Privacy Policy
- You can play Maru offline. In offline mode the game sends nothing to us.
- If you play online, we keep the name you choose and your best score, so they can appear on the public SCOREBOARD.
- If you enter a prize competition, we also keep an email address so we can pay a winner. Under 18s give a parent's or guardian's address.
- No ads, no analytics or tracking tools, no location, and we never sell your data.
- You can delete your account in the app at any time: SETTINGS → PRIVACY → DELETE ACCOUNT.
Who we are
Maru is made and run by K2026066633 (SOUTH AFRICA) (PTY) LTD, registration number 2026/066633/07 (“we”, “us”). We are the responsible party for your personal information under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
Contact: hobosblock@gmail.com
What the game collects
When you play offline
The first time you open Maru, it asks whether to play online or offline. If you choose offline, your name, scores and settings stay on your phone, and the game makes no requests to our servers. You can change this choice at any time in SETTINGS → PRIVACY.
When you play online
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| The name you choose (up to 15 characters) | To show you on the SCOREBOARD. It does not need to be your real name, and we recommend it isn't. |
| A random code your phone creates for your account. We store only a one-way hash of it. | It works as your account password, so you never have to make one up. |
| Your best score and how long that run lasted | To rank you, and to reject scores that are not possible. |
| The app version number | So the game can tell you when an update is available, and so we can turn away scores from outdated versions. |
| Your IP address and basic request details, in server logs | To keep the service running and secure, for example to block abuse. We do not use it to work out where you are. |
When you enter a prize competition
Competitions are optional and open to South African residents aged 13 and over. If you opt in, we also keep:
- An email address. This is yours if you are 18 or over, or your parent's or guardian's if you are 13 to 17. It is used only to contact and pay a winner, never for marketing.
- Whether you said you are 18 or over or 13 to 17, that a guardian agreed if you are under 18, when you agreed, and which version of the rules you agreed to.
- Your best score in each competition you take part in.
The full rules are at playmaru.co.za/mapi/competition/rules.html. Competitions are not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Google.
What we never collect
We do not collect your location, contacts, photos, files, phone number, advertising ID or other device identifiers, and we take no payments. The app contains no advertising, analytics or tracking tools from anyone else. The VIBRATE permission is used only to buzz your phone during play, and nothing about it leaves your phone.
Who can see it
- Everyone: your name and best score appear on the public SCOREBOARD in the app. Competition winners' names and scores, and a live top ten while a competition runs, appear on playmaru.co.za.
- Nobody else sees your email address. It is never published or shown to other players.
- Our hosting provider, Amazon Web Services, runs the servers the data is stored on, in the United Kingdom. It processes the data only to provide that service, under its own data protection terms.
- We do not sell, rent or share your personal information with anyone else, unless the law requires us to.
How it is protected
The app talks to our servers over encrypted HTTPS. Your account code is stored only as a one-way hash, and email addresses and passwords are removed from our server logs before they are written.
How long we keep it
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Your account: name, best score, account code hash | Until you delete your account. |
| Competition email and age declaration | Until you turn the competition off in SETTINGS, or delete your account. |
| Your entries in past competitions | Until you delete your account. |
| Prize winners' records: name, email, score, prize | 3 years after the competition, as the competition rules require. This is kept even if the winner deletes their account. |
| Server logs, including IP addresses | Up to 30 days. |
Children
Maru is a game for all ages. Anyone can play offline without giving us anything. Online play needs only a made-up name, and we ask players not to use their real name. We do not knowingly collect any other personal information from children under 13. Prize competitions are only for players aged 13 and over. For players aged 13 to 17, a parent or guardian must agree, and it is their email address we keep, not the child's. If you think a child has given us information they shouldn't have, email us and we will delete it.
Your choices and rights
- Play offline: SETTINGS → PRIVACY → PLAY OFFLINE.
- Change your name: SETTINGS → CHANGE NAME.
- Leave a competition and erase your email address: SETTINGS → COMPETITION.
- Delete your account: SETTINGS → PRIVACY → DELETE ACCOUNT, or see how to delete your account, including if you no longer have the app.
Under POPIA you can also ask us what information we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, and object to how we use it. Email hobosblock@gmail.com. If you are unhappy with our answer, you can complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) at inforegulator.org.za.
Changes to this policy
If we change what we collect or how we use it, we will update this page and its effective date before the change takes effect. We will never start using your data in a new way without telling you in the game first.
Contact
K2026066633 (SOUTH AFRICA) (PTY) LTD · hobosblock@gmail.com