Privacy Policy - Ankama

This Privacy Policy informs you of the terms and procedures for the collection, processing, and use of your personal data by the company Ankama Games, registered with the Companies and Commerce Register (RCS) of the Lille Metropolitan Area under number 492 360 730, (hereinafter the "Company", "Ankama", or "We/Us"). This policy also informs you of your personal data protection rights and obligations when using Ankama websites (the "Websites"), video games (the "Games"), the Ankama Launcher (hereinafter the "Launcher"), and applications (the "Applications") published by the Company for computers or mobile devices and which provide a link to this Privacy Policy.

The Websites, Games, Launcher, and Applications are collectively referred to as the "Services".

Ankama Games is responsible for collecting personal data, which is accessible to all the companies in the Ankama group.

By accessing or using the Services, you acknowledge having read this Privacy Policy and consent to it.

Information for Minors: We keep the information you provide to us (first and last name, date of birth, email address, mailing address, and phone number) to be able to communicate with you about your account, track your purchases, help you resolve security problems that may affect your account, and send you information about our Services. When you create your account, We ask you to enter an account name and a password. This account name and password will allow you to access our Services, including our Games. Important: This account name and password must remain secret; never communicate them to other people.

You have the right to access and rectify your data. To exercise this right and obtain the communication or deletion of information concerning you, write to us with the help of your parents, either through our website https://support.ankama.com/hc/en-us, or via postal mail at ANKAMA – Infos Personnelles, 75 bd d'Armentières, BP 60403, 59057 Roubaix Cedex 1, France.
 

2.1 The Information You Provide Us

When you use our Services, personal data may be requested.

The expression "personal data" denotes any and all information directly or indirectly identifying you, by reference to an identification number or to one or more elements specific to you.

We will not ask you for this information if you are only visiting our Websites, but you will not be able to access certain areas of those Websites (such as the forums) unless you register.

When personal data are collected, you will be informed whether the information We are asking you to disclose is required or optional, and the possible consequences of not providing the data.

2.1.1 When you create an Ankama account (the "Ankama Account"), We ask you to provide us with the following information: email address, password, date of birth, and first and last names. Depending on the laws in force in your country of habitual residence, the Company may ask you to provide the email address of your legal representative (parent or guardian) in order for them to give consent for the creation of your Account.

2.1.2 When you make purchases on our Websites, we ask you to provide payment information. The specific information requested depends on the payment method you select. When you make your first purchase on our Websites, we ask you to provide us with your mailing address. We record your purchase history on our Websites: date, amount, article(s) bought, means of payment used.

2.1.3 In the "Account Management" section of our Websites, you can consult the information related to your Ankama Account, fill in information about yourself, and modify some of this information. The information you can enter in the Account Management section is as follows: title, primary mailing address, one or more secondary mailing address(es), secret question/answer, cell phone number, your preferences about receiving newsletters by email and commercial offers by text message, the language you prefer that We use to communicate with you, the settings for your Ankabox messaging service, and a personalized description of your profile (visible to all Website users). If you have already entered this information, you will be able to change some of it.

2.1.4 At any time when you use our Services, We may ask you to enter your cell phone number and a secret question/answer. 

2.1.5 When you contact our customer service department ("Support"), you must create a ticket via an online form. Depending on the subject of your request, you may be asked to provide certain information, including your full name and email address. In some cases, We will ask that you prove your identity by providing official proof of identity.

If it is your first time contacting Support, an email will be sent to you to inform you that you will need to create a Support account so that your request may be processed. To do so, simply click on the link included in the email. You will then be asked to provide a password, but this is not required for you to create a Support account or for your request to be processed. However, you must do so if you wish to view the response provided by Support.

2.1.6 When you participate in a contest, tournament, lottery or survey, We may request personal data such as your full name, age, mailing address, and email address.

2.2 Information We Collect Automatically When You Use Services

When you use the Services, We collect information on the Services you use and how you use them:

2.2.1 When you browse our Websites, We collect the following information: IP address, connection date and time, posts on Websites and discussion forums, interactions with the Websites (pages visited, etc.), and preferences (languages). We use cookies or similar technologies to collect some of this information. Please see Article 5 for more information on cookies.

