Merchant
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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 30 May 2026

Merchant is a location-based game: it uses and records your device location so the game can run on top of the real world. This policy explains what information we collect, why, and the choices you have. It applies to the Merchant mobile app and this website (together, the “Service”).

1. Who we are

Merchant (“we”, “us”, “our”) is operated by Emphasis Holding B.V., a company established in the European Union (the Netherlands). We are the data controller responsible for your personal data. You can reach us at support@emphasis.nl.

2. Information we collect

We collect only what we need to run the game and improve it.

Account information

When you sign in with Google, we receive a basic profile identifier and your email address so we can create and secure your account. We do not receive your Google password.

Location data

Merchant is a location-based game. While you play, we read your device’s location (GPS) to work out the town or area around you, to show the map, and to validate location-based actions such as founding, claiming, and surveying. The places you build are tied to in-game locations within a town or area rather than to your exact position, and these are stored as part of your gameplay record. We do not continuously track you in the background; location is read while you actively play. You can revoke the location permission at any time in your device settings, though core gameplay will not function without it.

Because Merchant is played in the real world, the towns and areas and in-game locations where you are active become part of the shared game map and are visible to other players (see “How we share data”). Other players see the town or area and your settlements there — not your precise device location.

Communications & notifications

If you contact us we keep your messages so we can help you. In-game messages you send to other players are shared with those players. We may also send push notifications about your empire and the game; you can turn these off at any time in your device settings.

Gameplay data

We store your in-game progress — settlements, resources, trade routes, objectives, and similar state — so your empire persists across sessions and devices.

Purchase data

In-app purchases are processed by Apple or Google. We receive confirmation of a completed purchase and the item bought, but we never receive or store your full payment-card details.

Device & technical data

To keep the Service reliable and secure we collect technical information such as device type, operating-system version, app version, language, and diagnostic/crash logs.

3. How we use your information

  • To provide, maintain, and synchronise your game across sessions and devices.
  • To place settlements and game features at real-world locations near you.
  • To process in-app purchases and restore previously bought items.
  • To keep accounts secure and prevent fraud, cheating, and abuse.
  • To diagnose problems, fix bugs, and improve gameplay and performance.
  • To respond to your support requests and important service notices.

Under the GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases to process your data: performance of a contract (running your account and the game), your consent (location access, which you may withdraw at any time), and our legitimate interests (security, fraud prevention, and improving the Service).

5. How we share data

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only as described below, and only as needed:

  • Other players — Merchant is a multiplayer game. Your public profile (such as your in-game name and rank) and the towns, areas, and settlements where you are active are visible to other players on the shared map and on leaderboards. Other players see the town or area, not your precise device location. In-game messages are shared with their recipients.
  • Google — authentication (Google Sign-In).
  • Apple & Google — app distribution and in-app purchase processing.
  • Cloud hosting — our servers and databases run on Amazon Web Services in its EU (Ireland) region (eu-west-1).
  • Analytics & crash reporting — providers that help us measure performance and diagnose crashes, so we can improve the game.
  • Authorities — where required by law or to protect rights and safety.

Our service providers act as processors under contract and may only use your data to provide their services to us, not for their own purposes.

6. Data retention and deletion

We keep your account and gameplay data for as long as your account is active, and only as long as we need it for the purposes set out in this policy.

You can delete your account and associated personal data at any time from within the app (Account → Delete account), or by emailing support@emphasis.nl. When you do, we delete or anonymise your data within a reasonable period, except for limited records we are legally required to keep (for example, purchase records for tax and accounting purposes).

7. Security

We use technical and organisational measures — including encryption in transit and access controls — to protect your data. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and review our practices regularly.

8. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent at any time (without affecting processing already carried out). To exercise these rights, contact us at support@emphasis.nl.

We do not use your personal data to make decisions about you that are based solely on automated processing and that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your data-protection authority. In the Netherlands this is the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl); in the United Kingdom it is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk).

9. Children’s privacy

Merchant is intended for adults and is not for anyone under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16. If you believe someone under 16 has provided us data, contact us and we will delete it.

10. Where your data is processed

We operate from the European Union, and your personal data — including location data — is stored and processed on servers within the European Economic Area (EEA), in Amazon Web Services’ EU (Ireland) region (eu-west-1). If we ever need to transfer data outside the EEA or the United Kingdom, we will use appropriate safeguards (such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, together with the UK International Data Transfer Addendum where relevant) to protect it.

11. Our website

This website does not use tracking or advertising cookies. It loads fonts from Google Fonts, which means your browser contacts Google’s servers and shares your IP address to deliver those fonts. The live service-status indicator simply checks whether our game servers are reachable.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will revise the “Last updated” date above and, for material changes, provide a more prominent notice.

13. Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data? Email support@emphasis.nl.

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