Privacy Policy
- Version
- 2.3
- Effective
- 17 October 2026
- Last updated
- 17 October 2026
1. Who we are
Retro Collection Index (the "Service") is operated by Adam Nelson ("we", "us"). We are responsible for the personal information described here (the "controller", in the language of EU and UK law).
Privacy questions and requests: support@retrocollectionindex.com, or use our data request form. Postal address: 20 N Bailey Rd, Unit 72004, Thorndale, PA 19372, USA.
This policy covers the website, the iOS and Android apps, and the emails we send.
2. What we collect
Account data. Your email address (for sign-in, two-factor login codes and account messages), your password stored only as a one-way hash, and, if you add them, a display name, username and profile picture.
Collection data. The games, consoles and wanted items you add, with the condition, completeness, purchase details, storage location, notes, ratings and photos you choose to record, and the value history we calculate for your collection.
Legal and consent records. Which versions of the Terms and Privacy Policy you accepted, when, on which platform and app version, and a one-way hash of the IP address used. Whether you opted in to marketing email. If you buy Collector Pro, the plan, price and renewal terms you were shown when you agreed.
Registration and security data. When you create an account we record the IP address, browser, operating system and device type used, and look up the IP address's approximate location (country, region and city). We use this to detect abuse and to pre-select your marketplace and currency. We record sign-in times. When a device is remembered at sign-in (the apps always remember the device you sign in on), we keep a random token so that device can skip the email code for 30 days; changing or resetting your password revokes it.
Scanning data. If you use the scanner, the barcode you scan and any cover photo you capture are processed to identify the game. The camera is used only when you open the scanner and can be refused without affecting the rest of the Service. In the apps, the phone also reads the text printed on a game case (such as the title and platform) on your device, using Apple's Vision framework on iOS and Google's ML Kit text recognition on Android, and that text is sent to us with a cover photo to help identify the game. A scanned barcode number may be looked up with a barcode database (UPCitemdb); only the number is sent.
Auto cover scan. While the app's scanner camera is open with Auto cover scan on (it is on by default and you can turn it off on the scan screen), the app reads text from the camera view on your device about once a second. When the same text is read steadily, it sends that camera frame and the text to our server to identify the game, at most 10 frames each time the camera is opened. Auto cover scan frames are not stored. Cover photos you take yourself are stored like your other photos.
Scanner diagnostic records. For each cover identification we may keep a diagnostic record so we can fix wrong matches: the recognised text, a fingerprint (hash) of the image, the console you chose, the closest catalogue matches and their scores, and the result. It includes the address of the photo when you took one yourself, never an auto cover scan frame. Records for auto cover scan frames that find nothing are only sampled. We keep a recent window of these records (about the latest 60 per account) and delete them with your account.
On-device processing by Google and Apple. In the Android app, barcodes and case text are read on your device by Google's ML Kit: the camera image is not sent to Google, but ML Kit may send Google limited diagnostic information about how it performs (such as device model, operating-system and app version, a per-installation identifier, timings and error codes), which Google uses to maintain ML Kit. The iOS app reads barcodes and text with Apple's built-in frameworks on your device.
Product usage data. We record a short list of actions in the website and apps — for example opening the add-a-game screen, finishing setup, adding a game, viewing an upgrade screen, starting or completing a purchase, and returning on a new day — with the platform and app version. We record catalogue searches, how many results came back and which game you picked, so we can find gaps in the catalogue. These records stay in our own database and are not sent to advertising or analytics companies.
Website statistics. Our host, Vercel, counts page views and measures page speed for the website without cookies. Our own server also receives page-speed measurements from your browser.
Error reports. When the app or website hits an error, it sends us a technical report (error message, where it happened, platform, app and operating-system version). App reports are not tied to your account and have email addresses, sign-in tokens and web-address parameters removed before sending. Error records on our server may include your account ID and browser type so we can trace the problem.
Support data. If you contact us, submit a ticket or a data request, or report a missing game or pricing problem, we receive what you send: your message, contact email and name, attachments and source links, and basic information about the device you used.
Subscription data. If you subscribe to Collector Pro we receive your plan, subscription status and transaction details from whoever processed the payment: Stripe on the website, or Apple or Google in the apps. For a store subscription this includes the store's transaction identifiers (Apple's original transaction ID or a Google Play purchase token), the product, its purchase, renewal, expiry, cancellation and refund dates and status, and whether it was a test purchase. So that a store purchase is linked to the right account, the app gives the store a reference derived from your account that reveals nothing about you on its own. We never receive or store your full payment card number. On the website card details go directly to Stripe; in the apps payment is handled by Apple or Google.
Cookies and similar storage. See our Cookie Policy for the full list.
