Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 25, 2026

J! Study (jstudyapp.com) is a free, unofficial Jeopardy! study platform operated by an individual, not a company. This privacy policy explains what data we collect, why, and what you can do about it.

We try to collect as little as possible and we do not sell your data to anyone.

Who We Are

J! Study is operated by an individual based in the United States. Our server is hosted by Hetzner Online GmbH in Germany (European Union). For questions about this policy or your data, contact us at our contact form.

What We Collect and Why

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

Email address — to identify your account and send important messages (verification codes, password resets)
Password — stored only as a one-way hash; we never see or store your actual password
Display name (optional) — shown on your profile if you choose to set one

If you sign in with Google, we receive your email address, name, and profile picture URL from Google. We use this only to create and identify your account. We do not access your Google contacts, calendar, files, or any other Google data.

Legal basis (GDPR): Contract performance — we need this information to provide you with an account and the service you signed up for.

Study and Game Data

When you use J! Study, we track:

Your answers to study questions (right/wrong, timestamps)
Spaced repetition scheduling data (review intervals, ease factors)
Game scores and board progress
Which study guides you have viewed

This data powers your progress dashboard, recommendations, and spaced repetition scheduling. It is tied to your account and is not shared with anyone.

Legal basis (GDPR): Contract performance — tracking your progress is a core part of the study service.

Analytics

We use PostHog (posthog.com) for product analytics to understand how people use J! Study so we can improve it. PostHog may collect:

Pages you visit and buttons you click
Your device type, browser, and operating system
Your approximate location (derived from IP address)
An anonymized account identifier (if you are logged in) — we do not send your email or name to PostHog

You can opt out of analytics tracking at any time.

Legal basis (GDPR): Legitimate interest — understanding usage patterns to improve the service.

Server Logs

Our web server and application automatically log IP addresses, pages requested, browser user-agent strings, and timestamps. Authentication events (login, registration, password reset) also log the associated email address for security monitoring. These logs are retained for 30 days and then deleted.

Legal basis (GDPR): Legitimate interest — keeping the service secure and diagnosing technical problems.

Emails We Send

We use Resend (resend.com) to deliver emails. Resend processes your email address on our behalf; they do not use it for their own purposes.

Transactional emails: Password resets, email verification codes, and important account notices. These are necessary to operate your account.
Feature announcements: Occasionally, we may send emails about new features or significant changes. You can unsubscribe from these at any time. We will never send more than a few per year.

We do not send advertising emails or share your email with anyone for marketing purposes.

Cookies

Essential cookies: We use a session cookie to keep you logged in. This is strictly necessary for the site to function and does not require consent.
Analytics: PostHog may use cookies for analytics purposes. You can opt out at any time.

We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies.

Third-Party Services

We share data with the following services, and only as described:

Hetzner Online GmbH — hosts our server in Germany
PostHog — product analytics (privacy policy)
Resend — email delivery (privacy policy)
Google — OAuth login only, if you choose to sign in with Google (privacy policy)

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party.

Data Retention

Account data: Retained while your account exists. Deleted within 30 days of account deletion.
Study and game data: Deleted when you delete your account.
Server logs: Retained for 30 days, then automatically deleted.
Verification codes and password reset tokens: Deleted nightly after expiration.

Your Rights

Regardless of where you live, you can:

Access your data — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Correct your data — update your email or display name through account settings
Delete your data — delete your account and all associated data through settings or by emailing us
Export your data — request a machine-readable export of your study progress and game history
Opt out of analytics — decline or withdraw consent at any time
Unsubscribe from emails — click the unsubscribe link in any feature announcement email

If you are in the European Union, you additionally have the right to restrict processing, object to processing, lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority, and data portability.

If you are in California: we do not sell your personal information and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

To exercise any of these rights, email our contact form. We will respond within 30 days.

Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your data: passwords are hashed with bcrypt, the site is served over HTTPS, server access is restricted to SSH key authentication, and the server is hosted in a certified data center in Germany. No system is perfectly secure. If we discover a data breach affecting your personal data, we will notify you as required by law.

Children

J! Study is not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to This Policy

If we make significant changes, we will notify you by email or by posting a notice on the site. The "Last updated" date at the top indicates when the policy was last revised.

Contact

For any questions about this privacy policy or your personal data: our contact form