Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Overview

Welcome to CourtSync (“we,” “our,” or “us”), developed and published by CipherDen. CourtSync is a smart open-play court and queue management kiosk application engineered specifically for pickleball clubs, municipal venues, community centers, and recreational parks.

We believe privacy is a fundamental human right. CourtSync is crafted on a privacy-by-design architecture: the application functions entirely offline without mandating an account, stores all active queue data locally on your device hardware, integrates zero advertising SDKs or tracking mechanisms, and never sells or leases personal information.

This Privacy Policy details what data we collect, why we collect it, how it is safeguarded, and your legal rights under applicable data protection regulations including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), and Google Play’s Developer Distribution Agreement and Data Safety requirements.

2. Information We Collect

CourtSync operates as an offline-first system. Depending on your configuration and features enabled, we may process the following categories of data:

2.1 Locally Stored Operational Data (On-Device Isar Database)

When managing queue sessions, courts, and matches, the following data is stored locally within the device’s internal Isar database:

• Player Identifiers: Names, nicknames, or paddle labels entered during kiosk check-in or manual entry.
• Skill Ratings & Intentions: Self-selected skill levels (Casual, Intermediate, Advanced, 2.5–5.0 DUPR) and play intent (Casual, Competitive, Drilling).
• Queue & Match Records: Check-in timestamps, wait times, court assignments, group stacks (solo, duo, foursome), active match timers, and game scores.
• Venue Configuration: Facility name, court count, court naming labels, rotation format rules (e.g., King of the Court, 4-In/4-Out), and a local administrative staff PIN.
• Local QR Check-In Sessions: When enabled, a lightweight HTTP server runs locally on your Wi-Fi network (LAN) allowing players to submit check-in requests directly to the host device. No player check-in data from this feature passes through external cloud servers.

2.2 Optional Cloud Backup & Synchronization Data

If a venue administrator optionally activates Cloud Synchronization to link multiple devices or maintain backups:

• Google Account Information: Authenticating via Google Sign-In shares your Google email address, display name, profile image URL, and a unique Google User ID (UID) with Google Firebase Authentication.
• Cloud Database Records: A backup copy of your venue configuration, the players your venue knows (names, ratings, and DUPR IDs where you entered them), the queue, the Courts, and this session’s stats and match history is stored in Google Cloud Firestore under your authenticated user ID. It is written every few minutes while there are changes, one backup per account, and replaced each time. It never includes the Staff PIN or its recovery code, DUPR keys, camera addresses, recordings or purchase details. You can restore it onto a tablet from Facility Settings, and it is deleted with your account.

2.3 Technical Diagnostics & Identifiers

• Firebase Instance Token: For cloud-connected sessions, Firebase SDKs generate a pseudonymous installation identifier strictly required to deliver real-time database updates.
• Operational Diagnostics: Transient hardware details (operating system version, device model, app build) may be processed by Google Play Services or Firebase solely to diagnose crashes and maintain application stability.

3. Information We Do NOT Collect

We pride ourselves on radical data minimization. CourtSync does NOT collect, track, or share:

• No Third-Party Ads: CourtSync is 100% ad-free. No ad networks (e.g., Google AdMob, Unity, AppLovin) are embedded.
• No Behavioral Tracking SDKs: We do not track you across apps or websites. We do not use Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics, Adjust, AppsFlyer, or Facebook Pixel.
• No Advertising IDs: We never access or transmit the Google Advertising ID (GAID) or Android ID for marketing.
• No Precise Location Data: CourtSync never requests GPS or background location permissions.
• No Sensitive Biometrics or Financial Info: We do not collect credit cards, banking info, biometric scans, health information, or government identification.
• No Address Books or Private Media: We never inspect your device contacts, photo library, or text messages. The microphone is used only while Staff are recording a game, never in the background.
• Plans and Purchases. CourtSync has a Free plan and a Club Pro subscription that Staff can buy through Google Play. Google handles the payment and we never receive card or other payment details. The App reads from Google Play only whether a Club Pro subscription is active, and keeps on the tablet, in encrypted storage, the date its free trial began and the latest confirmation from Google Play. This is not sent to our servers. Google’s own privacy policy governs what it collects when you buy.
• Free Trial Record. To stop a free trial being restarted by reinstalling the app, CourtSync makes a one-way code (a SHA-256 hash, with a fixed salt) from the tablet’s Android ID and stores it, with the time the trial began, in Google Cloud Firestore. The Android ID itself is never stored, the code is not linked to your account, name, or email, and it cannot be turned back into the ID. It is made once per install, whether or not you sign in or use Guest mode, when the tablet is online, and used only to enforce the trial. The app signs in to Firestore anonymously to do this, which creates an anonymous Firebase user with no personal details.
• Contacting Support. If Staff use Help & support to email us, the app opens their own email app with a message and, if they leave it switched on, a few facts about the tablet: app version, Android version, plan, settings and counts (such as how many players are known), and cloud backup state. It never includes player names, DUPR IDs, scores, network addresses or account details, Staff see exactly what is attached first, and nothing is sent unless they send the email. We keep support emails only as long as needed to help and to keep a record of the request.
• TV Branding Stays on the Device. If Staff add a logo, an accent colour or sponsor logos for the TV display, the pictures are shrunk and stored on the tablet, and served only to screens on the venue’s own network. They are not sent to CourtSync or Firebase and are not part of cloud backup.
• Session History Stays on the Device. When Staff end a Session, CourtSync keeps a record of it on the tablet: when it ran, who checked in and played (by name), the scores and times, and the numbers worked out from them. It is not sent to CourtSync or Firebase and is not part of cloud backup. Staff can view it, delete one Session or all of them, and export attendance and games as CSV files, which leave the tablet only when Staff use the Share button. The Facility is responsible for how it uses and shares that information.
• DUPR Only When Staff Connect It: CourtSync contacts DUPR (the pickleball ratings service) only if Staff enter DUPR partner keys in Facility Settings. Then, when Staff ask for it, the DUPR IDs of players the Facility already knows are sent to DUPR to read their names and ratings, and a DUPR club's member list is read. The keys stay encrypted on the tablet and are not part of cloud backup. Nothing is sent to DUPR otherwise.
• Game Recordings Stay on the Device: When Staff choose to record a game, CourtSync films it with the tablet's camera and microphone, or from a network camera whose address Staff enter, and keeps the video, its score overlay and any highlight clips in the app's private storage on that tablet. Nothing is uploaded: videos are not sent to CourtSync, Firebase or anyone else unless Staff use the Share button to send one to an app they pick. They are not part of cloud backup, are removed when Staff delete them or uninstall the app, and a network camera's address (which may contain its login) is stored on the tablet only. Staff are responsible for telling people on the court that a game may be filmed.

