Privacy Policy.

Droning On · Effective date: June 7, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Vincent Lakatos, an individual doing business as ReadOnly Studios ("ReadOnly Studios," "we," "us," or "our"), located in the State of California, United States, handles information in connection with the video game "Droning On," including the separate "Droning On" demo (the "Game"). It supplements the End User License Agreements for the Game — the Droning On EULA and the Droning On demo EULA (together, the "EULA"). Capitalized terms not defined here have the meanings given in the EULA.

This Privacy Policy applies only to information ReadOnly Studios handles through the Game's online leaderboard service. It does not apply to Valve Corporation's ("Valve") handling of your information through Steam, which is governed by Valve's own privacy policy, and it does not apply to any data handling performed by Python code you choose to run in the Game, as described in Section 8 below and in the EULA.

1. Information We Collect

When you submit a score to an online leaderboard in the Game, our leaderboard service receives and stores the following:

• (a) Steam identifiers: your Steam ID, and the Steam ID of the account that owns your copy of the Game. We use these to credit your entry to the correct player and to enforce game-ownership and Steam Family Sharing rules.
• (b) Integrity signals: whether your Steam account is subject to a VAC ban or a publisher ban, as reported by Steam, and whether you are subject to a ban applied by ReadOnly Studios, together with the reason for and dates of any such ban. We use these to keep leaderboards fair and to prevent cheating and abuse.
• (c) Network information: the Internet Protocol (IP) address from which your submission is received. We use this for rate-limiting, fraud and abuse prevention, and security.
• (d) Gameplay information: the leaderboard, level type and number, metric, your score, the date and time of submission, the schema version, and technical details about whether the submission was accepted, rejected, or skipped, including a diagnostic record of the response received from Steam. We use these to calculate and display rankings and to investigate submission problems.

We do not collect your real name, email address (unless you choose to send it to us at the address below), precise location, payment information, contacts, browsing history, or the contents of files on your device outside the Game's own data directory.

2. How We Use Information

We use the information described above to operate, maintain, and display the Game's leaderboards; to verify game ownership; to detect, investigate, and prevent cheating, fraud, and abuse; to maintain the security and integrity of the leaderboard service; to diagnose and fix technical problems; and to respond to your inquiries. We do not use this information for advertising, and we do not build advertising or marketing profiles about you.

3. Legal Bases (EEA and UK Users)

Where the EU General Data Protection Regulation or the UK GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:

• (a) Performance of a contract: we process your Steam identifiers and gameplay information to provide the leaderboard feature you ask for when you submit a score.
• (b) Legitimate interests: we process integrity signals and network information for our legitimate interests in keeping the leaderboards fair and secure and in preventing cheating, fraud, and abuse. You may object to this processing as described in Section 7.

4. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We share information only as follows:

• (a) With Valve: your Steam ID and qualifying scores are submitted to Valve's Steam leaderboard service so your ranking can be stored and displayed in the Game. Valve's processing of that information is also governed by Valve's privacy policy.
• (b) With service providers: with providers that host or support our leaderboard service, under obligations to protect the information and use it only to provide services to us.
• (c) For legal and safety reasons: where we believe disclosure is required by law or legal process, or is reasonably necessary to enforce the EULA, to protect the rights, property, or safety of ReadOnly Studios or others, or to detect or prevent fraud or abuse.
• (d) In a business transfer: in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, in which case we will require the recipient to honor this Privacy Policy or provide notice of any material change.

5. Data Retention

We retain accepted leaderboard entries for as long as the associated leaderboard remains active, so that rankings can continue to be displayed. We retain IP addresses and the detailed diagnostic submission records described in Section 1(d) only as long as needed for security, fraud prevention, and troubleshooting, and in any event no longer than 90 days, after which we delete or anonymize them. We retain ban records for as long as the ban remains in effect and for a reasonable period afterward to prevent evasion. We may retain information longer where required to comply with law, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.

6. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect the information we hold against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. No system is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights regarding your personal information, including the rights to access, correct, delete, or restrict the use of it, to object to certain processing, and to data portability. Residents of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom have these rights under the GDPR and UK GDPR. Residents of California and certain other U.S. states may have rights under applicable state privacy laws. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights. To make a request, contact us at support@readonlystudios.com; we may need to verify your identity, and we will respond within the time required by applicable law. If you are in the EEA or UK, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

8. Code You Run in the Game

The Game runs Python code you provide on your own device. Any network activity, file access, or data handling performed by code you choose to write, paste, load, or run is your responsibility, is not governed by this Privacy Policy, and does not transmit data to ReadOnly Studios. See the EULA for important information about the risks of running code.

9. International Processing

Our leaderboard service and the database that supports it are operated in the United States. If you are located outside the United States, including in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the information described in this Privacy Policy will be transferred to and processed in the United States in order to provide the leaderboard feature you request when you submit a score. Data protection laws in the United States may differ from those in your country. By submitting a score, you understand that your information will be processed in the United States as described here.

10. Children

The Game is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe a child under 13 has provided us personal information, contact us at support@readonlystudios.com and we will delete it.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version with a new effective date and, for material changes, provide reasonable notice through the Game, its Steam store page, or other appropriate means. Changes apply prospectively from their effective date.

12. Contact

If you have questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your information, contact us at support@readonlystudios.com.