2.2.2 When you install and use our Games and the Launcher, We collect the following information: game and login data (data exchange log and history, connection log and history, and, generally speaking, all data connected to actions performed in the Games), data regarding your hardware and software environment (when installing and using the Launcher or a game, and in the event of a modification to your computer's hardware), IP address, and data regarding the content viewed in the Launcher.

2.2.3 When you install and use our Applications, We collect the following information: IP address, connection date and time, and information about your mobile device (brand, model, operating system version, the device's unique identifier).

2.3 When You Decide to Log In to Our Services Using a Social Media Account or Game Platform

The Company may offer you the possibility of logging in to certain Services using a social media or game platform identifier. This connection method will sometimes be required to access certain features of the Services, e.g. to allow you to interact with other users of these networks and platforms.

When logging in using social media or a game platform, you will be asked to agree that certain information about you be shared with Ankama. When you agree to this information being shared, Ankama shall have access to this data and will retain some of it.

For example, when you connect to some of our Applications via the Facebook social network, Ankama will have access to your friends list, but will not retain it. This access allows us to let you use some of the social network's features that involve other users. We keep your Facebook identifier so that we can recognize you on multiple mobile devices, and to restore the progress you made during your prior login sessions.

When you authorize our Services to interact with social media or game platforms, we may share data about you with your contacts. This data includes your name, your profile photo for the social media platform in question, and your progress and/or ranking in our games.

These social media and game platforms are created and managed by third parties, and are not controlled by Us. We invite you to refer to their terms of use and their privacy policies to understand how these third parties process your data, and what data they may communicate to us.
 

Your personal data may be processed for different reasons and based on different legal bases:

3.1 We use your data because they are necessary for the proper execution of a contract between you and Us. Thus, your data will be processed to:

• create, manage, and monitor Ankama accounts;
• allow you to access and use the Services;
• allow you to purchase products and services from our Websites, and to allow you to handle, manage, and track your orders;
• allow you to communicate with other Service users, notably in our chat rooms, discussion forums, and via the Ankabox;
• send you important information about the Services and any other information in relation to your Ankama Account and the actions performed with it (for example: order confirmation emails, forgotten password emails/text messages, emails allowing you to activate Ankama Shield protection);
• manage claims and after-sales service; and
• assist you in the event of technical issues using our Services.

3.2 We use data based on our legitimate interests when such use does not infringe on your rights and freedoms. Thus, your data will be processed to:

• improve our Services, particularly to improve the Game performance and experience and the client experience, as well as to manage bugs;
• ensure the safety of your Ankama Account;
• offer you commercial events such as contests, lotteries and/or tournaments;
• prevent and detect unusual behavior, and notably to fight against payment fraud;
• monitor and track in-Game behavior and compliance with the rules set forth in our Terms of Use, Terms and Conditions of Sale, and all other documents that you agree to when using our Services;
• personalize and improve the advertising We display through websites and third-party services; and
• measure the performance of our marketing campaigns.

As part of efforts to combat payment fraud and in-game cheating, automatic decisions may be made based on your interactions with the Services and the data you provide. We may notably limit or suspend your access to our Services (notably through sanctions applied to your Ankama Account) if this automatic processing detects a user or activity that presents, in our opinion, a risk of fraud or cheating.

3.3 We request your consent to send you commercial offers and newsletters via email and/or text message.

Please note that you may withdraw your consent at any time, without infringing on the legality of any processing done based on the consent granted prior to its withdrawal. To do so, you can visit your Account Management to set your preferences related to receiving commercial offers and newsletters. Our emails and text messages also contain a link or keyword to send to unsubscribe.

3.4 We process some of your data when it is necessary to comply with our legal obligations (notably to comply with our accounting and fiscal obligations or when the law requires us to retain specific data).
 

When a person visits our Websites, cookies or similar files may be installed, for example on the web user's computer hard disk.

5.1 What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small file installed on your hard drive by the server of a website you visit.

It contains several pieces of information:

• the name of the server that placed it on your hard drive
• a unique identifying number
• possibly an expiration date

This information is sometimes stored on your computer in a plain text file that can be accessed by a server in order to read and record information.

There are different types of cookies:

• session cookies, which are deleted when the session ends
• permanent cookies, which are stored
• flash cookies

You can find more information about cookies on the CNIL website (http://www.cnil.fr/vos-droits/vos-traces/les-cookies/) and on the website http://www.allaboutcookies.org/.

