Privacy

Loop 9 Privacy Policy

Effective date: September 14, 2026. This version replaces the policy of July 17, 2026; the only change is the contact address.

This policy explains how Loop 9 processes information when you use its Steam authentication, live AI conversations, anonymous run telemetry, and optional Steam Cloud synchronization.

1. Data controller and contact

Loop 9 is independently developed and published by SMENA (Andrija Stanišić), Novi Sad, Serbia. Privacy and support questions can be sent to [email protected].

2. Information processed

• Steam authentication: a Steam authentication ticket and SteamID64 are processed to verify that a request comes from a Steam user. The ticket is used for verification and is not stored by Loop 9. A signed session token normally expires within 12 hours.
• AI conversations: the message you type, preferred language, and limited game-state context are processed to generate Dragojlo's reply. This context may include a bounded list of recent actions such as entering an area, inspecting an object, using a door, or toggling the flashlight; it excludes coordinates and movement paths. Loop 9 does not maintain a conversation-history database and does not write chat text to application logs.
• Safety checks: messages are scanned locally for personal data (email/phone-like text) and requests to reproduce copyrighted works, then checked with a third-party moderation API for illegal and adult-sexual categories. Insults and dark in-fiction talk are allowed so the character can react.
• Technical and security data: request identifiers, response status, timing information, hashed player/IP-derived identifiers, quota counters, and error categories are processed for security, abuse prevention, reliability, and cost control. Infrastructure providers may also process network addresses in their own access logs.
• Anonymous run telemetry: ending type, reset count, AI interaction count, game build version, and aggregate AI-advice outcomes (whether a suggested area was checked, time-to-check, contradiction state, and lift-advice/follow counts) may be recorded for balancing and reliability analysis. This telemetry does not include chat content, coordinates, movement paths, or area names.
• Steam Cloud: if enabled, Steam may synchronize local progression and settings files such as Game.ini and GameUserSettings.ini.

3. Why the information is used

Information is processed to provide requested game features, authenticate Steam sessions, generate and moderate AI dialogue, preserve optional cloud progress, prevent abuse, diagnose failures, balance the game, and comply with legal obligations. Where applicable, the legal bases are performance of the game service and legitimate interests in security and service reliability.

4. Service providers

• Valve/Steam: authentication, ownership platform, achievements, and optional Steam Cloud.
• Groq: primary generation of short text dialogue.
• OpenAI: fallback text generation and input/output safety moderation.
• Render and its infrastructure services: backend hosting, operational logs, and rate-limit storage.

These providers process information under their own terms and privacy policies. Information may be processed outside your country, subject to the safeguards offered by the relevant provider.

5. Retention

• Loop 9 does not persist chat conversations in an application database.
• Session tokens expire automatically, normally within 12 hours.
• Rate-limit counters expire automatically, with the longest normal window being approximately 30 days.
• Operational and anonymous telemetry logs are retained only as long as reasonably necessary for security, debugging, balancing, and legal obligations, normally no longer than 30 days.
• Steam Cloud files remain subject to the player's Steam Cloud settings and Valve's retention practices.

6. Sharing and sale

Loop 9 does not sell personal information, serve targeted advertising, or share chat messages with other players. Information is shared only with the service providers needed to operate the features described above, or when legally required.

7. Your choices and rights

You may avoid AI processing by not using the in-game AI conversation feature. Steam Cloud can be controlled through Steam. Depending on your location, you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, or objection by contacting the email above. Because Loop 9 intentionally stores little identifying information, some records may not be technically linkable to an individual request.

8. Children

Loop 9 is not directed to children under 13. Users must meet Steam's minimum age requirements.

9. Security and policy changes

Reasonable technical and organizational safeguards are used, including encrypted transport, short-lived signed sessions, rate limits, content moderation, and minimized logs. No system can guarantee absolute security. Material policy updates will be reflected on this page with a new effective date.