Privacy Policy

Last updated: 7 October 2026

1. Who we are

Keerat Thethi trading as MurderXFile, a sole trader, is the data controller responsible for the personal information described in this Privacy Policy. MurderXFile provides online murder-mystery investigations. Our business correspondence address is 65a Midland Road, Wellingborough, NN8 1HF, United Kingdom. For privacy questions, requests or further information about how your personal information is used, contact contact@murderxfile.com.

MurderXFile is intended for people aged 13 and over. You must be at least 13 years old to create or use a MurderXFile account. The Create Account page asks you to confirm, by creating your account, that you are aged 13 or over. We do not collect your date of birth or use this statement as independent age verification. We do not knowingly provide accounts to children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child under 13 has provided personal information to MurderXFile, please contact us at contact@murderxfile.com so that we can investigate and take appropriate action.

2. Information we process

Depending on how you use MurderXFile, we may process account information such as your email address and account identifier; purchase and case-ownership information; investigation progress, hint usage, deductions, scores and completion status; messages you send to support; review information you choose to submit, including a public display name, star rating, written review and spoiler flag; and technical information such as IP address, browser/device information, security events and request logs.

Payments are processed using Stripe. When you make a purchase, Stripe may process information such as your name, email address, billing information, payment information, IP address, device information, transaction details, order details, tax information and information used for fraud prevention, authentication and security. MurderXFile receives information needed to administer your purchase and provide access to the relevant case, such as payment status, transaction or Checkout identifiers, purchase details and related order information, but does not receive or store your full payment-card number. For eligible purchases processed using Stripe Managed Payments, Stripe acts as Merchant of Record and may also process information necessary to provide Managed Payments services, including payment processing, indirect-tax handling, fraud and dispute management and customer-support functions.

Some personal information is necessary for us to provide particular parts of the service. For example, an email address and the information required by our authentication service are needed to create and use a MurderXFile account, and the information required during checkout is needed to process a purchase and provide access to a purchased investigation. If you do not provide information that is necessary for a particular service or transaction, we may be unable to create or maintain your account, process the purchase, provide purchased case access or otherwise provide the relevant service. Information that is optional, such as information you choose to include in a customer review or support message beyond what is necessary to deal with your request, does not have to be provided.

3. Why we use information

We use personal information to create and secure accounts, process and confirm purchases, unlock purchased cases, save and recover investigation progress, calculate investigation results, send transactional case emails, provide customer support, operate and moderate verified customer reviews, prevent abuse and fraud, maintain and improve the service, and comply with legal obligations.

4. Lawful bases

We use different lawful bases depending on the purpose of the processing. For adult customers, we rely on contract where processing is necessary to provide the requested contractual service, including account access, purchases, case access and saved game progress.

For users aged 13–17, we rely on legitimate interests for the limited core account and game-service processing needed to provide and secure the service they request: authentication, case ownership and access, and saving progress, answers, hints, scores and completion. Our child-specific assessment gives additional weight to younger users’ rights and interests, particularly where their capacity to enter a contract may be uncertain. We minimise the information used, keep play private, and do not use behavioural advertising, public player profiles or user-to-user messaging.

Purchase and refund processing and transactional communications rely on contract where appropriate and necessary, or legal obligation where the law requires it. Support relies on contract where necessary to perform or support the service, and otherwise on legitimate interests. We consider contractual capacity where a customer is a child. We rely on legal obligation for required tax, accounting and consumer-law records and for responding to applicable data-protection rights. We rely on legitimate interests for necessary security, abuse prevention, rate limiting, troubleshooting, review submission and moderation, operational deletion retries, and establishing or defending legal rights, where those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests. Fraud, disputes and contract evidence may also involve legal obligations.

Where consent is required, we rely on your consent. You may withdraw it at any time without affecting processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal. You can contact us about the lawful basis for a particular use of your information or to exercise your applicable rights, including the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests.