5.2 Cookies installed by our Websites

The cookies We use on our Websites fall into the following categories:

5.2.1 Strictly necessary cookies: These cookies are essential to the operation of our Websites and to providing you with the services requested. These cookies are designed to identify you, help make our Services secure, allow you to access your Ankama Account, and manage your orders.

5.2.2 Functionality cookies: These cookies are intended to enhance your browsing experience on our Websites. We use them to store your choices and preferences (such as the language you use), to store previously entered information so you do not have to enter it again on future visits, and to remind Us of already-visited pages so as not to display them again.

5.2.3 Cookies for advertising and to track traffic: These cookies allow us to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns on our Websites (number of views, number of clicks, etc.) and help Us to tailor advertisements promoting our Services displayed on third-party websites (targeted advertising). Additionally, for statistical purposes, We use a tool for analysis and utilization of events occurring after e-mails are sent, such as messages being opened, clicks, and the termination of subscriptions or registrations. This tool operates using cookies.

For this purpose, the Company uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses cookies, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze the use of the site by its users. The data generated by these cookies concerning your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers located in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, for compiling reports on website activity for the website publisher, and for providing other services relating to website activity and Internet usage. Google may disclose these data to third parties where legally obliged to do so, or where such third parties process the data on Google's behalf, including in particular this website's publisher. Google will not match your IP address with any other data held by Google. By using this website, you expressly consent to the processing of personal data by Google in the manner and for the purposes described above. For more information on how Google uses your data when your visit our Websites, visit: http://www.google.com/intl/fr/policies/privacy/partners/.

We also use Google Analytics to anonymously collect certain demographic data (age, gender) about the Websites' visitors, as well as information about their interests. For this purpose, jointly with third-party suppliers including Google, we use proprietary cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) and third-party cookies (such as the DoubleClick cookie). Ankama uses this data to gain a clearer understanding of its Website users' profiles. This information does not allow us to identify you. Furthermore, this demographic data can in no case be associated with any personal data you may have communicated to Ankama.

With certain Games, we also use the Gamesight tool, provided by the company Innervate, Inc., to measure the impact of our marketing campaigns on player engagement. This tool can access some anonymized data: IP address, user ID, browser version, screen resolution, language, country, orders placed, Steam username if applicable, and game event. A more detailed description of Gamesight's privacy policy is available at this link: https://console.gamesight.io/privacy-policy.

5.2.4 Cookies to improve Website interactivity and improve user experience: Our Websites rely on certain services provided by third-party websites. These include:

• chat services (Botmind)
• share buttons (Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus)
• social media feeds (Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube)
• information on communication tools (Discord)
• videos shown on our Websites (YouTube, Twitch)
• geolocation services (Google Maps)
• GIF services (Giphy)

5.2.5 Flash cookies: In some situations, We may use shared local objects, commonly known as "Flash cookies", to store certain information such as your progress in browser-based games offered by the Company.  Flash cookies differ from browser cookies by the amount and type of data stored, as well as by their storage method. Cookie management tools available through your browser will not delete Flash cookies. You can access your Flash management tools directly from the Adobe website: http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/fr/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html. Please note that by deactivating Flash cookies, you will no longer have access to certain features that facilitate your experience on our Websites.

5.3 Cookies We upload to websites that carry our advertising

Third-party sites may carry advertising banners promoting the activities of Ankama entities. In these circumstances, when a web user clicks on such a banner, a cookie is installed on their terminal. These cookies are used to:

• record the number of times our advertising content on third-party sites is viewed and clicked on, to identify such content and websites, and to determine the number of users clicking on each content item;
• calculate the amounts due to the entitled parties in the advertising dissemination chain (third-party site publishers and advertising networks) and to generate statistics;
• and track subsequent browsing from your device on our Websites.

5.4 Cookie management

When you visit our Websites for the first time, a banner informs you of the presence of cookies to track visits and advertising, and of cookies intended to improve Website interactivity and enhance user experience, and you are asked to indicate your preferences. You can set your cookie preferences to accept or refuse cookies at any time by visiting the "Cookie Management" page linked at the bottom of every page on our Websites. You may set your preferences either for all the Websites together, or service by service. 
 

