Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

Coolhole is a community video-watching and chat service. This policy explains what information we collect and how we use it.

Information we collect

Account information:

• Username (required to register)
• Password (stored as a one-way hash; we cannot see your password)
• Email address (optional; used only for password recovery if you provide one)

Chat and activity:

• Chat messages you send in the room
• Videos you queue and actions you take (fishing, polls, trades, etc.)
• In-site points (CP) balances and transaction history

Twitch linking (optional):

• If you choose to link your Twitch account, we receive your Twitch username and user ID
• We request only the minimum "openid" scope — no email, no follows, no ability to chat or post as you
• The access token is revoked immediately after we confirm your identity
• We store only your Twitch username and numeric user ID

Technical data:

• IP address (used for rate limiting, abuse prevention, and approximate geolocation)
• Browser type and device category (desktop/mobile/tablet)
• Pages visited and referrer information

Cookies:

• coolhole_session — keeps you logged in (HttpOnly, secure)
• ch_vis — anonymous visitor ID for traffic counting (HttpOnly, no account linkage)
• ch_theme — your selected visual theme (stored in localStorage, not a cookie)

How we use this information

• To provide the service: showing chat, syncing video playback, tracking your CP and inventory
• To prevent abuse: rate limiting, spam filtering, enforcing bans
• To improve the service: understanding how people use features, fixing bugs
• To link accounts: if you link Twitch, to connect rewards between services

What we do NOT do

• We do not sell your data to third parties
• We do not serve third-party advertising
• We do not use tracking pixels or third-party analytics services
• We do not share your email with anyone

Data retention

Chat logs and activity history are retained indefinitely as part of the room's archive. Account data is retained as long as your account exists. If you want your account deleted, contact us.

Security

Passwords are hashed using bcrypt. Sessions use HMAC-signed tokens. Cookies are marked HttpOnly and Secure on HTTPS. We do not store payment information — any purchases (such as cosmetic hats) are processed directly by Stripe or PayPal.

Children

Coolhole is not intended for users under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children.

Contact

Changes

We may update this policy. Significant changes will be announced in the room.