Privacy Policy

Last updated: February 18, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what data is collected, how it is used, and how it is protected when you use the BTCT/DOGE DEX platform and BTCT Town.

1. Platform Nature

This platform is a non-custodial, open-source decentralized exchange (DEX) that facilitates peer-to-peer HTLC atomic swaps between BTCT and DOGE. The server acts solely as a bulletin board and message relay.

The server NEVER holds, accesses, controls, or stores private keys or user funds.

2. Data Collected

Data Type	Description	Purpose
BTCT Address	Public blockchain address (not personal information)	Trade coordination, listing identification
DOGE Address	Public blockchain address	Trade coordination (DOGE sending)
Trade Data	Listing details, trade status, HTLC hashes	Atomic swap coordination
Chat Messages	Text messages between trade participants (max 500 chars)	Trade communication, dispute reference
Town Position	In-game character coordinates (BTCT Town only)	Multiplayer functionality (not stored in DB)

3. Data NOT Collected

Private keys — All signing happens client-side in your browser
Personal information — No name, email, phone, ID, or KYC data
IP addresses — Not logged or stored by the application
Cookies or tracking — No analytics, no third-party tracking
Browser fingerprints — Not collected

4. Client-Side Storage (localStorage)

The following data is stored only in your browser's localStorage and is never sent to the server:

Wallet addresses and private keys (encrypted by your browser)
HTLC secrets (generated locally for atomic swaps)
Disclaimer acceptance status

⚠ If you clear your browser data, you will lose your locally stored wallet keys and trade secrets. Always back up your private keys.

5. Chat Message Policy

Chat is available only between trade participants (1:1, per-trade).
Server verifies that the sender is a participant (seller or buyer) before storing or relaying messages.
Messages are limited to 500 characters.
Messages containing prohibited keywords (threats, illegal content) are automatically blocked.
Chat messages are automatically deleted after 90 days from creation.

6. Data Retention

Data Type	Retention Period
Trade listings (ads)	Indefinite (public bulletin board)
Trade records	Indefinite (blockchain coordination history)
Chat messages	90 days (automatically deleted)
Town player positions	Session only (in-memory, cleared on disconnect)

7. Data Sharing

Your data is never shared with third parties. The only external service used is:

Blockcypher API — For DOGE balance checks and transaction broadcasting. Only public blockchain data (addresses, transactions) is sent. No private data is shared.

8. Security Measures

All private key operations happen client-side only
Server access is protected by UFW firewall, Fail2Ban, and rate limiting
API rate limits: 50,000 BTCT/24h, 30 swaps/24h, 20 listings/24h per wallet
SSH hardened (key-based, fail2ban, limited sessions)
Database access restricted to localhost only

9. User Rights

Since no personal information is collected, traditional data subject rights (access, deletion, portability) apply in a limited way:

Your wallet data is stored only in your browser — you control it entirely.
Trade records are coordination data tied to public blockchain addresses, not personal identifiers.
Chat messages are auto-deleted after 90 days.

10. Open Source

The full source code is publicly available at github.com/timessanta/btct-doge-dex (MIT License). You can verify exactly what data is collected and how it is handled.

11. Contact

For questions about this privacy policy, please open an issue on the GitHub repository.

12. Changes

This policy may be updated. Changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date above and committed to the GitHub repository.