The Services may contain discussion spaces, particularly in the form of forums or chat rooms. You may also personalize your user profile. Ankama reminds you that any and all personal information divulged in forums, chat rooms and profiles becomes public information and can be reused by anyone. Users must therefore be very cautious when considering communicating personal information while using this type of service.

In any event, Ankama strongly advises that you do not publish sensitive personal information, particularly information concerning your racial or ethnic origins, your political opinions, your philosophical or religious beliefs, your membership in a trade union, your genetic and biometric information, and any information concerning your life or sexual orientation.

If you choose to publish such information on our Services, you consent to it being visible to other members, as well as to any person accessing the Services.

Consequently, you should not provide any information that you do not wish to be made public.
 

The Company takes every appropriate technical and organizational measure, given the nature of the data and the risks inherent in data processing, to preserve a high level of data security, and in particular, to prevent it from becoming distorted or damaged, or from being accessed by unauthorized third parties.

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology is therefore used to encrypt certain data; physical and logical backup procedures are implemented; and the HTTPS encryption protocol is used to secure access to data.

The Company reserves the right to initiate proceedings against any person who attempts to gain access to personal information not concerning him/her.
 

Hypertext links on the Services may redirect you to third-party sites not belonging to Ankama.

We wish to draw your attention to the fact that the personal data protection polices of these various sites may differ from this Privacy Policy. We advise you, in all cases, to acquaint yourself with the personal data protection policies of each of those sites.

In any case, Ankama cannot be held responsible in the event that the content of such a site or sites breaches the statutory and regulatory provisions in force, or the terms of this Privacy Policy.
 

Except where stipulated otherwise, You may exercise your rights set forth in this article:

• Either via the online Support at https://support.ankama.com/hc/en-us,
• Or by writing to:

ANKAMA – Infos Personnelles,
75 bd d'Armentières, BP 60403,
59057 Roubaix Cedex 1, France.

In the interests of privacy and the protection of your personal data, We must ascertain your identity before replying to your request. Accordingly, any request to exercise your rights must be accompanied by a copy of a signed identity document.

Your request will be processed as soon as possible, in compliance with the legal provisions in force.

9.1 Access right and portability right: You have the right to obtain confirmation that your personal data are or are not processed by Ankama and, when they are, to access said data along with information pertaining to their processing. If your Ankama Account has been sanctioned, We may not disclose to you the data relating to your sanction in order to maintain our ability to detect and take action against objectionable behavior. You may also, when this is technically feasible, exercise your right to portability.

9.2 Rectification right: You have the right to obtain the rectification of your personal data that may be inexact or incomplete (and that you cannot rectify yourself in your Account Management section or via the mobile services made available by Ankama).

9.3 Erasure right: We store your personal data as long as it is needed for the purposes set forth in this policy. If you no longer want Us to process your data, you may ask Us to erase it and close your Ankama Account. Please note, however, that even if you exercise this right, We may retain some data for the following purposes:

• We may retain some of your data to protect our legitimate interests, such as detecting and preventing fraud, as well as any data needed to establish, exercise, or defend rights in court.
• We may retain and use your data to comply with our legal obligations.
• If you have posted comments on our Websites or if you have posted in our discussion forums, your comments and posts will still appear, but will not be attributed to you.

9.4 Right to restrict processing: You have the right to restrict processing of your data in limited circumstances: (i) when you contest the accuracy of your data; (ii) when processing is illicit and you request the restriction of their use instead of their erasure; (iii) when We no longer need your data for processing but when you still need them to establish, exercise or defend rights in court; (iv) when you are opposed to processing by virtue of Article 9.5, during the verification of whether Ankama's legitimate motives prevail over yours.

9.5 Right to object: You may object, at any time and for reasons linked to your individual situation, to the processing of your data when this processing is based on a legitimate interest. If you exercise this right, We will no longer process your data, unless We can show that there are legitimate and imperative reasons for the processing that prevail over your interests, rights and freedoms, or for the establishment, exercise or defense of rights in court.

You may object at any time to the processing of your data for direct marketing purposes. You may set your preferences for receiving commercial offers and newsletters by email and/or text message in your Account Management. Our emails and text messages also contain a link or keyword to send to unsubscribe.
 

We reserve the right to amend this Privacy Policy at any time. Consequently, We advise you to refer to our "Privacy Policy" regularly.

Last amended: August 2023