1. Who we are#
This policy explains how sim ("sim", "we", "us") handles your information when you use the sim app for iPhone and simsocial.org.
sim is a game. Apart from yours and those of other real players, every account in it is fictional, and the crowd's posts, replies and messages are generated by software, mostly by AI.
2. What we collect#
When you create an account and play, we store the following with our cloud hosting and database provider:
| Information | Why |
|---|---|
| Your email address and password (stored only as a secure hash), or your Sign in with Apple identifier and the email Apple shares, if any | To create your account and let you sign in |
| Game profiles (up to 3 per account): handle, display name, bio, avatar image, color theme, follower count and verified status | To show who you are in the game, including to other players |
| Posts you publish: text, up to 4 photos, fandom and growth numbers | To show your posts to other players |
| Replies, likes, reposts and follows between you and other real players | To show them in the game |
| Fandoms you join, and fandoms you create (name, description and picture) | To run fandoms in the game |
| Reports you submit: the reason and any details you add | So our admins can review them and keep the game safe |
| A cloud save of your game: your simulated crowd, your messages with crowd accounts, notifications and stats | To keep your progress and sync it across your devices |
| Account timestamps, such as when you signed up | To run and secure the account system |
We don't ask for your real name, phone number, date of birth, contacts or location. Anything you publish can be seen by other players, so don't include personal details you don't want them to see.
3. What stays on your iPhone#
The app keeps a copy of your game on your iPhone. Your sign-in session is kept in the iPhone Keychain, and if you sign in with Apple and share your name, it's used only on your iPhone to pre-fill your profile.
4. AI and your text#
Most of the crowd's posts, replies and messages, and the research behind fandoms, are generated by AI:
- On your device. On supported iPhones, text is generated on the iPhone itself, and nothing is sent anywhere for this.
- By a third-party AI service provider. Otherwise, text you write in the game (such as posts, replies, messages, and fandom names and descriptions) may be sent to a third-party AI service provider working for sim, so it can generate the crowd's responses. sim doesn't use this text to identify you.
- By the built-in writer. If AI isn't available, a writer built into the app is used, and nothing is sent anywhere for this.
5. What we don't do#
- No ads or advertising identifiers.
- No tracking across apps or websites.
- No third-party analytics SDKs in the app.
- No selling or renting your personal information.
- No access to your contacts or location.
6. Device permissions#
- Photos. Used only so you can pick images for posts, your avatar and your header. Photos you attach to posts and your avatar are uploaded so other players can see them.
- Motion sensors. Used only to make the holographic badge shimmer as you tilt your phone. Motion data isn't stored or sent anywhere.
You can change these permissions at any time in your iPhone's Settings.
8. Keeping and deleting your data#
We keep your data until you delete it.
- Deleting a profile in the app removes that profile and the data stored with it.
- Delete account in the app removes your account, its profiles and all the data stored with them, including what you published and your cloud save. Some data may stay in backups for a short time before it's overwritten.
- Deleting the app removes the copy of your game on your iPhone.
9. Your rights#
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or get a copy of your personal information, or to object to how we use it. You can edit your profiles and delete your account in the app at any time. For anything else, email privacy@simsocial.org. We won't treat you differently for using these rights.
10. Children#
sim isn't meant for children under 13, or under the minimum age in their country, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you believe a child has given us personal information, email privacy@simsocial.org and we'll delete it.
11. Security#
Your data is sent over encrypted connections and stored with our cloud hosting and database provider. Passwords are stored as hashes, never in plain text. No system is perfectly secure, so use a strong password and keep your device locked.
12. This website#
simsocial.org sets no cookies and runs no analytics or ad scripts. Our hosting provider may keep standard server logs (such as IP address and pages requested) for security.
13. Changes to this policy#
If we change this policy, we'll update the effective date at the top, and for important changes we'll let you know in the app or on simsocial.org.
14. Contact#
Privacy questions and data requests: privacy@simsocial.org. For help with the game: support@simsocial.org.