Log inPlay now

Legal

Privacy policy

Last updated 27 September 2026

AshenNova is a free browser game run by an independent developer based in the United Kingdom ("the AshenNova developer", "we", "us"). We are the controller of the personal data described here under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy explains what the game stores, why, and what you can do about it. The short version: only what is needed to run your account and keep the game safe. No ads, no analytics, no trackers, and nothing is sold or shared for marketing.

What we store

  • Account: your username (callsign) and your password, stored only as a salted bcrypt hash. We never see or store your actual password. No email address or real name is required.
  • Game data: your pilot, station, research, ship, inventory, fight results, quests, in-game mail and settings, so you can continue on any device.
  • Chat: messages you post in in-game chat channels or private messages, so they can be delivered and moderated.
  • Security and error logs: the server briefly logs technical events such as sign-ups, failed logins (to block password guessing, keyed on IP address) and crash reports from the game (error message, the page and your browser's user-agent string, and your username if logged in).

Cookies and local storage

The game uses one strictly necessary cookie, an_sid. It is a random session token that keeps you logged in for up to 30 days. It is marked HttpOnly, Secure and SameSite, and it is not used for tracking. Your browser's local storage keeps device-only preferences such as sound and graphics quality. Because nothing here is used for advertising or analytics, there is no cookie banner.

Why (legal basis)

  • To provide the game you signed up for (contract): your account, game data and chat.
  • To keep the service secure and working (legitimate interests): rate limiting, abuse prevention, backups and crash reports.

Where it lives and who can see it

Everything is stored on a server rented from Hetzner Online GmbH in the EU, which acts as our hosting provider (data processor). Domain name lookups are handled by Cloudflare's DNS, which does not proxy or see game traffic, and HTTPS certificates come from Let's Encrypt. Other players can see your callsign, pilot name, rank, and anything you post in public chat. We do not share your data with anyone else unless the law requires it.

How long it is kept

  • Account and game data: until you ask us to delete your account.
  • Nightly database backups: kept for 14 days, so deleted data disappears from backups within two weeks.
  • Server logs: kept for up to 30 days.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask for a copy of your data, ask us to correct it, ask us to delete your account and all its data, and object to or ask us to restrict processing. You can also ask for your game data in a portable format. To make a request, message an admin on our Discord server (a direct message to any staff member works), or email contact@ashennova.com and tell us your username. We may ask you to confirm you own the account, for example by changing a setting in game. We will reply within one month, and usually much sooner.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk. We'd appreciate the chance to sort it out first.

Children

AshenNova is not aimed at children under 13, and under-13s should not create an account. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes

If this policy changes, we will update this page and the date at the top. Significant changes will also be announced in game.