Privacy Policy

1Introduction

Welcome to ACE (Armored Combat Extended). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information when you use our website at https://acegmod.com.

ACE (Armored Combat Extended) is a community website for an open-source Garry's Mod addon. We are not a commercial entity and operate this site for the benefit of our community.

2Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Username – Your chosen display name (public)
• Email address – For account verification and notifications (private)
• Password – Stored securely using bcrypt hashing (we cannot read it)
• Steam ID – If you sign in with Steam (provided by Valve)
• Discord tag – If you choose to link it (optional, public if set)
• GitHub username – If you link your GitHub account (optional)

2.2 User-Generated Content

Content you voluntarily submit:

• Forum posts and comments
• Private messages (only visible to participants and moderators if it's reported)
• Uploaded files, images, and dupes
• Profile information, bio, and avatar
• Project submissions and wiki contributions

2.3 Automatically Collected Data

When you visit our site, we automatically collect:

• IP address – For security, rate limiting, and abuse prevention
• Browser type and version – For compatibility and debugging
• Pages visited and timestamps – For security logs
• Last seen time – To show online status (can be hidden in settings)

2.4 Donation Information

When you donate through Ko-fi or Boosty, we receive:

• Donor name – As provided to Ko-fi/Boosty
• Email address – For supporter role assignment
• Donation amount and message – To track campaign contributions
• Discord username/ID – If connected to Ko-fi (for Discord role assignment)

We do NOT receive or store: Payment card details, bank information, or billing addresses. All payment processing is handled by Ko-fi or Boosty.

3How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and maintain the website
• Create and manage your account
• Send important notifications (password resets, security alerts)
• Respond to your inquiries and support requests
• Prevent abuse, spam, and security threats
• Assign supporter roles and badges to donors
• Track funding campaign progress
• Display your content to other users (forum posts, uploads)

4What's Public vs Private

5Cookies

We use cookies to keep you logged in and remember your preferences. For detailed information about the cookies we use, please see our Cookie Policy.

Essential Cookies

• Session cookie – Keeps you logged in
• CSRF token – Protects against cross-site attacks
• Cookie consent – Remembers your cookie preferences

Optional Cookies

We may use analytics cookies in the future to understand site usage. These will only be set with your consent.

6Data Sharing

We share data with third parties only as necessary to operate the website:

We will also disclose data if required by law or to protect our users from harm.

7Data Retention

We retain your data as follows:

8Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to:

• Access – Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification – Correct inaccurate data
• Erasure – Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Portability – Receive your data in a machine-readable format
• Object – Object to certain processing of your data
• Withdraw consent – For any consent-based processing (e.g., marketing emails)

To exercise these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We'll respond within 30 days.

9Security

We implement security measures including:

• HTTPS encryption for all connections
• Bcrypt password hashing (your password is never stored in plain text)
• Rate limiting to prevent brute force attacks
• CSRF protection on all forms
• Input validation and sanitization
• Regular security updates

However, no system is 100% secure. Use a strong, unique password for your account.

10Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us immediately.

11International Users

Our servers may be located in different countries. By using our website, you consent to your data being transferred and processed in these locations. We take appropriate measures to protect your data regardless of where it's processed.

12Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by:

• Posting a notice on our website
• Updating the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Sending an email to registered users for major changes

Your continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13Contact Us

For privacy-related inquiries, contact us at: