Privacy Policy

Last updated: 12 September 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how JGSStudios (“we”, “us”, “our”), operating the JoinGameServers website and related services (the “Service”), collects, uses, shares, and protects personal data. It is designed for users worldwide and reflects our obligations under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable privacy laws. By using the Service you acknowledge this Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

1. Who is the data controller?

The data controller responsible for personal data processed through the Service is:

JGSStudios, operating JoinGameServers. Postal address: BD. GRIGORESCU NICOLAE nr. 53, BUCHAREST - DISTRICT 3, 30446, Bucharest, Romania. Email: [email protected].

For privacy requests, including GDPR rights requests, contact us at [email protected]. We aim to respond within one month of receiving a verifiable request, or sooner where required by law.

2. Scope

This Policy applies to personal data processed when you visit or use JoinGameServers (including localized URLs), create an account, submit or manage server listings, vote, buy paid placements, contact us, or install our progressive web app (PWA).

It does not apply to third-party game servers, Discord communities, websites, payment pages, or platforms you reach through links or connect buttons on the Service. Those parties process data under their own policies. We do not control and are not responsible for their practices.

3. Personal data we collect

We collect only what we need to operate a trustworthy game-server directory, prevent abuse, and fulfill contracts you request. Categories include:

  • Account data: username, email address, hashed password (we do not store plaintext passwords), account role, and profile settings.
  • Authentication identifiers: if you sign in with Steam, Discord, or Google, we receive the identifiers and profile fields those providers share with us for login (for example Steam ID, Discord user ID, Google subject ID, display name, and avatar URL where provided).
  • Listing and content data: server names, descriptions, connection details, tags, maps, versions, banners, logos, YouTube embeds, Discord invites, websites, vote-reward settings, and other material you submit for publication.
  • Engagement data: votes (including timing and associated IP address for cooldown enforcement), favorites, claim requests, and similar interactions.
  • Payment and billing references: when you purchase pins, YouTube slots, rank boost, or other paid features via PayPal, we store transaction references, plan type, amounts, status, and subscription identifiers needed for fulfillment, renewals, support, and fraud prevention. Card numbers are handled by PayPal, not stored on our servers.
  • Technical and security data: IP address, approximate location derived from IP where needed for abuse prevention, user agent, device/browser type, timestamps, session cookies, CSRF tokens, rate-limit records, Cloudflare Turnstile bot-check tokens/results on protected forms, and server-side logs.
  • Server query telemetry: public game-server query responses we fetch (online status, player counts, MOTD/hostname strings, and similar public fields) to display and rank listings. This is typically server metadata, not end-player account data from those games.
  • Communications: messages you send to [email protected] or through contact channels, and system emails we send (for example password-reset links when mail delivery is enabled).

We do not intentionally collect special-category data (such as health, religion, or political opinions). Please do not submit such data through listings or support mail.

4. Legal bases for processing (GDPR)

Where the GDPR applies, we rely on one or more of the following legal bases:

  • Contract (Art. 6(1)(b)): creating and managing your account, publishing and managing listings you request, processing votes and favorites, delivering paid placements you purchase, and providing related support.
  • Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f)): securing the Service, preventing vote fraud and spam, maintaining rankings, improving reliability and performance, enforcing our Terms, and defending legal claims — balanced against your rights and expectations.
  • Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)): retaining records where tax, accounting, or other laws require it, and responding to lawful requests.
  • Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)): where we ask for consent for a specific optional processing activity (for example certain non-essential cookies or marketing, if introduced). You may withdraw consent at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.

5. How we use personal data

We use personal data to:

  • Operate, display, search, filter, and rank the directory of community game servers.
  • Authenticate users (password and optional Steam / Discord / Google login) and protect accounts.
  • Count votes fairly, enforce cooldowns, and deliver vote postbacks or Votifier packets to destinations you configure.
  • Process and fulfill paid promotions (list pins, YouTube slots, rank-boost points) and manage PayPal renewals you start.
  • Moderate content, investigate abuse, enforce our Terms, and comply with law.
  • Send transactional email such as password-reset messages when email delivery is configured.
  • Maintain security, debug incidents, and generate aggregated, non-identifying statistics about Service usage.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not use your content to train third-party foundation models.

