Privacy Policy
Effective date: 10 October 2026
Who we are
Squid Words is made by Literally Games Ltd ("we", "us"). This policy explains what information the Squid Words web game collects, why, and the choices you have.
It covers Squid Words played in a browser at play.literally.games/squidwords/ (English) and play.literally.games/squidwords/fa/ (Persian), and our websites at literally.games. The Squid Words mobile apps have their own policy.
Questions or requests about your data: email help@literally.games. We are the data controller for the information described here.
What stays on your device
The game saves your progress in your browser's local storage so you can carry on where you left off. This never leaves your device unless you opt in to analytics (below).
| Stored on your device | Why | How to remove it |
|---|---|---|
| Puzzle progress, moves, hints used | To resume and to show past puzzles | Clear this site's data in your browser |
| Wins, stars and streak | Your statistics | Clear this site's data |
| Settings (sound, music, colours, language) | To remember your choices | Clear this site's data |
| Your privacy choices | So we don't ask again | Clear this site's data |
We have no account system and do not ask for your name, email address or phone number to play.
Gameplay analytics (optional)
If you agree on the privacy screen, the game sends anonymous gameplay events to Microsoft PlayFab, our analytics provider. We use them to find out which puzzles are too hard, fix bugs and improve the game.
- What is sent: events such as a puzzle started or solved, words guessed, hints used, settings changed and results shared, with move counts, stars, your win total and streak, the game language and your local time.
- Identifier: a random ID created in your browser when you opt in. It is not linked to your name, email or device. PlayFab also receives your IP address when the game connects, as with any web request.
- Off by default: nothing is sent until you opt in.
- Changing your mind: turn off "Share anonymous gameplay data" in Settings. This stops sending and deletes the ID and any unsent events from your browser. To delete events already sent, email us.
Advertising
The game may offer an optional ad you can watch in exchange for a hint. These ads are provided by Google (Google AdSense and H5 Games Ads). We do not show other ads during play.
- Google and its partners may use cookies and similar technologies to show ads, measure them and prevent fraud. See how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
- In the UK, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, a consent message from Google asks whether ads may be personalised before any are shown. If you say no, you may still see non-personalised ads, which use limited data (for example your approximate location from your IP address) and cookies for frequency capping and fraud prevention.
- You can change ad choices any time from the privacy link in the game, and manage Google ad personalisation at myadcenter.google.com.
- Hints are always available without ads if no ad can be shown.
Hosting and email
- Cloudflare hosts the game and our websites. Like any web host, it processes your IP address and basic request details to deliver pages and protect against attacks.
- Google hosts www.literally.games (Google Sites), which sets its own cookies.
- Cloudflare Email Routing forwards email sent to our @literally.games addresses to our inboxes. If you email us, we keep your message and address to reply and for our records.
We do not sell your personal information.
Legal bases and retention
| Processing | Legal basis (UK/EU GDPR) | Kept for |
|---|---|---|
| Saving progress on your device | Necessary to provide the game you asked for | Until you clear your browser data |
| Gameplay analytics (PlayFab) | Your consent | Up to 24 months, then deleted or aggregated |
| Personalised ads (Google) | Your consent | Per Google's policies |
| Non-personalised ads, security and fraud prevention | Our legitimate interests in funding and protecting the game | Per Google's and Cloudflare's policies |
| Emails you send us | Our legitimate interest in answering you | Up to 24 months after the conversation ends |
International transfers
We are based in the UK and our providers (Microsoft, Google, Cloudflare) operate worldwide, so your data may be processed outside your country, including in the UK and the United States. Where the law requires it, transfers rely on approved safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or the EU-US and UK-US data privacy frameworks.
Your rights
You can ask us to access, correct, delete or export your data, to restrict or object to its use, or withdraw consent at any time. Email help@literally.games. Analytics data is linked only to the random ID, so we can only find it if you give us that ID; opting out in Settings deletes the ID from your browser.
These rights apply to everyone who plays, wherever you live; local law may give you more. If you live in a US state with a privacy law (for example California), you can opt out of personalised advertising through the ad consent choices in the game or Google's settings; we don't sell personal information for money.
If you are unhappy with how we handled your data, you can complain to your local data protection authority, or to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).
Children
Squid Words is a general-audience game and is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has shared personal data with us, email us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We will post any changes on this page and update the effective date. If a change affects what we ask your consent for, the game will ask you again.
See also our Terms of Service.