Privacy policy

This policy explains what SpeedSolving Puzzles Community ("we", "the site") collects about you, why, and what you can do about it. It covers the forum, the wiki, the weekly competition, the timer and the media gallery at speedsolving.com. It was last reviewed on 20 October 2026.

What we collect

  • Account details: the username, email address and password (stored only as a one-way hash) you give when you register, your date of birth if asked, and any profile fields you choose to fill in (location, WCA ID, personal bests and the like). Profile fields are visible to other visitors unless the field says otherwise.
  • What you post: threads, posts, messages, wiki edits, competition results, timer sessions, media and reactions. Public content stays public and is attributed to your username.
  • Technical data: the IP address and browser identifier of your visits and posts, kept in server and forum logs to run the site and to stop spam and abuse.
  • Cookies: a session cookie so you stay logged in, cookies that remember your settings (style, read status), and, for logged-out visitors, cookies set by Google for analytics and advertising. See the cookie page.

How we use it

  • To run your account, show your content, deliver notifications and the emails you have chosen (you can change these in your account preferences, and every email has an unsubscribe link).
  • To keep the site safe: spam filtering, anti-abuse checks, rate limits and moderation. New registrations are checked against the StopForumSpam database and protected by Cloudflare Turnstile.
  • To understand how the site is used, through Google Analytics, in aggregate.
  • Logged-out pages may show Google AdSense advertisements. Google may use cookies to personalise them; you can opt out at Google's ad settings. Members see no ads.

Who else sees it

We do not sell your data. Services that process some of it on our behalf: Cloudflare (delivers the site and blocks attacks; sees your IP address), Amazon Web Services (sends our email), Google (analytics and, for logged-out visitors, advertising), and Google, Facebook or X if you choose to sign in with one of those accounts. Wiki edits are published under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with your wiki username. We disclose data to authorities only when the law requires it.

How long we keep it

Your account and content stay until you ask us to remove them. IP addresses on posts are kept for 365 days; login and session logs for a shorter period. Nightly backups are kept for seven days. Unconfirmed registrations are removed after a period of inactivity.

Your choices and rights

  • You can edit your profile, privacy settings, email preferences and signature at any time in your account.
  • You can ask us for a copy of the data we hold about you, to correct it, or to delete your account. Deleting an account removes the profile and personal details; posts may remain under an anonymised name so that discussions still make sense, unless you ask for them to be removed too.
  • Use the contact form for any of these. We answer within 30 days.

Children

You must be at least 13 to register. If you believe a younger child has an account, contact us and we will remove it.

Changes

If this policy changes in a way that matters, we will post a notice on the forum. Questions go through the contact form.

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