PRIVACY POLICY

1. Data Minimization

VaM-X adheres to a 'Data Minimization' philosophy. We collect and process only the minimum information required to facilitate system access, verify membership validity, and measure the effectiveness of our services. We use industry-standard analytics tools to understand aggregate site usage patterns, but we do not build individual behavioral profiles on our servers.

2. Information We Process

Our system interactions are limited to the following technical necessities:

• Authentication Data: Via Discord OAuth2, we process Tokenized Identity Claims (User ID) solely to verify VIP status and enforce security policies. We never access your private messages or friends list.
• Connection Metadata: Upon login, we record your country code, cryptographically hashed IP address (irreversible, used for security monitoring), referring URL, and device type. This data is stored alongside your Account State Data to detect unauthorized account access and improve service reliability.
• Session State: A secure, HttpOnly cookie is stored locally to maintain your active encrypted session.
• Analytics Data: Through third-party analytics services (detailed in Section 4), we collect anonymized usage data such as page views, session duration, and approximate geographic location. This data is processed by Google and is not stored on VaM-X servers.

3. Server-Side Data Practices

Our own servers maintain a strict standard regarding your data and financial security. The following applies to data stored and processed directly by VaM-X infrastructure:

• No Server-Side Browsing Logs: Our servers do not record which pages you visit, what you search for, or how you navigate the site. We retain Account State Data (e.g., Bookmarks, VIP Status, Discord ID, login count, country code, hashed IP, device type) within our secure Key-Value store solely to maintain your personalized experience and enforce security policies.
• Security Monitoring: To protect account integrity, we retain a limited login history (last 5 sessions, including hashed IP and country code) to detect unauthorized access patterns such as credential sharing. Raw IP addresses are never stored — only irreversible cryptographic hashes.
• User Preferences: Data voluntarily saved by you (e.g., Bookmarks, VIP Status) is stored in a secure key-value format solely to maintain your personalized experience.
• Secure Billing Infrastructure: To ensure maximum transaction security, all payments are processed directly by DS Systems, the Direct Licensor of the ecosystem access key. This decoupled architecture ensures that VaM-X never sees, stores, or processes your financial data. Transactions will appear on your banking statement under the DS Systems network identifier.

4. Analytics & Advertising Technology

To understand how visitors find and use our platform, and to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns, we use the following third-party services provided by Google LLC:

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Collects anonymized, aggregate data about site usage — including page views, session duration, approximate geographic location (country/city level), device type, browser, screen resolution, language settings, and referral source. GA4 anonymizes IP addresses by default and does not collect personally identifiable information such as names, email addresses, or phone numbers. Data is processed by Google under their Privacy Policy.
• Google Ads Conversion Tracking: When you arrive at our site after clicking a Google ad, a Google Click Identifier (GCLID) is stored in a first-party cookie. This allows Google to attribute that visit to a specific ad campaign and measure whether the visit resulted in a meaningful action (e.g., visiting key pages). No personal information (name, email, payment details) is collected or transmitted through this mechanism.

These services use first-party cookies set in your browser. All analytics and advertising data is processed by Google's infrastructure — not by VaM-X servers. We access only anonymized, aggregate reports (e.g., "120 visitors from the United States today") and do not have access to individual user profiles within these services.

5. Cookies & Local Storage

Our platform uses the following cookies. Essential cookies are required for core functionality. Analytics and advertising cookies are used to measure site performance and advertising effectiveness.

Local Storage: We also use your browser's local storage to save user preferences (e.g., Bookmarks). This data never leaves your device unless you are logged in, in which case it syncs to our secure Key-Value store.

6. Your Choices

You have control over the data collected through your browser:

• Browser Cookie Settings: You can disable or delete cookies through your browser's privacy settings at any time. Disabling essential cookies may affect site functionality (e.g., login sessions).
• Google Analytics Opt-Out: You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting data by installing the official Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Google Ads Personalization: You can manage your Google ad preferences and opt out of personalized advertising at Google Ad Settings.

7. External Links & Third-Party Origins

Our platform acts as a metadata index that resolves to secure Third-Party Origin Nodes. Once you initialize a connection to an external resource pointer and leave our domain, your interaction is governed by the privacy policy of that third-party origin. VaM-X cannot control and is not responsible for the data collection practices of external nodes.

8. Children's Privacy

VaM-X does not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from anyone under the age of majority. By using this service, you represent that you possess the legal capacity to consent to these terms. If we become aware that we have collected data from a minor without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to remove that information from our servers.

9. Law Enforcement Disclosure

We may disclose collected data (Authentication & Session Data) only in response to a valid Subpoena, Court Order, or Search Warrant.

Due to our strict 'Data Minimization' architecture, VaM-X does not store browsing history or search activity on its own servers. Third-party analytics data (Google Analytics, Google Ads) is held by Google under their own data retention policies and legal obligations.