Privacy Policy

5 Picks (“5 Picks,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website at 5-picks.com (the “Service”). This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. Questions? Email [email protected].

Information we collect

• Information you provide. If you sign in with Google (when available), we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google. You may also enter a display name for matches.
• Game data.We store match results and an Elo rating associated with a random identifier (and with your account once you sign in). Gameplay between two players is peer‑to‑peer — match content is exchanged directly between players’ browsers and is not routed through or stored by us. Because online matches use WebRTC, a direct connection means each player’s public IP address may be visible to their opponent (this is inherent to peer‑to‑peer connections); where a direct link isn’t possible we fall back to a relay (TURN) server, which avoids that exposure.
• Automatically collected data. Our hosting and content‑delivery provider (Cloudflare) processes basic technical information such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited, for security, abuse prevention, and reliability.
• Cookies and similar technologies.See “Cookies and advertising” below.

Cookies and advertising

We use only essential cookies by default — for example, a session cookie set when you choose to sign in, which keeps you logged in. These are necessary to operate the Service and do not require consent.

We also display advertising through Google AdSense, which uses non‑essential advertising cookies. Consent is collected through a Google‑certified consent message(Google’s Privacy & messaging / Funding Choices). Where required — for example, for visitors in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland — you are asked to consent before any advertising cookies are used, and your choice is applied to Google via Consent Mode (which we default to denied until you decide). If you decline, no advertising cookies are set and only non‑personalized or no ads are shown.

• You can withdraw or change your choice at any time using Cookie settings in the site footer.
• With consent, third‑party vendors including Google use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites, and may serve personalized or non‑personalized ads.
• You can further manage personalized advertising at Google Ads Settings or for some third‑party vendors at aboutads.info.

How we use information

• To provide, operate, and maintain the Service;
• To compute Elo ratings, rankings, and leaderboards;
• To protect against fraud, abuse, and security threats;
• To display and measure advertising;
• To respond to you and comply with legal obligations.

Legal bases (EEA/UK)

Where the GDPR or UK GDPR applies, we rely on: your consent (for personalized advertising and optional features); performance of a contract (to provide the Service and your account); and our legitimate interests (to keep the Service secure and to improve it).

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information with service providers that process it on our behalf, including Google (sign‑in and advertising) and Cloudflare (hosting, content delivery, and security). These providers handle data under their own privacy policies — see the Google Privacy Policy. We may also disclose information where required by law.

Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or port your personal data, to object to or restrict processing, and to withdraw consent. California residents may request access to or deletion of their information and opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information; we do not sell your data, and you can manage ad‑related sharing through the consent tools above. To exercise any right, email [email protected].

Retention, transfers, and security

We keep account data until you delete your account, and technical logs for a limited period. Our providers operate global infrastructure, so your data may be processed in countries other than your own, with appropriate safeguards. We use reasonable measures to protect your data, but no method of transmission or storage is completely secure.

Children

The Service is not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA), and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it.

“Do Not Track” and changes

We do not currently respond to browser “Do Not Track” signals; you can manage ad personalization using the tools above. We may update this policy from time to time and will revise the “last updated” date when we do.

Contact

Questions about this policy? Email [email protected] or visit our contact page.