Last updated: August 2026
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Phone number | Identifies returning callers; drives fictional narrative escalation |
| Call count | Determines which fictional scenario the caller encounters |
| Call timestamps | Records when calls were received |
| DTMF menu choices | Records which menu options were selected during calls |
| Classification scores | Fictional "assessment" scores used within the narrative |
| SMS message content | Used to generate fictional narrative replies |
| Data | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Email address | Only if you voluntarily register; used for account verification |
| Newsletter email and consent status | Used only for the separate Underground Parish ARG newsletter after double opt-in |
| Display name | Optional; shown in your account |
| Puzzle progress | Tracks which fictional fragments you have collected |
| Transmission messages | Messages you send to the fictional Engine terminal |
| IP address | Used temporarily in expiring rate-limit records; not stored with gameplay events, puzzle attempts, or transmissions |
| Public ARG ledger token | Random per-browser ID, not derived from device or browser characteristics, used only to prevent the same browser from repeating a fixed one-time action ("acknowledge"/"contain") on the public containment ledger; not linked to any account |
All data collected is used exclusively for the fictional narrative. Your phone number and call history drive story escalation – the system uses your call count and previous menu choices to determine which fictional scenario you encounter next. This is how the Bureau "knows" you when you call back.
Website data (case progress, transmissions) powers the interactive fiction experience on deceit.world. It has no purpose outside the fiction.
Data is never sold and never used for advertising, profiling, or marketing. The service providers listed below process data only to operate the project.
Account records, saved case progress, phone-system records, and user-submitted content are retained until you request deletion. Unconfirmed newsletter requests contain the email address and a hash of the confirmation token and expire after 24 hours. Confirmed newsletter records remain until you unsubscribe or request deletion. Bounce and complaint suppression records remain so the system does not resume sending to an unsafe address. Non-identifying gameplay event counts expire after 90 days. Abuse-prevention rate-limit records expire automatically after their short enforcement window. The public ARG ledger token described above does not expire on its own, since its only job is remembering that a given browser has already used its one-time action; it carries no identity beyond that token. You can request deletion at any time.
Email the project operator at operator@deceit.world with a deletion request. Include the phone number or email address associated with your data. All associated records will be deleted promptly.
You do not need to provide a reason. Deletion is unconditional.
The phone system (+1-256-667-8375) and the deceit.world website operate independently. Phone system data (phone number, call history) is not linked to your website account or browsing activity. They are separate systems with separate data stores.
The website, its database, and the files it serves run on a single Linux server the operator controls. Everything described above is kept in one database file on that server and in files beside it, not on a hosting platform's storage service.
The web server on that machine keeps ordinary access logs, the same kind any web server keeps: time, request path, response code, browser string, and the address the request came from. Those logs rotate on the server and old ones are deleted automatically. The traffic report built from them anonymizes IP addresses, is read only by the operator, and is never published or sent anywhere.
The following services are used to operate this experience:
These services process data only as needed to deliver the service. They do not receive your data for their own marketing or profiling purposes.
Questions about your data or this policy? Contact the operator at operator@deceit.world.