We do not collect your date of birth, precise location, contacts, or advertising identifiers (IDFA/AAID), and the apps do not track you across other companies' apps or websites.
3. How we use it
- To provide the Service: store and show your collection, calculate estimated values, produce exports and reports, and run public sharing if you turn it on.
- To sign you in and keep your account secure: verification codes, device trust, abuse and fraud detection, rate limiting, bot checks.
- To bill Collector Pro and to keep the records tax and payment rules require.
- To support you: answer messages, tickets and data requests.
- To improve the Service: understand in aggregate how features are used, find catalogue gaps, fix errors.
- To send email: account and security messages to every user; marketing email only if you opted in.
- To meet legal obligations and enforce our Terms, including copyright notices.
We do not use your data to make decisions about you that have legal or similarly significant effects by automated means alone, and we do not use your content to train artificial-intelligence models.
4. Legal bases (EEA, UK and Switzerland)
If you are in the European Economic Area, the UK or Switzerland, we rely on: contract to provide the Service and Collector Pro; legitimate interests for security and abuse prevention, error fixing, aggregate product statistics and catalogue improvement (you may object — see section 10); consent for analytics and advertising cookies and for marketing email, which you can withdraw at any time; and legal obligation for tax, payment and copyright records.
5. Who we share it with
We do not sell personal information for money. We share personal information only with the service providers below, who process it for us under contract, and when the law requires it.
| Provider | What for | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Website hosting, uploaded image storage, cookieless page statistics | Requests and IP addresses (in logs), uploaded images |
| Neon | Database hosting | All account and collection data |
| Upstash | Rate limiting and caching | IP address and account ID in short-lived keys |
| Resend | Sending email | Email address, message content |
| Stripe | Website subscription payments | Email, customer and subscription details; card data entered directly with Stripe |
| Apple (App Store) | Subscriptions bought in the iOS app | Subscription status, transaction identifiers, purchase history |
| Google (Google Play) | Subscriptions bought in the Android app | Subscription status, purchase tokens, purchase history |
| IPinfo | Approximate location of the IP address used to register | IP address |
| Cloudflare (Turnstile) | Bot check on the website sign-up page | Browser signals, IP address |
| Google (ML Kit) | On-device barcode and text reading in the Android app | Scanner diagnostics; no camera images or account details |
| GitHub | Running scheduled jobs and storing backups of our database and uploaded images | A copy of all stored data, in backups |
| Google Analytics | Website usage statistics — only if you accept analytics cookies; nothing is loaded before that | Pages viewed, device and browser data, IP address |
| Google AdSense | Website advertising to free users on wide desktop screens — currently paused; if it resumes, ad code loads only if you accept advertising cookies | Cookies, device data, IP address |
Game and price data comes from IGDB, PriceCharting, eBay, RAWG, TheGamesDB, GameTDB, Wikipedia and UPCitemdb. We query them for catalogue and market information, not on your behalf as an identified person, and send them none of your account data. Some cover and listing images load directly from those services' image servers (for example IGDB's and eBay's), which, like any web server, see your device's IP address when they send an image.
If you follow an affiliate link to eBay or Amazon, that site knows you came from us; we do not send it your account information.
Staff access. A small number of our administrators can see account details (including email, registration IP and city) to provide support and prevent abuse. Support staff can, with a specific permission, temporarily view the Service as a user to investigate a problem; each session lasts at most 30 minutes, cannot change data, and is logged.
Legal reasons. We may disclose information if the law requires it, to respond to valid legal process, or to protect the rights, safety or property of users, the public or us. If the Service is sold or transferred, your information may transfer to the new operator, who must honour this policy or tell you of changes.
US state laws. Under some US state privacy laws, letting advertising partners place cookies for personalised ads can count as "selling" or "sharing" personal information. Advertising is currently paused. If it resumes and you accept advertising cookies, you can opt out at any time with the "Cookie Preferences" link in the website footer, and we treat a Global Privacy Control signal from your browser as an opt-out. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16.
6. Public sharing
Public collection sharing is off by default. If you turn it on, anyone with the link can see your display name, the games you own, their estimated values and your collection value chart — never your email, what you paid, your notes, your photos or your wanted list. Profile shows a preview before you turn it on. The page asks search engines not to list it unless you choose to show it in search. You can turn sharing off or create a new link at any time; turning it off ends the link, and turning it on again creates a new one.
