Privacy and artwork terms
Version 1 · Last updated 17 October 2026
Who runs System Surface: [company name] (company number ).
Registered office: [registered office address]
Contact: [contact email]
We are the "controller" of the personal information described here. In this page "we" and "us" means the company named above.
The short version
- You keep the copyright in your artwork. You let us show it in the game.
- You can play under an alias. You never need to give us your real name.
- We don't sell your information, show ads, or share it with advertisers.
- Every painting is reviewed by a moderator.
- You can delete your account at any time from your profile. Your paintings stay in the game as “Unknown writer”.
- System Surface is for players aged 13 and over.
Your artwork
You keep the copyright in artwork you create. When you save artwork in the game you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to store, process, display and adapt it as part of running the game. That includes showing it on trains, in yards, on profiles and as thumbnails.
We may also promote the game using your artwork in context of the game. We will not sell your artwork, make prints or merchandise from it, or license it for unrelated uses.
Game rules for artwork
Only save work you created or have permission to use. Don't save artwork that:
- is illegal, or promotes violence, terrorism or self-harm;
- is sexual or pornographic, or sexualises anyone;
- is hateful, bullying or harassing towards a person or group;
- shows someone's personal details (real names, addresses, phone numbers, faces of private people);
- copies someone else's work or trade marks without permission.
Every painting is reviewed by a moderator. We may remove artwork, reduce Rep, remove King status or close accounts that break these rules. We report child sexual abuse material and credible threats to life to the appropriate authorities.
Reporting and complaints
Use the report button on any painting to flag it to a moderator. If you want to complain about a painting, about how we moderated your work, or about this service, email [contact email]. Tell us the train and car if you can. We aim to reply within 14 days.
What information we use and why
| Information | Why we use it | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Username, hashed password, account or guest ID, Rep, achievements, crew membership, King status, settings | To run your account and the game | Contract: providing the game you signed up for |
| Artwork and saves, including earlier layers that were painted over | To show your work in the game and keep your saved paintings | Contract |
| Rep you give and receive, painted-over notices, reports you make | Game features and moderation | Contract, and our legitimate interest in keeping the game fair and safe |
| Usage statistics: time spent on the platform, in yards, on the bench and painting; return visits; Rep given | To understand how the game is used and improve it | Legitimate interests: improving the game |
| Error reports: what went wrong, where in the game, and your device and browser type | To find and fix problems | Legitimate interests: keeping the game working |
| IP address and technical request data | Hosting, security, preventing abuse and spam, limiting repeated requests | Legitimate interests: security |
| Cookies and browser storage (sign-in, guest ID, tutorial progress, colours and settings) | Needed for the game to work | Strictly necessary, so no consent banner is needed |
| Information needed to answer a lawful request | Meeting our legal obligations | Legal obligation |
We don't use advertising or third-party tracking, we don't build profiles of you for marketing, and we don't make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.
How long we keep it
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Your account and settings | Until you delete your account. Accounts that never save a painting may be removed after 14 days without use. |
| Guest progress (no painting saved) | Deleted 7 days after you last played. |
| Artwork and saves | While they're in the game. If you delete your account they stay as “Unknown writer”, with nothing linking them to you, until painted over and removed or taken down by us. |
| Rep records | Until the giver's or artist's account is deleted. |
| Reports | Until handled, then deleted 30 days after they're closed. |
| Usage statistics and error reports | 90 days, then deleted automatically. |
| Tutorial records (these include your IP address) | Up to 2 hours while the tutorial runs, then deleted within a day. |
| Security records (request limits) | A few minutes, held only in memory. |
| Sign-in cookie | 30 days, or until you sign out. |
| Backups | 30 days, then deleted automatically. Deleted accounts and paintings disappear from backups within this time. |
| Record that an account was deleted (ID and date only, used to end old sign-ins) | 31 days. |
| Hosting logs kept by Cloudflare | Cloudflare's own short retention period. |
What's public
Artwork, aliases, Rep, achievements, crews and some gameplay details are visible to other players and anyone visiting the game. Other people can view, record or share them. Using an alias does not guarantee anonymity, so don't put anything in your username or artwork that identifies you if you don't want to be identified.
Who we share it with
We don't sell or rent personal information. Cloudflare, Inc. hosts and protects the game and processes information on our behalf. Cloudflare's network is global, so information may be processed outside the UK, including in the United States. Those transfers are covered by Cloudflare's data processing terms, which include UK-approved safeguards for international transfers.
We only share player information with police or other authorities where the law requires it or where it is otherwise lawful and justified. We assess each request first and limit any disclosure to what is needed.
Children
System Surface is for players aged 13 and over. We don't ask for real names, addresses or locations, there's no chat or private messaging, and there are no ads. If you think a child under 13 is using the game, contact us and we'll remove their account.
Your rights
You have the right to ask for a copy of your information, to correct it, to delete it, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to receive it in a portable format. You can delete your account yourself from My profile → Delete my account. Your paintings then stay in the game anonymously; to have a specific painting removed, email us. For anything else, email [contact email]. We'll reply within one month.
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk. We'd appreciate the chance to sort it out first.
Changes
If we change these terms in a way that matters, we'll update the version number and ask you to agree again before you next save artwork.