6. Cookies, sessions, and similar technologies

We use essential cookies and similar storage to keep you logged in, maintain session security (including CSRF protection), remember language preferences, and operate core features. These are necessary for the Service to function.

Cloudflare Turnstile may set or read technical data on forms where bot protection is enabled. Our PWA may use a service worker and cache for offline shell assets; that storage is for performance and installability, not advertising profiles.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may prevent login, voting, or checkout from working correctly.

7. Who we share data with

We share personal data only as needed to run the Service:

  • Payment processor: PayPal processes checkout and subscriptions. Their privacy policy governs payment-card handling.
  • Identity providers: Steam, Discord, and/or Google receive and send data only when you choose those login methods.
  • Infrastructure and security: hosting, CDN, DNS, and bot-protection providers (including Cloudflare where used) process technical data to deliver and protect the site.
  • Email delivery: if transactional mail is enabled, our email provider processes recipient addresses and message metadata to send those emails.
  • Destinations you configure: vote callbacks, Votifier targets, Discord invites, and other URLs or servers you enter receive the data required to perform that feature.
  • Public visitors: listing content you publish (names, banners, connection info, descriptions, etc.) is publicly visible by design.
  • Authorities and advisors: we may disclose data if required by law, court order, or to protect rights, safety, and integrity of the Service, users, or the public, and to our professional advisors under confidentiality.

Service providers act as processors under our instructions where GDPR applies, or as independent controllers where they determine their own purposes (for example PayPal or OAuth providers).

8. International transfers

We are established in Romania. Some providers (for example global cloud, CDN, OAuth, or payment services) may process data in other countries, including outside the European Economic Area.

Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as adequacy decisions, Standard Contractual Clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms, together with technical and organizational measures.

9. How long we keep data

We retain personal data only as long as needed for the purposes above:

  • Account and listing data: until you delete them or we close the account for inactivity, breach, or legal reasons; residual copies may remain briefly in backups.
  • Votes, rate limits, and security logs: for the period needed to enforce cooldowns, investigate abuse, and secure the Service (typically days to months, longer if an investigation is open).
  • Payment and subscription records: for the life of the commercial relationship and thereafter as required for accounting, tax, chargeback, and fraud prevention (often several years under applicable law).
  • Support correspondence: as long as needed to resolve your request and document our response.

When retention ends, we delete or irreversibly anonymize data, unless a longer period is required by law.

10. Security

We implement technical and organizational measures appropriate to the risk, including TLS encryption in transit, password hashing, session controls, access restrictions on production systems, and abuse rate limiting. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure; you use the Service at your own risk regarding residual security risk.

You are responsible for keeping your credentials confidential and for configuring vote callbacks and server endpoints securely.

11. Your rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict, or port your personal data, to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to withdraw consent where processing is consent-based.

You can update many listing and account details directly in your dashboard. For other requests, email [email protected] from the address associated with your account (or otherwise verify your identity). We may refuse unfounded or excessive requests as permitted by law.

If you are in the EEA/UK/Switzerland, you may lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. In Romania, the supervisory authority is the National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing (ANSPDCP). We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern.

12. Children

The Service is aimed at a general audience of gamers and server operators. It is not directed at children under 16 (or the higher age of digital consent in your country). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children below that age. If you believe we have done so, contact [email protected] and we will take appropriate steps to delete the data.

13. Automated decisions

We use automated rules for security and integrity (for example vote cooldowns, rate limits, spam/bot checks, and ranking formulas). These do not produce legal effects comparable to credit scoring; they are necessary to operate a fair directory. You may contact us to contest a suspension or ranking outcome that you believe is erroneous.

14. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do. Material changes may also be highlighted on the Service or by email where appropriate. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acknowledgment of the updated Policy.

15. Contact

Privacy and data-protection requests: [email protected].

Postal correspondence: JGSStudios, BD. GRIGORESCU NICOLAE nr. 53, BUCHAREST - DISTRICT 3, 30446, Bucharest, Romania.