7. How long we keep it
| Data | How long |
|---|---|
| Account, collection, photos and preferences | While your account exists, then deleted after the 30-day recovery window described below |
| Accounts that never verify their email | Deleted automatically after a short period set in our system settings |
| Registration and sign-in records | While your account exists |
| Legal acceptance, consent and subscription-consent records | Kept after account deletion as evidence of what was agreed (identified only by an internal account ID); we intend to delete them six years after the account ends |
| Payment and billing records | Currently kept without a fixed limit; we are introducing a limit based on tax and payment record rules |
| Support tickets and their attachments | Currently kept until deleted on request, without a fixed limit; when your account is deleted your name and email are removed from your tickets and Contact Us attachments are deleted. Catalogue contributions (reports, corrections, cover art) stay, under the Terms |
| Scanner diagnostic records | A recent window (about the latest 60 per account); deleted with your account |
| Error logs and page-performance statistics | 90 days, and not linked to your account after deletion |
| Product usage records | Currently kept without a fixed limit and not linked to your account after deletion; we are introducing a limit |
| Copyright notices and privacy requests | As long as needed to handle them and defend legal claims |
| Database backups | Daily backups for 7 days; weekly backups and image backups for 90 days |
Deleting your account. You can delete your account at any time on the website or in the app (Profile → Delete my account, confirmed with your password); instructions are at retrocollectionindex.com/delete-account. The account is blocked and hidden immediately and you are signed out everywhere. We keep the data for 30 days so a mistaken or unauthorised deletion can be reversed, then delete or de-identify your personal data. Copies in backups expire on the schedule above. Some records are kept where the law requires or as stated in the table.
Deleting your account stops a website subscription from renewing. It cannot cancel a subscription bought through the App Store or Google Play — only you can, in your store account (iPhone or iPad: Settings → your name → Subscriptions; Android: Google Play → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions). Apple, Google and Stripe keep their own payment records under their own policies.
8. Where your data is processed
We and our main providers are in the United States, and your data is stored there (our database is hosted in the US East region). If you use the Service from elsewhere — including the EEA, UK or Switzerland — your information is transferred to the US. Where the law requires a safeguard for that transfer, we rely on the safeguards our providers offer, such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses or the EU-US Data Privacy Framework where a provider is certified.
9. Children
The Service is not directed to children under 13, and accounts may not be created by anyone under 13. We do not ask for date of birth. If we learn that an account belongs to a child under 13, we disable it, delete its personal information and do not use it for any purpose. If you believe a child under 13 has an account, contact support@retrocollectionindex.com.
Users between 13 and the age of majority may use the Service only with a parent's or guardian's permission (see the Terms).
10. Your rights and choices
Everyone can, at any time: see and edit their profile and collection; download a copy of their account data as JSON (Profile → Your data, or in the app where available) and their collection as CSV; turn public sharing on or off; change marketing-email choice in Profile or with the unsubscribe link in any marketing email; change cookie choices with "Cookie Preferences"; and delete their account.
You can also ask us to:
- tell you what personal information we hold about you and give you a copy (access and portability);
- correct inaccurate information;
- delete your information;
- stop using it for a purpose, or opt out of any sale, sharing or targeted advertising;
- restrict or object to processing based on legitimate interests (EEA/UK).
Depending on where you live — for example the EEA, UK, Switzerland, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas, Oregon and other US states with privacy laws — some of these are legal rights. We will tell you which apply and honour any right you have.
How to ask. Use the data request form or email support@retrocollectionindex.com. To protect your account we verify your identity: if you are signed in, your session confirms it; otherwise we email a confirmation link to the account's address. An authorised agent may make a request for you with your signed permission; we may still ask you to confirm your identity. We respond within 30 days (within 45 days where a US state law allows that, and we may extend once where the law permits, telling you why). If we refuse a request you can ask us to reconsider by replying to our answer; if you remain unhappy you can contact your state attorney general or, in the EEA, UK or Switzerland, your data-protection authority.
We will not treat you differently, or charge you more, for exercising a privacy right.
11. Security
We use encrypted connections, hashed passwords and verification codes, two-factor sign-in by email code, server-side access controls and rate limiting, and we strip location data (EXIF) from uploaded photos. Uploaded images are stored at hard-to-guess but public web addresses, so anyone with an image's exact address can open it. No system is perfectly secure. If a breach affects your personal information, we will tell you and the relevant authorities where the law requires.
12. Email
Account and security messages — verification codes, password resets, receipts, subscription and billing notices, replies to your support requests — are part of the Service and go to every user. Marketing email, such as product news, collecting tips and occasional reminders to come back to your collection, is sent only if you opt in, and every marketing message includes an unsubscribe link.
13. Changes
We may update this policy. The version and effective date are at the top of this page, and earlier versions are kept on record. When a change materially affects how we handle your information, we will tell you by email or in the Service before it takes effect.
14. Contact
support@retrocollectionindex.com · Data request form · Postal address: 20 N Bailey Rd, Unit 72004, Thorndale, PA 19372, USA.