Privacy Policy

Last updated: 5 September 2026

What the GIF?! ("we", "us") is a free online party game at https://whatthegifgame.com. This policy explains what information we collect when you play, why we collect it, and the choices you have. It is written to be read, not skimmed — the game is small and so is this.

What we collect

• Player name. The name you type when creating or joining a room, or the name from your Google account if you sign in with Google. It is shown to the other players in your room.
• Google account details (only if you choose "Continue with Google"): your email address, display name and profile picture, as provided by Google. We use them to show your name and avatar in the game and to unlock premium cards. We do not receive your Google password.
• Game activity. The captions you play, the custom captions you write, the votes you cast, ratings you give, and chat messages you send in a room. Custom captions are stored with your player name so we can review them for inclusion in the official deck.
• A session token. Your browser generates a random token that identifies you to the game while you play. It is sent with each request and carried in the room link. It is not a cookie and it contains no personal information.
• Technical data. The IP address and browser identifier of each session, and aggregate counters such as the number of rooms created and rounds played. We use these to keep rooms working, remove inactive players, and understand overall usage.
• Newsletter email, only if you subscribe.

How we use it

To run the game (matching you to your room, showing players' names and cards, tallying votes), to improve the deck of captions and GIFs, to send the newsletter you asked for, and to understand how the site is used. We do not sell your information.

Third-party services

The following services receive some data when you use the site:

• Google Sign-In — only if you choose to sign in with Google.
• Multiavatar — generates the default avatar images. Your browser requests the image directly, so Multiavatar sees your IP address.
• YouTube — the embedded how-to-play video in the lobby is served by YouTube, which may set cookies.
• Slack — when a public room is created, an announcement containing the player's name and the room link is posted to our team's Slack.

Cookies and local storage

The game itself does not use cookies to identify you; it uses the session token described above. Your browser's local storage may hold a small amount of game state (for example, how much free play time remains). Third-party services listed above may set their own cookies; you can control these in your browser settings, and consent choices for advertising are offered where the law requires it.

How long we keep it

Rooms, players, chat messages and round data are deleted automatically once a room has been inactive for six hours. Custom captions, ratings, Google account details, session records and newsletter subscriptions are kept until you ask us to delete them.

Your choices and rights

You can play without signing in by entering a name. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter or ask us to delete any information we hold about you — including your Google account details and custom captions — by emailing dylan@wdygif.com. Depending on where you live, you may also have rights to access, correct, or port your data; email us and we will help.

Children

The game is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Changes

If this policy changes we will update the date at the top of this page. Continued use of the game after a change means you accept the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about privacy: dylan@wdygif.com.