Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Overview

Welcome to Village Vault ("Village Vault", "we", "our", or "us"), an independent web platform operated by Sabin Adhikari, located in Nepal. Village Vault provides tools, collection tracking, equipment planners, upgrade estimators, guides, and informational resources for players of the video game Clash of Clans.

This Privacy Policy sets forth our practices regarding the collection, use, storage, disclosure, and protection of information obtained from visitors and users of our website located at https://www.clashofclansvault.win ("Website" or "Services").

We are committed to user privacy and data transparency. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully to understand how your information is handled. By accessing or using Village Vault, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the practices described in this document. If you do not agree with this policy, please refrain from accessing or using our Website.

2. Definitions

For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

• "Village Vault" refers to the independent fan site, its owner (Sabin Adhikari), and associated digital infrastructure.
• "Website" refers to the web application hosted at https://www.clashofclansvault.win and all subdomains.
• "Services" refers to all features, tools, trackers, calculators, guides, and content provided on the Website.
• "User" or "You" refers to any individual accessing or interacting with the Website or Services.
• "Gameplay Data" refers to exported in-game player profile details (including Player Tag, equipment levels, hero skin status, decoration ownership, and obstacle counts) processed by our tracking features.
• "Personal Information" refers to any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, as defined under applicable data protection laws.
• "Third-Party Services" refers to external service providers, analytics platforms, cloud hosting networks, and database infrastructures utilized by Village Vault.

3. Who We Are

Village Vault is an independent, non-commercial fan project owned and managed by:

• Website Name: Village Vault
• URL: https://www.clashofclansvault.win
• Owner & Operator: Sabin Adhikari
• Country of Operation: Nepal
• Official Contact Email: contact@clashofclansvault.win
• Contact Page: https://www.clashofclansvault.win/contact

4. Information We Collect

We adhere to the principle of data minimization and collect only the information strictly necessary to provide and improve our Services.

A. Information You Voluntarily Provide

Village Vault does NOT feature user accounts, user registration, passwords, or authentication login systems. We do not collect passwords or account credentials. You may voluntarily provide information when using specific features:

• Clash of Clans Exported Data: When utilizing our progress and collection tracker, you may upload an exported Clash of Clans JSON file containing game statistics.
• Contact & Feedback Submissions: When contacting us via our Contact Page or feedback forms, you may voluntarily submit your name, email address, message body, and optional uploaded screenshot images.

B. Automatically Collected Information

When you navigate through the Website, standard technical logs and telemetry may be automatically generated by your browser and collected by our analytics and infrastructure providers:

• IP address (anonymized where supported)
• Browser brand, version, and language settings
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet) and operating system
• Requested pages, referral URLs, and entry/exit pages
• Date, time, and duration of visits
• Approximate geographic location (country or region level)

C. Browser Local Storage Data

Village Vault uses browser localStorage to allow your collection and tracker progress to remain saved locally on your own computer or mobile device without requiring account registration.

5. Uploaded Game Data & Processing Workflow

Village Vault features custom tools allowing users to import Clash of Clans exported player JSON files. We operate a strict data extraction and discard protocol:

1. Upload & Processing: The user uploads an exported JSON data file into the tracker tool.
2. Data Extraction: Our application parses the JSON file to extract only specific gameplay tracking parameters: Player Tag, hero skin ownership, equipment levels, decoration inventory, and obstacle counts.
3. Discard of Raw File: The original uploaded JSON file is **immediately discarded** and is never saved or retained on our servers.
4. Building Data Discard: Base building layout and individual building level details are discarded during processing and are not stored in our database.
5. Stored Data: Only the extracted Gameplay Data (Player Tag and collection ownership) is stored in our database for tracker performance and community rarity statistics.
6. Privacy of Gameplay Data: Uploaded Gameplay Data is never publicly displayed alongside identifiable personal details.

Data Deletion Requests: If you wish to remove your stored Gameplay Data from our database, you may submit a request by emailing contact@clashofclansvault.win providing your exact Clash of Clans Player Tag.

6. How We Use Information

We use the information collected for the following legitimate business and operational purposes:

• To operate, maintain, and render the features of the Website and Services
• To calculate and update your local collection tracker progress
• To compile aggregated, anonymized community rarity statistics
• To respond to user inquiries, error reports, and support requests
• To monitor website speed, infrastructure health, and performance
• To detect, prevent, and mitigate security threats, abuse, or malicious activity
• To fulfill legal obligations under applicable law

7. Analytics Services

Village Vault utilizes privacy-oriented and industry-standard analytics tools to understand website traffic patterns and improve performance:

• Google Analytics: Collects anonymized traffic statistics, referral sources, and page view duration.
• Vercel Analytics: Measures real user performance metrics (Web Vitals), page load speed, and routing performance.
• Cloud Umami: Provides open-source, privacy-focused website analytics without tracking personal data across third-party websites.

These analytics tools process data in aggregated forms and do not identify individual natural persons.

8. Cookies & Local Storage

Village Vault relies primarily on browser Local Storage rather than cookies to persist your tracker data locally. For comprehensive details regarding cookie categories, browser controls, and analytics technologies, please read our dedicated Cookie Policy.

• Local Storage: Stores your active player tag, skin progress, and tracker preferences locally on your device.
• Cookies: Third-party analytics and infrastructure providers (such as Google Analytics or Cloudflare) may set essential or performance cookies in accordance with their respective privacy policies.

9. Database Storage & Security

Village Vault utilizes Neon PostgreSQL, a modern serverless database platform, to store parsed community collection data.

• All communication between your browser and our servers occurs over encrypted **HTTPS (TLS 1.2+)** protocol.
• Database connections enforce SSL/TLS encryption in transit and rest-level encryption.
• Access controls and database credentials are strictly managed through environment variables.

While we implement reasonable administrative and technical security measures, no method of transmission over the Internet or server storage can be guaranteed to be 100% secure.

10. Advertising & Future Mediavine Partners

Current Status: Village Vault currently does not serve third-party banner advertisements.

Future Advertising Disclosure: In the future, Village Vault may partner with third-party digital advertising networks—such as Mediavine, Google AdSense, or premium ad exchanges—to display contextually relevant advertisements.

When advertising partners are integrated, those companies may use cookies, device identifiers, IP addresses, and browser signatures to deliver, personalize, and measure ad performance. When required by applicable privacy laws (such as GDPR or CCPA), a Consent Management Platform (CMP) will be presented to allow users to specify ad consent choices.

11. Third-Party Service Providers

Village Vault partners with trusted cloud infrastructure and technology providers to host and maintain the Website:

• Vercel Inc. – Web application hosting, serverless functions, and deployment edge network.
• Neon Inc. – Serverless PostgreSQL database infrastructure.
• Cloudflare Inc. – Content Delivery Network (CDN), DNS resolution, and Web Application Firewall (WAF) security.
• GitHub Inc. – Version control system and codebase deployment pipeline.
• Twilio SendGrid – Email dispatch service for contact and feedback form submissions.
• Google LLC – Website analytics (Google Analytics).
• Umami Software Inc. – Privacy-focused analytics framework.

Each third-party service provider processes technical data solely as required to deliver their respective service to Village Vault and maintains independent privacy compliance.

12. Disclosure & Sharing of Information

We do not sell, rent, trade, or monetize your Personal Information. We disclose information only under the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: To hosting, database, and infrastructure vendors operating on our behalf.
• Legal Requirements: If compelled by law, court order, subpoena, or governmental regulatory authority.
• Protection of Rights: When necessary to enforce our Terms of Service, defend against legal claims, or protect the safety and integrity of Village Vault.

13. Data Retention Policy

We retain information only as long as necessary for the operational purposes set forth in this policy:

• Browser Local Storage: Remains on your local device indefinitely until manually cleared by you.
• Contact Form Messages: Retained in email logs for up to 12 months to answer inquiries and prevent abuse.
• Parsed Gameplay Statistics: Anonymized collection data stored in our database is retained for community rarity analysis. Users can request deletion of records associated with their Player Tag at any time.

14. Artificial Intelligence Notice

Village Vault utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) software tools strictly as writing aids, coding assistants, and research support during content creation and software development.

AI tools do not replace editorial oversight. All published guides, articles, data figures, and code updates undergo manual editorial review by Sabin Adhikari before publication.

15. Your Privacy Rights & Choices

Depending on your geographic location, you may exercise the following privacy rights regarding your data:

• Right to Access / Know: Request details about the categories of data processed by us.
• Right to Deletion: Request the deletion of stored Gameplay Data associated with your Clash of Clans Player Tag.
• Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate information provided to us.
• Browser Clearing: Clear your browser's Local Storage and Cookies at any time through your browser settings.

To exercise any rights, please contact us at contact@clashofclansvault.win.

16. GDPR & UK GDPR Compliance

For users residing in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR / UK GDPR) under the following lawful bases:

• Legitimate Interests: Operating, securing, and maintaining the quality and security of our Services.
• Consent: Where explicit consent is provided (e.g., optional cookie consent or voluntary feedback submissions).

EEA and UK residents have the right to lodge a complaint with their local Data Protection Authority if they believe data processing infringes applicable regulations.

17. California Privacy Rights (CCPA / CPRA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):

• Village Vault does NOT sell personal information of users.
• Village Vault does NOT share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising without consent.
• California users may request disclosure or deletion of any collected data by contacting us.

18. International Data Transfers

Village Vault is operated from Nepal, and our server infrastructure (Vercel, Neon, Cloudflare) utilizes globally distributed cloud data centers primarily located in the United States and Europe.

By accessing the Website, you acknowledge that your information may be processed in jurisdictions outside your home country, where data protection standard laws may differ.

19. Children's Privacy

Village Vault is intended for general audiences aged 13 years or older. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13.

If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13, we will promptly delete that information. Parents or guardians who believe a child has provided data may contact contact@clashofclansvault.win.

20. Third-Party External Links

Our Website contains links to third-party websites (such as Supercell, official stores, or community resources). We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of external websites. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of any third-party website they visit.

21. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify or update this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect operational, legal, or regulatory changes.

Any updates will be published directly on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date at the top of the document. We encourage users to review this page periodically.

22. Contact Information

If you have questions, feedback, or privacy-related requests regarding this Privacy Policy, please reach out to us: