Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 17, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what information shimejibuddy.com (“the website”) and the Shimeji Buddy browser extension (“the extension”) collect, how we use it, who we share it with and the choices you have. “We”, “us” and “our” mean the Shimeji Buddy team, which operates both. If you have any question, email contact@shimejibuddy.com.
Contents
- Information you give us
- Information collected automatically
- The Chrome extension
- Cookies and similar technologies
- Advertising
- How we use information and our legal bases
- Who we share information with
- International transfers
- How long we keep information
- Your rights and choices
- Children
- Security
- Third-party links
- Changes to this policy
- Contact
1. Information you give us
Contact form. When you write to us through the contact page we receive the name, email address, topic and message you enter. We use them only to reply to you.
Launch notifications. If you leave your email address on our launch page, we store it so we can tell you when the extension is available. You can ask us to delete it at any time.
Character requests and artwork. If you send us character suggestions or sprite artwork, we keep the message and any files you attach so we can consider them. Please do not send personal information about other people.
2. Information collected automatically
Server logs. Like almost every website, our hosting provider records technical information when a page is requested: your IP address, browser type, the page requested, the referring page and the date and time. These logs are used for security and to keep the site running, and are kept by the hosting provider for a limited period.
Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages are popular and how visitors find the site. It sets cookies and collects pseudonymous identifiers, device and browser information, approximate location derived from your IP address, and the pages you view. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store full IP addresses. You can read how Google uses data from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites and opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Site search. Words you type into the site search are used only to show results on your screen and are not stored.
Cookie notice preference. When you dismiss our cookie notice, a small flag is saved in your browser’s local storage so the notice does not appear again. It contains no personal information.
3. The Chrome extension
The Shimeji Buddy extension exists to show animated characters on the web pages you visit. To do that it runs a small script on the pages you open so it can draw the characters and let them walk, climb and respond to clicks.
- What it stores: the characters you have switched on, their size, speed and position settings, and any sites you mark as “focus” sites. This is stored locally in your browser using Chrome’s storage area. If you sign in to Chrome and have sync enabled, Chrome may sync these settings between your own devices.
- What it does not do: it does not read, record or transmit the content of the pages you visit, the words you type, your browsing history, your passwords or your form data. It does not send any information to our servers or to anyone else, and it contains no analytics or advertising code.
- Accounts: none. You do not need to register or sign in.
- Removing your data: uninstalling the extension deletes its stored settings from your browser.
Shimeji Buddy’s use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. If a future version ever changes what the extension collects, we will update this policy and the Chrome Web Store listing before the change takes effect.
4. Cookies and similar technologies
A cookie is a small text file stored in your browser. The website uses these kinds:
- Strictly necessary. A session cookie used only by site administrators when they log in to manage content. Visitors do not receive it. The cookie-notice flag described above is stored in local storage, not as a cookie.
- Analytics. Google Analytics cookies (for example
_gaand_ga_*) that distinguish visitors and sessions. They expire after up to two years. - Advertising. Cookies set by Google and other advertising partners to measure ads and, where you have consented or not opted out, to show ads based on your interests. See the Advertising section below.
You can delete or block cookies in your browser settings. Blocking analytics or advertising cookies does not affect how the website or the extension work. Visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are shown a consent message before advertising cookies are set, and can change their choice at any time through the link in the site footer.
5. Advertising
We may display advertisements to keep the website and the extension free. Our main advertising partner is Google AdSense.
- Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or to other websites.
- Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.
- You may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
- You may also opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalized advertising at www.aboutads.info, and in Europe at www.youronlinechoices.eu.
- Google’s advertising privacy practices are described at policies.google.com/technologies/ads.
If we add other advertising networks, we will list them here with links to their privacy policies and opt-out pages. Advertisements are not endorsements, and we do not share the personal information you send us with advertisers.
6. How we use information and our legal bases
- To answer your messages and requests (legal basis: performance of a contract or steps taken at your request, and our legitimate interest in running the site).
- To tell you when the extension launches, if you asked us to (legal basis: your consent, which you can withdraw at any time).
- To understand how the site is used and improve it through analytics (legal basis: your consent where the law requires it, otherwise our legitimate interest in improving the site).
- To show and measure advertising (legal basis: your consent in regions where consent is required, otherwise legitimate interest).
- To keep the site secure and comply with the law (legal basis: legitimate interest and legal obligation).
We do not use your information for automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
7. Who we share information with
We share information only with service providers that help us run the site, and only as far as needed:
- Hosting provider, which stores the website and its server logs.
- Google, for Analytics and AdSense as described above.
- Email provider, which delivers the messages you send us.
We may also disclose information if required by law, to respond to a valid legal request, to protect the rights and safety of visitors or ourselves, or as part of a merger, acquisition or sale of the project, in which case this policy will continue to apply to your information. We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing.
8. International transfers
Our hosting provider and other service providers, including Google, may process information in countries other than the one you live in, including the United States. Where information about visitors in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland is transferred outside those regions, our providers rely on recognised safeguards such as the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or standard contractual clauses.
9. How long we keep information
- Contact-form messages: until your request is resolved and for up to 24 months afterwards, so we can refer back to it if you write again.
- Launch-notification email addresses: until we have sent the launch notice, or until you ask us to delete yours.
- Server logs: kept by our hosting provider for a limited period, typically no more than 90 days.
- Google Analytics data: retained for up to 14 months in our analytics account.
- Cookies: for the lifetime stated in the cookie, after which your browser deletes them.
10. Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to ask us to:
- tell you whether we hold personal information about you and give you a copy;
- correct information that is inaccurate;
- delete your information;
- restrict or object to how we process it;
- give you your information in a portable format;
- withdraw consent you previously gave, without affecting processing that happened before.
To exercise any of these rights, email contact@shimejibuddy.com. We may ask you to confirm your identity, for example by writing from the email address we hold for you. We respond within 30 days. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland and are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to your local data protection authority.
California residents. California law gives you the right to know what personal information we collect, use and disclose, to request deletion or correction, to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, and not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. We do not sell personal information. Advertising cookies may be considered “sharing” for cross-context behavioural advertising under California law; you can opt out through Google Ads Settings and the cookie choices described above, or by emailing us. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16 for sale or sharing.
Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control. Our advertising and analytics partners decide how they respond to browser signals such as Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control; the website itself does not track you across other sites.
11. Children
The website and the extension are suitable for all ages but are not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, email us and we will delete it promptly. Parents and guardians can manage cookies and extensions in the child’s browser settings.
12. Security
The website is served over HTTPS, administrative access is password-protected, and the information you send through the contact form is stored on access-controlled servers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable measures to protect your information.
13. Third-party links
The website links to the Chrome Web Store, social networks and other sites we do not control. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies, which we encourage you to read.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed, and significant changes will be announced on the website. Continuing to use the website or the extension after a change means you accept the updated policy.
15. Contact
Questions, requests and complaints about privacy can be sent to contact@shimejibuddy.com or through the contact page.