchmaking, practice mode, tournaments, weekly challenges, and leaderboards
• Social Features: Enable messaging between users, friend connections, and social interactions
• Tournament Operations: Manage tournament registrations, brackets, match scheduling, and prize distribution
• AI Coaching: Power our AI Coach feature with personalized hints and code reviews for Pro subscribers
• Process Payments: Handle Pro subscription billing through Stripe
• Improve User Experience: Analyze usage patterns to enhance functionality and features
• Communication: Send tournament notifications, weekly challenge alerts, service updates, and promotional content (if you opted in)
• Fair Play Enforcement: Monitor for cheating, abuse, and violations of terms of service
• Technical Support: Respond to inquiries and troubleshoot issues
• Analytics: Understand how users interact with the service to improve performance
• Legal Compliance: Comply with applicable laws and regulations

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your data only in the following circumstances:

• During Battles and Tournaments: Your username, avatar, and ELO rating are visible to opponents, tournament participants, and on leaderboards
• Messages: Messages are delivered to recipients you choose. We do not share private messages with third parties except as required by law
• Friend Lists: Your friend connections are visible to your friends. You control who can send you friend requests in settings
• Payment Processing: Stripe processes payments for Pro subscriptions. See Stripe's privacy policy for details
• Service Providers: Third-party vendors who help us operate the service (e.g., hosting, analytics, email). These providers are contractually obligated to protect your data
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and safety
• Business Transfers: In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (users will be notified)
• With Your Consent: When you explicitly agree to share information

Data Security

We implement reasonable security measures to protect your data, including:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS)
• Secure server infrastructure with access controls
• Regular security audits and updates
• Limited employee access to personal data
• Industry-standard authentication mechanisms

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Request deletion of your data (subject to legal obligations)
• Opt-Out: Unsubscribe from marketing communications
• Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Restriction: Request limitation of data processing
• Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests

You can exercise many of these rights directly in your account Settings: use Data Privacy → Export to download your data, and Danger Zone → Delete Account to erase your account. For other requests, contact us at support@codearena.co.

California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to Know: You can request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, our business purposes for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
• Right to Delete: You can request deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Opt-Out of Sale: You have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information. We do not sell your personal information.
• Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.

Categories of Personal Information Collected: In the past 12 months, we have collected: identifiers (username, email), commercial information (subscription status), internet activity (usage data, battle history), and inferences (skill ratings).

Do Not Sell My Personal Information: CodeArena does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for monetary consideration.

To exercise your California privacy rights, email us at support@codearena.co with the subject line "CCPA Request" or use the account deletion feature in Settings.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies organized into the following categories:

You can change your cookie preferences at any time. Rejecting optional cookies will not affect essential site functionality.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy. Specific retention periods:

• Account Data: Retained until you delete your account
• Battle History & Statistics: Retained indefinitely for leaderboards and fair play
• Direct Messages: Automatically deleted after 12 months of inactivity
• Code Submissions: Retained for 6 months, then anonymized for service improvement
• Activity Logs: Retained for 90 days for security purposes
• Cookie Consent Records: Retained for 3 years for compliance audit

You can request early deletion of your data by deleting your account in Settings or contacting support@codearena.co.

Children's Privacy

Our service is not intended for users under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to delete such information.

International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and maintained on servers located outside your country of residence. By using the service, you consent to such transfers. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for international transfers.

Third-Party Links

Our service may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new policy on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.