5. Service providers

MurderXFile uses specialist service providers to operate the service. These currently include Clerk for authentication and account services, Stripe for payment processing and related payment services, Cloudflare for website hosting, security, storage and database infrastructure, Resend for transactional email delivery, Google for separately consented website analytics and Google Ads conversion measurement as described in section 7, and StayLo for business-address and mail-handling services. These providers may process personal information on our behalf or, where applicable, for their own purposes under their respective privacy arrangements. Stripe may act as a data processor when providing certain services on our behalf and as a data controller where it determines the purposes and means of particular processing, including for purposes such as fraud prevention, security, compliance with legal and regulatory obligations and the operation and improvement of its services. For eligible purchases using Stripe Managed Payments, Stripe acts as Merchant of Record and processes information necessary to provide those services.

6. International processing

Some of our service providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where UK data-protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, we use or rely on an applicable lawful transfer mechanism or safeguard, which may include UK adequacy regulations or appropriate contractual safeguards provided for under UK data-protection law. You can contact us at contact@murderxfile.com for further information about safeguards relevant to the processing of your personal information.

7. Cookies and similar technology

MurderXFile uses cookies, browser storage or similar technologies where necessary for functions such as authentication, account sessions, security, purchase flows, and saving or preserving investigation progress and functionality. Our service providers may also use cookies or similar technologies when providing their services. In particular, Stripe may collect information through cookies and similar technologies when you interact with Stripe Checkout or other Stripe services, including information used for payment processing, authentication, fraud prevention, security and operation of its services. MurderXFile offers optional Google Analytics and, separately, Google Ads conversion measurement. Each stays disabled until its own eligible adult opt-in. We do not use personalised advertising or remarketing.

If you choose guest Part 1, essential browser storage remembers a signed case progress receipt, review states, checkpoint completion and hint/deduction state for up to 90 days. It is specific to this browser and is removed after expiry when the site next checks it, or when you clear site data. The server validates guest actions and signs the receipt; guest progress is not stored as an account progress record until you sign in and a verified transfer succeeds. A one-time transfer marker is then stored with account progress to prevent repeat imports. Existing account progress takes priority. This essential guest save is separate from optional measurement consent.

Optional Google Analytics, Ads conversion measurement and your choices

We offer optional Google Analytics 4 (GA4) only to visitors who confirm that they are aged 18 or over and actively accept analytics. It helps us understand the investigation sales journey: viewing the case, reaching purchase options, starting sign-in or account creation, completing a new account, starting and completing free Part 1, requesting checkout and completing a confirmed purchase. Our account and site age policy remains 13+. Visitors aged 13–17 should reject optional analytics and can continue using the service normally.

We rely on consent for this optional measurement. Until eligible analytics consent is given, we do not configure GA4, send GA4 measurement requests (including cookieless consent pings), or create GA4 cookies. The shared Google tag loads only when you accept at least one of the two independent choices; accepting Ads measurement alone does not enable GA4. Accepting is optional; rejecting or deciding later does not restrict the website, account, purchase or game. We do not infer analytics eligibility from a 13+ account acknowledgement. If eligibility or consent is unknown, GA4 stays disabled.

Change or withdraw measurement choices

You can reopen this control at any time through Analytics settings in the footer or this policy. Uncheck either purpose and save your choices to withdraw that purpose, or choose Reject both. Withdrawal stops further measurement for that purpose, clears its accessible first-party cookies and optional browser records, and reloads the page when needed to unload an active Google tag. A saved choice for the other purpose is preserved. Withdrawal cannot recall information already sent or cancel an already transmitted request; it does not affect the lawfulness of earlier consent-based processing. Choices apply to this browser and must be made separately on other browsers or devices.

On the homepage, cases, case pages, sign-in/create-account, account, Investigation Board, Part 1 and purchase-confirmation pages, consenting adults' analytics can include a pseudonymous browser identifier, general device/browser information, approximate location derived by Google from the network connection, fixed page names without their query strings or fragments, limited campaign source/medium labels, funnel events, case ID, product name, currency, order value, tax/shipping totals and a hashed order reference to avoid counting a purchase twice. We do not deliberately send names, email addresses, Clerk user IDs, Stripe customer IDs, payment details, game answers or account content to GA4. Google receives network information when your browser connects; pseudonymous analytics is not the same as anonymous data. The hashed reference can be associated with our order records. We do not use Google Signals, User-ID, advertising personalisation or remarketing in this implementation.

