Privacy Policy

Effective date: upon first publication on playyaoku.com.

YAOKU at playyaoku.com is operated by Elijah Maxwell. This Privacy Policy explains how information is handled when you play puzzles, use shared links, or contact us. “YAOKU,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Elijah Maxwell as the operator of the service. Privacy questions and requests may be sent to privacy-policy@playyaoku.com.

1. Playing and saving progress

You do not need an account to play. The Collection contains 1,000 numbered puzzles with fixed puzzle definitions. Free Play generates new puzzles in your browser.

The game uses browser local storage to remember your puzzle, entered numbers, pencil notes, elapsed time, hints, completion records, best times, recent undo history, and color-theme preference. Free Play saves also include the puzzle definition and a locally generated puzzle identifier. These records use the storage keys yaoku-game-v1, yaoku-progress-v2, yaoku-stats-v1, and yaoku-theme.

Your entered numbers, notes, and progress are not uploaded for account storage or synchronization. They remain in this browser on this device. Other people using the same browser profile may be able to see them. Private browsing, browser settings, storage limits, or clearing site data may prevent saving or erase your records. YAOKU does not provide a cloud backup or cross-device synchronization for these records.

2. Shared puzzle links

A Collection link identifies an existing numbered puzzle. Creating that link does not upload your progress or create a new server-side puzzle definition.

For a new Free Play puzzle, opening “Share this puzzle” starts a request to save the puzzle definition and create a six-digit link. Saving starts when you open that dialog, even if you do not send the link. The definition includes the puzzle layout, clues, fixed numbers, solution, Loose Cards, generation seed, and difficulty. The registry stores the definition, its share code, and a hash used to recognize duplicate definitions. It does not store your entered numbers, notes, elapsed time, hints, undo history, or local progress records as part of that definition.

Shared definitions are stored using Cloudflare Durable Objects. Anyone who has or guesses a valid code can retrieve the definition, including its solution. These links are public puzzle identifiers, not private access credentials, and are not tied to a player account. Do not use them to communicate confidential information.

The registry currently has no automatic expiration and no player-facing deletion control. Clearing browser data does not delete a shared definition. You can ask about removal at privacy-policy@playyaoku.com, including the puzzle code. A code alone does not establish who created a puzzle because the registry has no creator-ownership records. We cannot remove copies of a link or definition held outside our control.

3. Hosting, fonts, and technical information

Cloudflare hosts the website and sharing service. Delivering pages, assets, and shared puzzles involves processing connection and request information, such as your IP address, requested URL, and browser-provided headers. The puzzle-registry table does not include visitor IP-address or player-account fields; this does not mean hosting or security infrastructure keeps no technical records.

The stylesheet loads fonts from Google Fonts. Your browser sends requests to Google to retrieve the stylesheets and font files. These requests disclose your IP address, requested resource, and browser-provided headers, which can include browser, operating-system, and referring-page information. See Google’s font privacy information and Google’s Privacy Policy. Cloudflare describes its handling of information in its Privacy Policy.

The game’s application code does not include an advertising SDK, analytics script, tracking pixel, or a command that sets browser cookies. It does use local storage as described above. This description is limited to the application: hosting, security, font, and email services also process information, and their own features, settings, and policies may apply. It should not be read as a statement that no technical data is processed or that every provider operates without cookies.

4. Email and information you provide

If you email us, the information involved may include your email address, message, attachments, and message headers. The purposes of handling correspondence include responding to questions, troubleshooting, considering puzzle ideas or business inquiries, and addressing privacy or legal concerns.

The published YAOKU addresses use Cloudflare Email Routing to forward incoming messages to the mailbox used for correspondence. Email delivery and storage also involve the sending and receiving email providers. We do not publish the private forwarding destination. Please include only information needed for your request; do not send passwords, payment-card details, or unnecessary sensitive information.

5. Information use, disclosure, and retention

The application’s information flows support delivering the website, remembering games locally, and making shared puzzles retrievable. The game code does not send gameplay records to advertising services or include a mechanism for selling player data. This describes the game’s functionality, not an assurance about every independent practice of an infrastructure provider.

Information may also need to be disclosed where required by law or to address security incidents, abuse, or legal claims, subject to applicable law. This does not provide us with remote access to records saved only in your browser.

Local game records remain until removed or overwritten by you, the application, or your browser. Shared definitions have no programmed expiration in the current registry. There is no single fixed retention period stated in this policy for email, hosting records, or provider backups. Do not assume those records are deleted when you close the website or clear your browser. For questions about information associated with a particular message or request, contact privacy-policy@playyaoku.com. A request does not guarantee that every record or externally held copy can be deleted, and applicable legal requirements may affect the response.

6. Your choices and requests

You can remove locally saved games, statistics, and preferences by clearing YAOKU’s site data in your browser settings. YAOKU has no account-based recovery for those records. Blocking local storage may prevent saving. Clearing site data does not erase shared definitions or correspondence. Avoid opening the sharing dialog for a new Free Play puzzle if you do not want its definition saved on the server.

Depending on where you live and the laws that apply, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, or a portable copy of personal information, or to complain to a relevant privacy regulator. Send requests to privacy-policy@playyaoku.com. We may need proportionate information to understand the request and verify that it concerns you. Applicable exceptions may limit a request. We cannot retrieve gameplay records that exist only in your browser.

7. Children under 13

YAOKU is for people age 13 and older. We do not knowingly allow children under 13 to use our services. Children under 13 must not use YAOKU or send us personal information; parental permission does not override this minimum age. Users age 13 or older who have not reached the age of legal majority where they live must have a parent’s or guardian’s permission to use the service.

If you believe a child under 13 has used YAOKU or provided personal information, contact privacy-policy@playyaoku.com. Provide only information necessary to identify the concern. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13, we will take appropriate steps to stop further collection and delete the information as required by applicable law.

The website does not currently verify ages or provide a parental-consent process. This restriction does not mean children’s access is technically prevented, and it does not replace any obligations imposed by children’s privacy law.

8. Security and policy updates

No website, browser-storage system, or email service can guarantee absolute security. Do not use puzzle links for confidential information. If you share a device, consider who can access the browser profile containing your saved games.

We may update this policy to reflect changes in the service or applicable requirements. Updates will show a revised effective date. Where additional notice or consent is legally required, posting an updated page alone will not replace that requirement.

9. Contact

Operator: Elijah Maxwell, operating YAOKU.

Privacy and children’s privacy: privacy-policy@playyaoku.com.

Help: support@playyaoku.com.

See our Terms of Service and contact page for additional information and the other YAOKU email addresses.