Privacy Policy

No account is required to use GOATED. We don't sell your data, we don't run ad networks, and we store as little identifying information as we can. Analytics identities are stored as one-way salted hashes, not raw IP addresses.

Content you create.Lists, rankings, votes, reactions, and any names you type in ("write-ins"). Published lists and aggregate vote tallies are public by design — that's the point of the site.

A browser key (anonymous use).When you act without an account, we set a cookie holding a random key so your own lists and votes stay tied to your browser (for example, so you don't vote on the same matchup twice). It isn't linked to your identity.

Account data (optional). If you create an account, we store your email and a hashed password, or — if you sign in with Google or Discord — your name, email, and profile image from that provider, plus a public handle you choose. Profile images are re-hosted on our own storage.

Basic usage analytics.We record which pages are visited, the referring site, and any campaign/"ref" tag on the link. To count unique visitors without storing personal data, the visitor identity (account key, browser key, or IP + browser string) is passed through a one-way salted hash before it is ever written down — we don't keep raw IP addresses. We also use Google Analytics (see "Third parties" below).

Essential:the anonymous browser key, and — if you log in — a session cookie that keeps you signed in. The site doesn't work properly without these.

Attribution: if you arrive from a shared or campaign link, a small cookie remembers which source brought you (kept ~30 days) so we can see which communities our lists reach.

Analytics: Google Analytics sets its own cookies to measure traffic.

To run the core features (building, sharing, and voting on lists), to keep votes and reactions honest (one per person), to understand which lists and communities the site is reaching, and to keep the service secure and working. We do not sell your data or share it for advertising.

GOATED runs on infrastructure and services from other companies, who process data on our behalf: hosting and image storage (Vercel), our database (Neon / PostgreSQL), analytics (Google Analytics), sign-in providers if you use them (Google, Discord), and transactional email such as password resets (Resend). Each has its own privacy policy.

Artist, album, and song information comes from open music databases (MusicBrainz, Discogs, Wikidata/Wikipedia) and cover art from the Cover Art Archive and Wikimedia Commons.

You can use GOATEDwithout an account. If you have one, you can edit your profile or delete your account from your settings — deleting anonymizes your past votes and removes your personal information (public lists may be retained in anonymized form as part of the site's record). You can also clear cookies in your browser, and opt out of Google Analytics using Google's browser add-on.

GOATEDisn't directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has provided us data, contact us and we'll remove it.

We may update this policy as the product evolves; material changes will be reflected in the "last updated" date above. Questions about privacy? Reach us through our contact page.