DustCrow by Null Effect Studio

A gritty zero-G space salvage VR game for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3. Scavenge the orbital junkfields.

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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 31 July 2026

Who We Are

DustCrow and this website are run by Null Effect Studio, a trading name of a sole trader based in the United Kingdom. For the data described below, Null Effect Studio is the data controller. You can reach us about anything on this page at privacy@nulleffectstudio.com.

This document covers the data we handle across our services: the DustCrow game on Meta Quest, this website, and our Discord "SARIS Bot".

DustCrow Game Data (Meta Quest)

DustCrow has an online economy. To run it fairly, we need to tell players apart using an identifier a player cannot reset to dodge rate limits or a ban.

Account-Derived Player Identifier

When you launch DustCrow, the game reads your Meta (Oculus) user ID through the Meta Platform SDK, together with a single-use proof code (a "nonce"). We check that proof directly with Meta's servers to confirm it is really you. We then run your Meta user ID through a one-way hash (a UUID v5) to produce a player identifier.

  • We do not store your raw Meta user ID. Only the hashed identifier is kept. The hash cannot be reversed back into your Meta account.
  • The identifier is stable. Because the same Meta account always produces the same hash, your data stays tied to you across sessions and reinstalls, so a ban or rate limit cannot be wiped by reinstalling.
  • A hashed, account-derived identifier still counts as pseudonymous personal data under UK and EU data protection law, so we treat it as personal data throughout this policy.

Session and Gameplay Data

  • Session information: start time, duration, platform, and build version.
  • In-game economy activity: gameplay actions such as credits earned and item sales.
  • Fault diagnostics: a snapshot of the game's internal state, sent only when it detects a fault.

This data is sent to our backend, keyed to your hashed identifier, so we can run the economy, anti-cheat, and aggregate statistics.

Leaderboards and Your Meta Username

DustCrow has public leaderboards, shown both in the game and on this website. If you play online, your Meta (Oculus) username is displayed next to your ranking so other players can see who set a score. We read your username through the Meta Platform SDK for this, and it is the one part of your Meta profile we show publicly. You can opt out of appearing on the leaderboards in the game's settings, and if you do, your username is not shown. We do not use your username to contact you or to link you to anything outside the game.

Why We Collect It (Purposes and Lawful Basis)

  • Authentication: confirming a player is who they say they are, so accounts and progress cannot be spoofed.
  • Anti-cheat: per-player rate limits and sanctions that keep the shared economy fair.
  • Aggregate analytics: understanding how players interact with the game and tracking community-wide stats.
  • Leaderboards: showing your Meta username next to your ranking in the game and on this website, unless you opt out.

Our lawful basis for this processing is legitimate interests (UK GDPR / EU GDPR Article 6(1)(f)): our interest in keeping the game secure, keeping the economy fair, running community features such as leaderboards, and improving the game. You can object to this processing, including opting out of the leaderboards, as set out under Your Rights below.

What We Do Not Collect

  • Your name, email address, or any contact details.
  • Your Meta profile photo or friends list.
  • Device sensor data (hand-tracking, room layout, camera, and similar).

The game itself does not collect or store your IP address. Our hosting providers may process it transiently to route and secure your connection, but we do not use it to profile or track you.

Where It Is Stored and Who Processes It

Game data is stored and processed by Supabase (Supabase Inc.), a managed-database provider we use as a data processor. Our database is hosted in Supabase's EU (London) region, so the data itself lives in the United Kingdom.

Supabase Inc. is a US-based company, so your data may also be accessed or processed from the United States (for example, for infrastructure operations and support). These transfers are covered by our Data Processing Agreement with Supabase, which incorporates the EU Standard Contractual Clauses and the UK Addendum, the safeguards UK and EU law require for transfers outside the UK and EEA. We do not sell your data to anyone.

How Long We Keep It

We keep your hashed identifier and the session, economy, and anti-cheat records tied to it for as long as we operate DustCrow's online services, because they are what let anti-cheat sanctions and rate limits stay in force. Aggregate statistics that no longer identify an individual player may be kept indefinitely. If we retire DustCrow's online services, we will delete or fully anonymise the account-keyed records. You can ask us to delete your data at any time (see below).

Your Rights

Because your player data is tied to a stable, account-derived identifier, deleting and reinstalling the game will not unlink or reset your past data. To access, correct, or delete the data linked to your identifier, or to object to the processing described above, email privacy@nulleffectstudio.com and we will act on it. If you are in the UK or EU, you also have the right to complain to your data protection regulator (in the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office).

SARIS Bot Data (Discord)

To hand out game keys and run community events on Discord, SARIS Bot collects and processes:

  • Discord user IDs: stored to manage key grants and enforce operator and guild allow-lists, so keys go to the right person.

SARIS Bot Data Retention

  • Key grant records: kept indefinitely so we hold a permanent record of ownership and can prevent duplicate grants.
  • Giveaway data: entry data for a specific giveaway is kept until the event ends, then purged.

Children

DustCrow is intended for players aged 13 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us data, contact privacy@nulleffectstudio.com and we will remove it.

Regional Notes

  • UK and EU (UK GDPR / GDPR): we process a pseudonymous, account-derived identifier and the gameplay data tied to it under legitimate interests, for security, anti-cheat, analytics, and public leaderboards (which show your Meta username, with an opt-out). You have the rights set out under Your Rights above.
  • California (CCPA): we do not sell your data, and we disclose our collection practices here.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as the game and our data handling change. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top. Material changes will be noted on this page.

Contact

For any privacy question or request: privacy@nulleffectstudio.com. For general questions, you can also reach us through our official Discord community.