Trainer Field Guide

Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 26, 2026

This privacy policy explains what data Trainer Field Guide collects, how it is used, and what rights you have over your information. We have written it to be as clear as possible. Every section with legal language includes a plain-language explanation so you always know exactly what you are agreeing to.

1. Who We Are

Trainer Field Guide is operated by Brown Hammer Studios, an independent game development studio. References to "we", "us", or "our" in this policy refer to Brown Hammer Studios and the Trainer Field Guide platform.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect only the data necessary to provide the platform's features.

Account data (required to register):

  • Email address
  • Date of birth

Profile data (optional, user-chosen):

  • Username
  • Profile picture
  • Favourite Pokémon type, favourite generation, bio, and platform friend codes

Usage data:

  • Pokémon collection data (which Pokémon you mark as owned or as favorites)
  • Social data (who you follow, which profiles you like)

For under-13 accounts only:

  • Parent or guardian email address (used solely for the parental consent process)

We do not collect your full name, home address, phone number, or payment information.

What does this mean?

We ask for your email and birthday when you sign up. Everything else on your profile is optional. We do not collect sensitive personal details like your home address or financial information.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your data to:

  • Provide the core platform features (Pokédex browsing, collection tracking, social feed)
  • Manage your account and keep it secure
  • Send transactional emails (parental consent requests, account notifications, birthday permission upgrades)
  • Display contextually relevant advertising to users aged 13 and over via Google AdSense

We do not:

  • Sell your data to third parties
  • Use your data for behavioural advertising targeting
  • Share your data with advertisers
  • Use your data for any purpose beyond operating this platform

What does this mean?

Your data is used to run the site and keep your account working. We show ads to adult users to help cover hosting costs, but we do not sell your information or build advertising profiles about you.

4. Children Under 13 (COPPA)

We comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). We collect the minimum data necessary from users under 13 and require verified parental consent before any under-13 account is activated.

Under-13 users are never shown any advertising, behavioural or otherwise. No personal information about under-13 users is displayed publicly. Their public identity is limited to a system-generated Trainer ID.

See our dedicated COPPA page for full details.

What does this mean?

If your child is under 13, we ask for a parent's permission before their account goes live. We collect as little information as possible about children, never show them ads, and never display their personal details publicly.

5. Cookies and Advertising

We use cookies for:

  • Session management — required for login to function. These cannot be disabled without breaking account features.
  • Advertising — via Google AdSense, with your consent only. You can choose "Essential only" in the cookie consent banner to disable advertising cookies while keeping your session intact.

Under-13 users are never shown behavioural advertising regardless of cookie preferences.

What does this mean?

We use a small cookie to keep you logged in — that one is necessary. We also ask your permission before using advertising cookies. You can say no to ad cookies and the site still works fine.

6. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your data is deleted within 30 days. Aggregated, anonymised usage data (which contains no personally identifiable information) may be retained for platform analytics purposes.

What does this mean?

If you delete your account, your data is gone within 30 days. We may keep anonymised statistics (like "X users viewed this page") that cannot be traced back to any individual.

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights including:

  • The right to access the data we hold about you
  • The right to correct inaccurate data
  • The right to request deletion of your data
  • The right to object to certain uses of your data

To exercise any of these rights, contact us here with the subject "Privacy Request".

Parents and guardians may exercise these rights on behalf of their under-13 children.

What does this mean?

You can ask us what data we have about you, ask us to fix anything incorrect, or ask us to delete everything. Just send us a message and we will take care of it.

8. Data Deletion Requests

You can delete your account at any time from the Settings page. To request deletion of your data separately, or to request deletion of a child's account as a parent or guardian, contact us here with the subject "Data Deletion Request".

We will process all deletion requests within 30 days.

What does this mean?

Deleting your account through Settings handles most cases automatically. If you need to request deletion directly — or if you are a parent requesting deletion of your child's data — just message us and we will handle it within 30 days.

9. Third-Party Services

Trainer Field Guide uses the following third-party services to operate:

  • Supabase — database and authentication
  • Cloudflare — content delivery, DNS, and file storage
  • Resend — transactional email delivery
  • Google AdSense — advertising (users 13+ only, with cookie consent)
  • Amazon Associates — affiliate links to Pokémon-related products

Each of these services has their own privacy policy governing their data handling.

What does this mean?

We use a small number of trusted services to run the platform. These are the companies that power things like your login, email notifications, and the ads you might see. We do not use unnecessary third-party services.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of significant changes via email. The "last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

Contact

Privacy questions? Contact us here.