Privacy Policy

Last Updated: March 2026

PeerDen ("we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and how we handle it when you use the PeerDen client software, our website, and our coordination services.

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

1. Information We Collect

A. Account Information

If you register for an account on PeerDen, we collect and store:

• Username and Display Name: To identify you in the community.
• Email Address (Optional): Used for account recovery or critical service notifications.
• Passwords: Passwords are never stored in plaintext. They are one-way hashed using industry-standard bcrypt.

B. Network & Connection Data (Crucial for Functionality)

Because PeerDen is a peer-to-peer (P2P) networking tool, we must temporarily collect and share specific network information to establish connections between you and other players. When you join a lobby, our Coordination Server processes:

• Your Public IP Address.
• Your local UDP Port.
• Your virtual TUN IP Address (e.g., 10.0.0.x).

Important P2P Disclosure: In order for peer-to-peer gaming to work, your Public IP address is shared with other users who are in the same gaming room/lobby as you. This is a fundamental requirement of UDP hole-punching and direct P2P networking.

C. Usage Data

We store basic metadata to manage the service:

• Account creation timestamps.
• Last login timestamps.
• Global statistics (e.g., total active rooms, total online players) which are aggregated and anonymous.

D. Social and Chat Data

• Global Chat Lobbies: Messages sent in the public/global chat lobbies (e.g., General, LFG, Trading) are stored in our database for moderation and display purposes.
• In-Room Game Chat: Messages sent within specific peer-to-peer game rooms are transient. They are routed temporarily by our coordinator to active members of the room and are not persisted or logged in our database.
• Friend Lists & Favorites: We store your relationships (friends) and favorited rooms so they persist across logins.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected data strictly to operate and maintain the PeerDen service:

• To authenticate your account.
• To facilitate P2P network connections and route traffic when direct connections fail (via our UDP relay).
• To display your online status, ping, and username to friends or room members.
• To detect and prevent abuse, spam, or malicious behavior (e.g., banning offending accounts).

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or monetize your personal information or network data.

We may only disclose your data if required to do so by law, or in response to valid legal requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or subpoena).

As stated above, your IP address is shared with other active users in your chosen game rooms to facilitate network tunneling. If you do not wish for your IP address to be visible to peers, do not join rooms.

4. Encryption and Relays

Game traffic routed between peers is encrypted end-to-end by the PeerDen client. Our Coordination Server and UDP Relay passing this traffic do not possess the cryptographic keys to decrypt, inspect, or log the payloads of your game traffic.

5. Account Deletion

You may request the deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us via our community forums or support channels. Upon deletion, your username, email, and social graph (friends) will be permanently erased.

6. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date.

7. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us on our official forums at forums.peerden.io.