To remember your choice, this browser stores only the analytics choice, an adult-confirmation flag and its timestamp for up to 180 days, without a name, date of birth or account identifier. With eligible consent, GA4 may also set _ga and _ga_* cookies with a maximum configured lifetime of 180 days without extending that lifetime on each visit. Separate optional browser records support reliable measurement: hashed purchase references for up to 180 days, temporary queued events for up to 10 minutes, and a sign-up completion marker for up to one day in the browser tab. They are not created before eligible consent and are removed when it is withdrawn; expiry is checked when analytics runs. An optional testing flag lasts for the browser tab. Clearing browser storage may require a new choice and can remove local duplicate protection.

Separate Google Ads conversion measurement

Visitors who confirm that they are 18 or over may separately opt in to Google Ads conversion measurement. Existing analytics acceptance does not count as this consent. Both purpose choices start unchecked for new visitors; accepting analytics without Ads measurement remains available. Visitors aged 13–17 should reject both optional purposes.

With Ads measurement consent, Google may use first-party ad-click cookies such as _gcl_* and Google click references (gclid, gbraid or wbraid) to attribute purchases to ads. Google receives network and browser information when the tag connects. We send a case purchase conversion only after our server verifies a live, completed GBP 9.99 Stripe payment associated with our recorded checkout and confirms that case access was granted for that session. The conversion contains GBP, a value of 9.99 including tax, a fixed page address without purchase/account query parameters, and a hashed transaction reference. We do not deliberately send your name, email, account ID, raw Stripe session ID, payment-card details or game content to Google Ads. The hash is pseudonymous and can be associated with our order records.

Before Ads measurement consent, and after withdrawal, we do not configure the Ads destination or send Ads conversion events, including denied-consent conversion pings. Ads consent enables advertising storage and advertising measurement data use; advertising personalisation remains denied. Google Signals, enhanced conversions, User-ID, personalised advertising and remarketing are not enabled. We do not pass tracking identifiers through outgoing links or through Stripe checkout.

The separate Ads choice and adult-confirmation timestamp last up to 180 days in this browser. Consented Ads click cookies are configured for up to 90 days without extending their configured lifetime on visits; Google may use shorter lifetimes. Separate hashed Ads purchase references are retained locally for up to 180 days for duplicate protection and removed on withdrawal. A pending Ads conversion is held only in page memory until the tag loads; it is discarded on withdrawal or page exit. Clearing storage, expiry or another browser can remove local duplicate protection; the same stable transaction reference is also sent for Google Ads duplicate detection. Optional browser records never affect ownership or fulfilment. Google-held conversion data follows its own service retention arrangements; browser withdrawal does not erase earlier transmissions or third-party cookies we cannot access.

Google processes measurement data through its Analytics and Ads services, which may involve processing outside the UK/EEA under applicable safeguards. See Google's Privacy Policy and how Google uses information from sites using its services. Contact us about applicable access, erasure or other privacy rights. Google's analytics retention settings govern data already received; withdrawing here does not automatically erase that historical data.

8. Customer reviews

If you submit a review, your chosen display name, star rating, review text, spoiler status and “Verified Investigator” status may be published on MurderXFile after moderation. For existing historical reviews where our retained records confirm complimentary access, we also publish a short factual disclosure. New review submissions do not ask for incentive information. Your account identifier is used privately to verify eligibility and enforce one review per account and case; it is not displayed with the public review. You can update your review through your account-based review form, and an updated review returns to moderation before being published again.

9. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for its purpose. Our adopted standard retention periods are:

