Privacy Policy

Who we are

SorceryNet is an IRC network operated by volunteer administrators and staff. You can reach us in #Square or by email at privacy@sorcery.net.

What we collect

• Email address - when you register accounts (e.g., NickServ or ChanServ) or contact us.
• Webchat account request details - when you request a persistent Lounge account, including the name, email address, preferred nickname, and reason you provide.
• Connecting IP address - when you connect to the IRC network (for security, anti-abuse, and operations).
• Webchat session data - when you use public webchat or persistent Lounge, including IRC connection details, joined channels, client preferences, and technical session data needed to provide the service.
• Basic service logs - limited technical logs required to keep services running and troubleshoot issues.

We do not sell your data, we do not share it outside SorceryNet, and we do not use third-party analytics or advertising services that would access it.

Public webchat and persistent Lounge accounts

SorceryNet offers two browser webchat options. Public webchat at chat.sorcery.net is for quick access and does not require a SorceryNet webchat account. Persistent webchat at lounge.sorcery.net is for approved users who want a browser IRC session that can remain connected between visits.

Persistent Lounge accounts may store your account username, password hash, IRC network settings, joined channels, client preferences, active sessions, and message history or scrollback where logging is enabled. This information is retained on SorceryNet-controlled systems so the service can reconnect you and restore your webchat state.

Public webchat sessions are intended for temporary access. They may still generate ordinary technical logs, IRC connection metadata, and anti-abuse records while you are connected.

SorceryNet hosts and operates these webchat services itself. We do not use a third-party hosted webchat provider, third-party analytics, advertising trackers, or data brokers. We do not sell, rent, or share webchat account information with anyone.

How we use your data

• Provide services (register and protect your nick/channel, deliver support).
• Operate webchat (create approved Lounge accounts, keep persistent sessions available, and send account emails).
• Security & abuse prevention (detect ban evasion, spam, or network attacks).
• Network operations (diagnose outages, performance issues, and errors).
• Legal compliance when required by applicable law.

Retention

We keep email addresses for as long as the related account remains active or until you request deletion, subject to anti-abuse safeguards. Persistent Lounge account data is kept while the account exists. Webchat request records are kept for operational review and abuse prevention. Connection IPs and operational logs are retained only as long as necessary for security and operations and then routinely purged.

Cookies

Our main website may set small cookies such as a theme preference. Webchat may set cookies or local browser storage required for login sessions and client settings. We do not use third-party tracking cookies.

Third-party services

We do not grant third parties access to the data we collect. We do not use third-party analytics. We do not sell or share information with advertisers, data brokers, or marketing platforms. When you follow links to external sites, such as our Bluesky or Facebook, their privacy practices apply.

Your rights

Depending on your location (e.g., GDPR in the EU/EEA), you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your data. To make a request, contact privacy@sorcery.net or ask in #Square. We may need to verify control of the relevant nick/email.

Children

SorceryNet is a general-audience network. If you are under the age where consent is required in your region (e.g., 16 in parts of the EU), please obtain a parent/guardian's permission before registering an email address on our services.

Security

We use TLS for the website and restrict service access to staff who need it. No system is perfect; if you believe you've found a security issue, please contact us immediately at security@sorcery.net or in #Square.

Changes

We may update this policy to reflect changes in our services or the law. We will post the new date at the top and, where appropriate, announce changes on-network.