4. How We Use Information & Legal Bases

We process information solely for legitimate operational purposes under established GDPR legal grounds:

We never sell, rent, commercialize, or trade personal data to third parties.

5. Third-Party Sub-Processors & Service Providers

CourtSync partners exclusively with Google LLC for underlying cloud infrastructure when cloud sync is explicitly enabled:

6. Data Security & Storage Architecture

We implement stringent technical and organizational safeguards:

• In-Transit Encryption: All cloud communications strictly mandate TLS 1.2 / TLS 1.3 (HTTPS) with modern cipher suites. No unencrypted plain-text data ever leaves your device.
• At-Rest Encryption: Cloud records in Firestore are automatically encrypted with Google’s 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-256). On-device Isar databases reside within the sandboxed application storage partition, protected by Android’s hardware-backed file-system encryption.
• PIN-Protected Administrative Safeguards: Critical settings, manual queue overrides, session resets, and cloud configurations require entering the venue staff PIN.
• Local Network Isolation: The local QR check-in web server binds only to local private IP interfaces and rejects external internet routing.

7. Public Kiosk & Clubhouse Displays

CourtSync is engineered to power public queue displays on tablets and clubhouse TV monitors:

Names or nicknames entered during player check-in are displayed on the public queue board to notify players when their court is ready. Privacy Tip for Players & Venues: Players who prefer privacy in public recreational areas are encouraged to enter first names, initials, or friendly nicknames (e.g., “Sam K.” or “PicklePro”) rather than full legal surnames.

8. Data Retention & Deletion Procedures

8.1 Immediate In-App Deletion (Local Storage)

Facility administrators maintain instant control over all local data. You can remove any saved Player at any time, and End Session clears the queue and the Session's results:

Uninstalling CourtSync from your Android device also permanently destroys all local database records.

8.2 Cloud Account & Data Deletion Requests

If you have enabled Cloud Synchronization and wish to permanently delete your account, authentication credentials, and all synchronized cloud backups, open Facility Settings → Delete account and cloud data in the app and confirm. This takes effect immediately. Data on the tablet itself is not removed; uninstalling CourtSync erases it. If you cannot open the app:

1. Send an email from your registered Google Account address to adi@cipherden.com or adi@cipherden.com.
2. Use the subject line: Data Deletion Request.
3. Provide your Google Account email address associated with your CourtSync installation.

Upon identity verification, our privacy team will permanently purge all cloud database records and Firebase authentication records within 30 calendar days, in full accordance with Google Play developer policies and statutory requirements. We will send a final written confirmation once the deletion is complete.

9. Your Rights Under GDPR & CCPA/CPRA

9.1 European Union & UK Rights (GDPR)

If you are situated in the EEA or United Kingdom, you have the following rights under data protection laws:

• Right of Access: Request a copy of all personal data held about you.
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal records.
• Right to Erasure (“Right to Be Forgotten”): Request permanent deletion of your personal records.
• Right to Restriction: Request restriction of data processing under certain statutory circumstances.
• Right to Data Portability: Request an export of your information in a standard, machine-readable format.
• Right to Object: Object to processing carried out under legitimate interest grounds.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Revoke consent for optional features at any time.
• Right to Complain: Lodge a complaint with your national Data Protection Authority.

9.2 California Consumer Rights (CCPA / CPRA)

For California residents, CourtSync provides the following rights under the CCPA:

• Right to Know & Access: Learn what personal information categories and data points have been collected over the previous 12 months.
• Right to Delete: Demand deletion of collected personal information.
• Right to Correct: Demand correction of inaccurate personal data.
• Do Not Sell or Share: We do not sell and do not share personal information for behavioral advertising.
• Non-Discrimination: We never discriminate or penalize any user for exercising their legal privacy rights.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at adi@cipherden.com.

10. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

CourtSync is designed for venue administrators, club managers, and general sports participants aged 13 and older (or 16 in certain European member states).

The application is not directed toward children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly solicit or collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If a parent or legal guardian discovers that their child under 13 has submitted personal information without parental consent, please contact us at adi@cipherden.com. We will promptly take steps to delete that information from our records.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect product enhancements, operational practices, or legal updates.

When modifications occur, we will revise the “Last Updated” timestamp at the top of this page. Any significant changes will be announced on our website at https://www.cipherden.com/courtsync/legal/privacy.html or through prominent in-app notifications.

12. Contact Information & Data Privacy Inquiries

For any questions, privacy inquiries, data deletion requests, or regulatory correspondence, please contact: