Privacy Policy – Tinker Playground LLC

1. Introduction

Tinker Playground LLC ("Tinker Playground," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through this Privacy Policy. This Policy describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit our website (https://tinkerplayground.com), use our Services, sign up for communications, or access content through our podcasts, apps, or educational tools. It also explains how we collect, use, protect, and disclose that information. By accessing or using the Services, you consent to this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

• Information You Provide Directly: Email addresses, names, and contact information provided when subscribing to our newsletter, signing up for waitlists, submitting content, or contacting support.
• Automatically Collected Information: Includes IP address (anonymized where possible), browser type, operating system, referral URLs, pages viewed, and time spent using our website. This is collected via Google Analytics, which we load only after you accept analytics cookies (see Section 4).
• Payment Information: Processed exclusively by our third-party payment provider, Paddle. We do not store any financial data.
• User Authentication Data: We use NextAuth with Google Sign-In (OAuth) for parent and educator accounts — for identity verification, session management, and secure login. Children sign in with a parent-set PIN and provide no personal information of their own.

3. Children's Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

While Tinker Playground's content is designed for children, our Services—including newsletters, account registration, and payment flows—are intended for use by parents, guardians, or educators. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. If you believe we have unintentionally collected data from a child, please contact us immediately.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use two kinds of cookies. Essential cookies are required for the site to work and are always active; analytics cookies are optional and are only set after you accept them via our cookie banner. The specific cookies we use are:

• next-auth.session-token (essential, authentication): keeps you signed in. Set only when you log in; expires after ~30 days.
• csrf-token (essential, security): protects forms and requests against cross-site request forgery. Short-lived (about 1 hour).
• active_child (essential, functional): on family accounts, remembers which child profile a parent is currently playing as. Expires after ~12 hours.
• Google Analytics (_ga, _gid) (analytics, optional): measures anonymized, aggregate usage so we can improve the site. Set only after you accept analytics cookies; typically retained up to ~2 years.

You can accept or reject analytics cookies at any time using the cookie banner, and you can clear or block cookies in your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may prevent parts of the site (such as signing in) from working. You can also opt out of Google Analytics with Google's opt-out browser add-on.

5. Third-Party Services

We rely on the following providers to deliver key functionality:

• Paddle: Processes all payments. Paddle acts as Merchant of Record and may collect email, IP address, and billing information.
• Google: Google Sign-In (OAuth, via NextAuth) for account login, and Google Analytics / Firebase Analytics for anonymized usage statistics. Learn more: Google's policy
• Supabase: Hosts our database and stores account, progress, and waitlist data
• Substack: Manages newsletter delivery and email subscriptions
• Podcast Platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and others stream our content but operate under their own privacy terms

6. How We Use the Information

• To deliver content, newsletters, and updates
• To provide secure access to our Services
• To process subscriptions and facilitate payments
• To analyze trends and usage behavior to improve our Services
• To respond to inquiries and support requests

7. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. However, we may share data:

• With vendors acting as data processors under contractual obligations (e.g., Paddle, Google, Supabase, Substack)
• If required by law or legal process
• To enforce our Terms of Use
• In the event of a corporate restructuring, merger, or acquisition
• As aggregated or de-identified data for research or service improvement

8. Data Security

We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your data. No method is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Under U.S. law (including California law), you have the right to:

• Request access to personal data
• Correct inaccurate information
• Delete your personal data (subject to lawful retention limits)
• Opt out of email marketing at any time

To exercise these rights, contact: hello@tinkerplayground.com

10. International Use

Our Services are intended for users in the United States. If you are accessing from another country, your information may be transferred to and processed in the U.S. By using the Services, you consent to this transfer.

11. Our Mobile Apps

We publish standalone mobile games — TinkerLoop (a circuit-puzzle game, on Android) and Tinker Math (an adaptive math game) — which are governed by this same Privacy Policy. These apps are designed to be safe and privacy-first:

• No account or login: the apps do not require sign-up and do not collect names, email addresses, or other personal information.
• Progress stays on your device: game progress, scores, levels, streaks, and settings are stored locally on the device, not on our servers.
• Anonymous usage analytics: the apps use Google Firebase Analytics to collect aggregated, non-identifying usage metrics (for example, which features are used and app stability), which helps us improve the games. This data is not used to identify individual children.
• Notifications: TinkerLoop may send optional local reminder notifications on your device; you can disable these in your device settings.
• No ads and no data sales: the apps contain no third-party advertising and we do not sell any data.

You can manage or reset an app's analytics and stored data through your device's app settings. Uninstalling an app removes its locally stored progress.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Material changes will be posted on this page with a new effective date.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact:

Email: hello@tinkerplayground.com

Mailing Address: Tinker Playground LLC, 2108 N St Ste N, Sacramento, CA 95816 USA

Last Updated: July 3, 2026