Privacy Policy

Effective October 10, 2026 · Policy version 2026-10-10

1. Operator and privacy contact

George Syriannis operates Courtside in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is responsible for its privacy practices. Contact gsyriannis@gmail.com for access, correction, deletion, consent withdrawal, complaints or questions. This policy covers the Courtside web app, Android app and associated services.

2. What we collect and why

• Account and profile: sign-in identifier, name, email, email-verification status, connected sign-in methods, optional profile photo, player code and acceptance/privacy choices. We use these for authentication, account management, linking your records and helping accepted friends find you through player codes. Google/Firebase handles passwords; Courtside does not receive your Google password or store password text in its game database.
• Games and playbooks: player/team names, linked player accounts, scores, sport, dates, match state, statistics and plays you save. We use these for scorekeeping, syncing, history and sharing with participating players.
• Messaging: sender/recipient identifiers, message text, dates, attachments and their filenames, file types and sizes, read positions, brief typing signals, friend connections, groups, mute/block choices and reports. Public card reports include the card link, report reason, date and a daily hashed network identifier used to limit abuse. We use these for delivery, displaying conversations, notifications and abuse handling.
• Photos and files: profile pictures, saved winner cards, shared images, GIFs and files you choose. Uploads may include personal information or metadata present in the selected file. Only share files you are entitled to share.
• App activity: approximate foreground active time, session counts, recent activity, account dates and saved-game/friend counts. The administrator can see these operational statistics linked to your account. They help us operate the beta, diagnose usage and understand the audience. Approximate measures exclude some offline and TV-only activity.
• Regional usage: we use approximate country, province/state and city from internet connection metadata to understand where Courtside is used. Regional statistics are enabled when a new adult account accepts this policy; existing regional preferences are preserved. Each eligible account retains only its latest observed area. No GPS, coordinates, street address or raw IP is stored in the regional record. Estimates may be wrong or unavailable. Regional reporting counts eligible adult accounts with regional statistics enabled and an observation in the last 30 days, so it does not represent all users. The administrator sees grouped regional totals and separately sees broad self-reported age-group totals entered during account setup. Regional observations are replaced on a later visit, removed when regional statistics are turned off or on account deletion, and observations older than 30 days are removed when the regional report runs. We share only non-identifying grouped totals with sponsors, combining or withholding small groups.
• Devices and service data: notification subscription endpoints, authentication/session tokens, privacy preferences, network request data such as IP address and browser information, and service/security errors handled by our hosting, authentication and notification providers. These support sign-in, delivery, security and troubleshooting. Courtside does not request precise GPS location, address-book access or broad access to device storage.

3. Microphone and voice BETA

Courtside does not create saved microphone audio recordings or upload microphone audio to Courtside servers. Voice input uses the microphone only after you choose to activate a voice feature and grant the necessary permission. For browser-based Speak one command, the browser or operating system's speech service may send audio to its own servers and handle it under that provider's privacy terms. Courtside cannot guarantee that this processing is entirely on-device or that those providers retain no audio. The browser returns recognized words for interpreting scoring commands; the app may temporarily show them as feedback. A browser microphone meter samples sound levels in memory and does not record a file.

Android hands-free uses the installed local speech model. It processes microphone audio locally, discards ordinary room speech and sends recognized text addressed to Courtside to our server to interpret and apply a command. Command text is processed for scoring rather than kept as a conversation transcript. The temporary online session stores match state, revision and command identifiers for sync. It expires after up to four hours and is purged on subsequent session activity after expiry. Hands-free can continue with the screen off and has a visible Android microphone notification. Stop listening through Voice or that notification. Turning off browser voice stops that recognizer. Device permission settings can revoke microphone access.

Microphone input, recognized commands and private messages are not used for advertising or sponsor profiling. No microphone recordings are kept by Courtside for model training.

4. Messages, encryption and moderation

New messages and private attachments use the OpenPGP protocol through OpenPGP.js. Encryption and signature verification happen on authorized devices before upload or display. Courtside stores ciphertext, public encryption identities, certified device keys and encrypted recovery backups. Private keys stay on authorized devices; recovery backups contain encrypted private-key material whose random recovery secret is never sent to Courtside. Message routing, friendship, device identifiers, timestamps, delivery/read receipts, typing indicators and file sizes remain visible to operate the service. Inbox and push responses contain no plaintext message or filename previews.

Messages and attachments created before this update remain unencrypted and are labelled as older history. They are not silently converted. New plaintext sends are rejected, including sends from cached older clients. Account sign-in alone cannot unlock encrypted history: use an authorized device, a privately shared device-link code, or your recovery code. Recovery codes can decrypt encrypted history, so this design does not promise forward secrecy or post-compromise security. A compromised authorized device or recovery code can expose history. Resetting all encryption keys revokes old devices for future messaging and warns contacts of the identity change; it cannot erase copies they already decrypted. Keep your recovery code outside Courtside. Losing all authorized devices and the recovery code can permanently lose access to encrypted history.

Compare identity fingerprints with your friend through another trusted channel. The first saved identity is trusted until independently verified. Changes block sending or verification until reviewed. The web client and your device must remain trustworthy; malicious client updates or device compromise can access plaintext on the device.

Administrators cannot decrypt ordinary new conversations through the service. To report a message, you explicitly choose the text to share and a reason. Only that selected content, the report and associated routing information go to the administrator; the rest of the conversation and attachments are not included. Reported excerpts become readable service data for moderation and safety. Existing unencrypted records remain access-controlled stored data, but the administrator report interface no longer retrieves full messages automatically.

Team coaching workspaces: plays and practice plans are shared only when you explicitly save them to a team. Existing authorized coaches of that team can read, edit and delete its shared items. Personal plays and device-only practice drafts are not automatically shared. Team items are stored in the existing Courtside database with access controls; they do not use messaging end-to-end encryption. Deleting your account also removes team items you originally created. Independent working copies held by other coaches remain theirs.

5. Sharing and service providers

Other players see information you choose to share through accepted connections, messages, linked games and winner cards. A public winner link is available to anyone with the link; a recipient can download or redistribute it. External social platforms control copies posted to them.

Our providers include Google/Firebase for authentication, ChatGPT Sites/OpenAI and its hosting/storage infrastructure for the web service, and browser/operating-system notification services for push delivery. The Android app uses a local Vosk speech model; browser speech processing may use the browser/device provider. Radio streams and Google Cast contact their own providers when used. These providers can process data needed to supply the selected features, in Canada, the United States or other locations where their systems operate. Data processed abroad may be subject to that jurisdiction's laws. Each provider's own notices also apply to its independent processing.

An optional AI winner-photo feature is currently gated by server configuration. If enabled, selecting it sends the chosen image and editing instructions to the image service identified in its notice. It must not be used without that notice and your affirmative choice. It does not process microphone audio.

We may disclose information where reasonably necessary to comply with law or lawful process, protect safety, prevent fraud or enforce our terms. A business reorganization or transfer may involve relevant account/service data with legally required notice and protections. We do not sell private messages, audio or personal account lists to sponsors.

6. Advertising, sponsors and choices

We may display clearly labelled advertisements, sponsor placements and sports offers. Basic contextual sponsorship can relate to the sport or page being viewed. We may calculate and share aggregate statistics such as total players, broad sports popularity and overall engagement, using groups large enough to avoid identifying a person. We do not share names, emails, player codes, individual histories, private messages or audio with sponsors for their own marketing without a separate lawful basis and clear permission.

Regional usage statistics can be turned off through Settings → Privacy & sponsor choices. This setting is separate from personalized sponsor offers. Minors are not included in this regional collection. Adults can separately opt in to relevant sponsor offers inside Courtside based on their sports and app activity, and withdraw that choice through Settings → Privacy & sponsor choices. This choice is optional and does not affect scorekeeping. No third-party advertising tracker or personalized ad network is enabled by this release. If we introduce one, we will identify the provider, data and purpose and obtain the separate consent required before activation. Promotional email requires its own compliant signup and unsubscribe process; the in-app sponsor choice is not email-marketing consent. We do not knowingly profile children or teens for behavioural advertising.

7. Retention and deletion

Active account profiles, games, plays, messages and uploaded files remain available while the account exists and the feature needs them. Typing signals expire within seconds. Temporary hands-free sessions expire as described above. You can remove a public winner link from its sharing controls.

Self-service deletion removes your Courtside profile, connections, preferences, saved plays, associated games, public winner links, messages involving your account, related uploaded files and notification subscriptions from active Courtside storage. Associated shared matches and conversations may also disappear for other participants. Firebase-based deletion also removes the Courtside Firebase sign-in identity; it does not delete your Google account. Earlier ChatGPT sign-in is disconnected from Courtside without deleting the underlying ChatGPT account. A minimal hashed account identifier and deletion timestamp can be retained to prevent older clients from recreating a deleted account. This marker contains no message content, email, name or game history.

Deletion cannot erase screenshots, downloaded/exported files, external posts or independent copies held by others. Local caches and data on the device used for deletion are cleared; remove Courtside's site data or uninstall it on other devices. Associated temporary hands-free sessions are removed when identifiable as linked to your account. Older sessions without an account link can remain until expiry, so stop hands-free before deleting. Hosting/authentication provider backups and security logs may persist under their recovery/security schedules; restored account data must not be put back into active use. If a specific legal obligation requires retention, we will identify the data and reason and restrict its use.

8. Permissions, storage and security

Courtside uses browser storage for sign-in, saved scores, drafts, settings, offline assets, your privacy choices and encryption keys on authorized devices. It asks for microphone, camera/photo selection and notification permissions when relevant. You can refuse optional permissions and use manual scoring. Data sent between Courtside clients and its service uses HTTPS. Access controls limit private records to authorized users. New encrypted messaging additionally requires device or recovery keys, while selected report text is available to authorized moderation staff. No internet service can promise absolute security.

9. Children, rights and policy updates

Beta personal accounts are intended for ages 13 and up. If you are a minor, you must have your parent or guardian's permission to use Courtside. Do not create a personal account for a child under 13. Contact us if such information was provided so we can address it. Optional personalized sponsor offers are for adults only. Parents can contact us about a child's privacy.

You may request access, correction or deletion, ask about our providers, withdraw optional consent and raise a complaint by contacting the privacy address above. Some data is needed to operate an account; withdrawing essential processing may require closing it. We may verify identity before responding. You may also contact the relevant privacy regulator. Material changes will be clearly disclosed and, where required, presented for renewed consent before new uses begin.

10. Browser tracking signals and outside services

Courtside does not change its data processing in response to a browser Do Not Track signal. Use Settings → Privacy & sponsor choices to withdraw optional personalized sponsor consent, and contact us to exercise the rights described above. No third-party advertising network or cross-site advertising tracker is enabled by this release.

When you use integrated services such as Google sign-in, Google Cast, browser speech or radio, those providers may receive identifiers and usage information under their own privacy policies. Depending on the service and your provider settings, that information may be associated with your activity over time and across other websites or services. Courtside does not control their independent processing. Review their privacy notices and account/browser controls. We will review applicable tracking-signal and opt-out requirements before introducing new advertising or sharing practices.