• Optional GA4 analytics: two months for event-level and user-level data covered by Google's retention setting, without resetting that period on new activity. This setting does not apply to standard aggregated reports. Browser choice, cookie and measurement-record lifetimes are explained in section 7.
• Optional Google Ads conversion measurement: browser choices, click cookies and local duplicate records follow the lifetimes in section 7. Data already sent to Google follows Google Ads service retention arrangements.
• Account/profile information and investigation progress, answers, hints and scores: for the life of the account, with applicable data deleted through account deletion as explained below. Necessary purchase/access history is retained separately with access disabled.
• Purchase, contract, payment, refund, dispute and digital-content consent records: six years after the end of the relevant tax year associated with the transaction.
• Temporary abandoned checkout records: seven days after Stripe definitively confirms that the checkout expired or its payment terminally failed, then deleted automatically on the next scheduled cleanup. Pending, delayed or unresolved payments are retained until their outcome is confirmed. Successful purchases, contracts, payment/refund/dispute evidence and records under a legal or compliance hold are excluded from this cleanup.
• Customer support and contact correspondence: two years after the matter closes.
• Account-deletion records: two years after successful completion of deletion. Unfinished requests remain available for necessary processing and retries.
• Security, API and rate-limit records: 90 days. Resolved operational error records are normally retained for 90 days after the underlying issue is resolved.
• Reviews: while legitimately required or published, with account-linked reviews removed through account deletion under the current system. Any longer retention after deletion requires genuine anonymisation and a justified purpose.
• Transactional email records: only as long as necessary for delivery, support, troubleshooting or evidence. Necessary purchase/contract evidence follows the six-year transaction rule; this does not mean every email copy is retained for six years.
• Tester/playtester information: until testing and necessary follow-up are complete, with a standard maximum of 12 months after the relevant testing programme ends. Genuinely anonymised feedback may be kept for product development.
• Marketing information, if processed: while the applicable lawful basis and relevant relationship remain. Active marketing stops following withdrawal or an applicable objection. Minimal do-not-contact records may remain as long as reasonably necessary to honour the opt-out.

We delete or appropriately anonymise records at the end of the relevant period. Relevant information may be held longer for a specific unresolved complaint, payment dispute, legal obligation, legal claim, fraud or security investigation, or regulatory enquiry. Only information needed for that purpose is preserved, and normal deletion resumes when the reason ends.

Provider-controlled logs, backups and residual copies follow the applicable provider lifecycle; deletion from our active systems does not guarantee immediate removal from every provider backup. Genuinely anonymised information may be retained longer, but replacing a name with a persistent identifier does not by itself make information anonymous.

Self-service account deletion

You can request permanent account deletion from My Account using Delete Account. We ask you to confirm the consequences and may require a recent sign-in. Once accepted, the request blocks further access through that account while deletion is processed. We delete your Clerk sign-in account and profile, saved investigation progress, answers, scores and submitted reviews.

We retain purchase/access history (with access disabled), purchase-time contract snapshots and consent records, refund/dispute records, relevant notification and support records, and a limited deletion record where needed for legal, accounting, tax, fraud-prevention, contractual or regulatory purposes. These retained records may still identify you and remain subject to the retention principles above and your data-protection rights. Account deletion does not issue a refund, change our refund policy or remove your statutory rights. A new account does not automatically restore old access or progress.

If a step fails, access stays blocked and we retry unfinished deletion steps. The status page distinguishes a pending request from completed account deletion. Completion refers to the sign-in account and the account data listed for deletion; it does not mean that every historical record has been erased. Downloaded materials and emails already received are not removed from your devices. Provider-held email, support, security logs and backups are subject to their applicable retention and erasure processes; contact us if you need help with a wider erasure request or cannot use the account controls.

10. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being used, you may have rights over your personal information, including rights to access and correct your information, request erasure or restriction of processing, object to certain processing, and receive certain information in a portable form. These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exceptions.

Your right to object: where we process your personal information on the basis of legitimate interests, you have the right to object to that processing. If you object, we will consider your request in accordance with applicable data-protection law.

Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

To exercise a privacy right or make a privacy request, email contact@murderxfile.com. If you are in the UK, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

11. Data-protection complaints

If you have a complaint about how MurderXFile has handled your personal information, you can contact us at contact@murderxfile.com. Please provide enough information for us to understand and investigate your complaint.

We will acknowledge a data-protection complaint within 30 days of receiving it. We will investigate complaints appropriately and without undue delay, keep you informed about the progress of the complaint where appropriate, and communicate the outcome to you once our investigation is complete.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, or otherwise wish to raise a concern about our handling of your personal information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You can find information about making a complaint on the ICO website.

12. Security

We use access controls and third-party infrastructure designed to protect accounts, payments and investigation data. No online system can be guaranteed completely secure, but we take reasonable measures to reduce unauthorised access, loss and misuse.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when MurderXFile changes or when legal or operational requirements change. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated.