Broken Bot is run by Yulia Winslow, an individual based in New York, USA (“I” or “me”), and is part of Terra Incognita. This policy explains what data Broken Bot (brokenbot.tech) collects, why, who it's shared with, and the choices you have.
Broken Bot is for people aged 18 or older. It isn't directed at children, and I don't knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.
What's needed for Broken Bot to function and develop:
Your email address and a password, used to create and access your account. Passwords are handled by the authentication provider and stored in hashed form — I never see your actual password.
What you type during a round, including anything you type and then delete, and how long each reaction takes. Per-round logs: the round's signals, timing, completion, the statistics or the reading generated for that round, and the choices you make about how a round runs, including pauses and when you take them. The kind of device and browser each player uses (phone or computer, touch screen or keyboard, browser).
This applies whether you're playing on your own account or as a guest in someone else's round.
If you play as a guest, your answers to questions after the round, with how long each took and what you typed and deleted.
In rounds that produce neither statistics nor a reading, what you type isn't recorded — only that the round happened, how long it took, and the choices you made about how it ran.
If you use the contact form or send feedback from inside the site, I receive what you submit — for the contact form, your name, email and message.
Standard analytics about how the site is used (e.g., pages viewed, approximate region, device/browser type), collected through Google Analytics. A value called bb_session is stored in your browser to keep you signed in and to apply limits on how often you can play; it stays on your device.
To create your account, sign you in, and keep you signed in. To run rounds, avoid repeating material you've already seen, and produce your card and your reading. To produce statistics about a round. To understand, in aggregate, how the site is used and to improve it. To answer messages you send. To study associative and cognitive patterns — the core research purpose of Terra Incognita. What I learn from Research Data informs how I improve Broken Bot and the user experience, and how I design new games and related products, including ones I may offer commercially to individuals or organizations. Where this analysis is tied to your account, it is treated as personal data under this policy.
“Research Data” means the gameplay data described above, used for the core research purpose of Terra Incognita.
If you play on your own account, you're asked to acknowledge this when you first sign in, and that acknowledgment is recorded on your account. If you play as a guest, you're asked before each round you join, and your agreement is recorded with that round.
If you play as a guest, the person who invited you receives statistics about how you played and your answers to the questions after the round, and everything else recorded in that round may be available to them. They decide what to do with it.
I don't sell your data and I don't show ads. I use a small number of service providers (“processors”) that handle data on my behalf so the product can function:
I may also disclose data if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or security of users or the service.
I use aggregated and de-identified data — information that doesn't identify you and can't reasonably be linked back to you, including Research Data once it has been de-identified — to understand patterns, build and improve games and products, create new offerings (including commercial ones), and illustrate ideas in materials such as presentations, pitches, talks, or publications. This may include anonymized examples of response patterns, described so that no individual can be identified. I don't sell your personal data, and I don't share your name, email, or other identifying information with third parties for their own purposes.
These providers may process and store data in the United States and other countries. By using Broken Bot, you understand your data may be transferred to and processed in countries that may have different data-protection rules than where you live.
Account and game data is kept while your account is active. If you delete your account, the associated logs and responses are deleted or anonymized. Responses recorded in a round are kept with that round. If the host's account is deleted, they're anonymized with it. Messages you send are kept as long as needed to handle your request. Aggregate analytics that can't identify you may be retained.
You can ask to access, correct, or delete your personal data, or to close your account, by writing to hello@yuliawinslow.com. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under laws such as the GDPR (EU/UK) or US state privacy laws, including the right to object to or restrict certain processing. I'll respond to reasonable requests. You can use most of the site without analytics by using your browser's tracking controls.
I take reasonable measures to protect your data, and the providers above maintain their own security practices. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, so I can't guarantee absolute security.
Broken Bot is a research and entertainment tool. The material it shows you and the statistics and readings it produces are not medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice, and are not a substitute for care from a qualified professional.
I may update this policy as the product changes. The effective date above shows the latest version. Material changes will be reflected here.
Questions about privacy: hello@yuliawinslow.com.