Privacy Policy
As at August 2026
1. Data controller
The data controller responsible for the processing of personal data on this website and within the Dark Master services offered via it is:
M. Liese
Berlin
Germany
Email: darkmastercluster@gmail.com
Hereinafter, the operator shall be referred to as the ‘Dark Master’.
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2. General information on data processing
Dark Master processes personal data only to the extent necessary for the operation of the website, the administration of the community, the provision of user accounts and community features, and the handling of support, order and sponsorship enquiries.
Depending on the specific processing operation, the following legal bases, in particular, may apply:
- Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR, where processing is necessary for the performance of a contractual relationship, for the fulfilment of an order or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures,
- Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR, where there is a legal obligation to process or retain data,
- Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR, where processing is necessary to safeguard legitimate interests, in particular for security, protection against misuse and the reliable operation of the systems,
- Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR, in so far as voluntary consent is obtained for a specific processing operation.
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3. Hosting and server log data
The Dark Master website is hosted on a STRATO VPS operated.
When you visit the website, server and connection data required for technical purposes may be processed. This may include, in particular:
- IP address,
- Date and time of access,
- the page or file accessed,
- amount of data transferred,
- Browser and browser version,
- Operating system,
- Referrer information, where transmitted,
- HTTP status codes and
- Technical fault and safety information.
Data is processed for the purposes of providing the website, ensuring its technical stability, analysing errors and protecting it against attacks and misuse, on the basis of Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.
Server log data is only stored for as long as is necessary for the purposes stated. The specific retention period depends on the logging configuration set up on the server and must be determined by the operator in accordance with the actual configuration.
STRATO provides provisions on data processing for the relevant contractual relationships.
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4. Registration and user account
In particular, the following data is processed in connection with the creation and use of a Dark Master user account:
- Username,
- Email address,
- Password in the form of a secure password hash,
- Date of registration,
- Account status,
- Roles and permissions,
- Login and session information required for technical reasons.
Passwords are not stored in plain text.
Depending on how the account is used, the following details may also be linked to the user account:
- Discord username,
- Discord ID,
- EOS-ID,
- Implant ID,
- Tribal affiliation and
- further identifiers required for the Dark Master gaming systems.
The processing of the necessary account details is carried out on the basis of Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.
Voluntary information is only processed insofar as it is provided by the user or is required for a specifically requested function.
The user account and the data directly associated with it are generally stored until the account is deleted, provided there are no statutory retention obligations or legitimate grounds for further storage.
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5. Discord, EOS, Implant and game data
Dark Master can process additional identifiers to link a website account to a Discord or ARK player account.
These may include:
- Discord username,
- Discord ID,
- EOS-ID,
- Implant ID,
- Player name,
- Tribal affiliation,
- Account balances or community points and
- technical classification information.
This data is used, in particular, to uniquely identify each player and to link the Dark Master features used by the user.
These identifiers will not be used for any purposes other than those related to the Dark Master community.
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6. News, Support and Tickets
When using the messaging or ticketing system, the following data in particular may be processed:
- User account and username,
- Subject,
- Ticket category,
- News content,
- Appendices,
- Dates of creation and amendment,
- Processing status,
- the relevant team member and
- technical classification information.
Data is processed for the purpose of handling the relevant support or contact enquiry on the basis of Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR or Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.
Closed support tickets and their associated attachments are automatically deleted seven days after they are closed, provided that no further storage is required due to a case of misuse, a legal dispute or a statutory obligation.
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7. Tribe and community features
Where users utilise features for managing Tribes or other community content, Dark Master processes the data required for this purpose.
These may include, in particular:
- User and player identification,
- Tribe name,
- Tribe membership,
- Role or authorisation within a tribe,
- Community news and
- Changes to the relevant records.
Data processing is carried out to provide the community features requested by the user, on the basis of Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.
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8. Shop, orders and account activity
When using the Dark Master Shop, the following data in particular may be processed:
- User or player identification,
- products or parcels ordered,
- Date of order,
- Order status,
- Delivery status,
- community currency used or deducted,
- Account transactions and
- Information required to allocate a payment.
Data processing is carried out for the purpose of fulfilling and documenting orders on the basis of Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR.
Where data must be retained in accordance with statutory obligations under commercial or tax law, processing is also carried out on the basis of Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR.
Payment via PayPal
Where a payment is made via PayPal, the actual payment processing is carried out by the payment service provider PayPal.
PayPal processes the personal data required to complete the payment in accordance with its own privacy policy.
Dark Master processes only the information required to allocate, verify and confirm a payment received.
Payment processing does not take place on the Dark Master servers themselves.
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9. Sponsorship enquiries
Voluntary sponsorship or partnership enquiries can be submitted via the website.
In particular, the following data may be processed:
- Company or brand name,
- Name of the contact person,
- Email address,
- optional website,
- preferred form of cooperation,
- optional budget,
- desired term and
- Content of the enquiry or message.
The data will be processed solely for the purposes of reviewing, contacting you and processing the requested collaboration.
The legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR, insofar as the enquiry relates to the establishment of a working relationship. Where this is not the case, processing may be carried out on the basis of Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.
Sponsorship enquiries that have not been taken forward will be deleted as soon as it is clear that the data is no longer required for further communication and there are no legal grounds for retaining it.
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10. Discord integration
Dark Master uses Discord for community and communication purposes.
When a user links their Discord account to Dark Master or uses features linked to Discord, the following information in particular may be processed or exchanged between the systems:
- Discord ID,
- Discord username,
- Role or authorisation information,
- Ticket information,
- News and
- any further data required for the specific Discord feature being used.
Data processing is carried out for the purpose of providing the relevant community function on the basis of Article 6(1)(b) of the GDPR or on the basis of the legitimate interest in the consistent management of the community and support services in accordance with Article 6(1)(f) of the GDPR.
Discord’s privacy policy also applies to the independent processing of personal data within the Discord platform.
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11. Cookies and session management
The website may use technically necessary cookies or similar storage mechanisms to provide basic functions.
These include, in particular, functions for:
- Registration,
- Meeting management,
- Safety,
- Protection against unauthorised access and
- Storage of technically necessary settings.
Storage or access that is strictly necessary for technical reasons may be permitted under Section 25(2) of the TDDDG without consent, provided that it is necessary to provide a digital service expressly requested by the user.
Should any analytics, marketing or other services that are not technically necessary be used in future, the privacy notice and, where applicable, the consent management system must be expanded accordingly.
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12. Recipients of personal data
Personal data is, as a matter of principle, only made available to those departments or service providers that require this data for the relevant purpose.
Depending on the function used, this may include, in particular:
- the hosting provider STRATO,
- Discord,
- PayPal when using a PayPal payment,
- Dark Master team members with administrative rights, as well as
- Public authorities or other bodies, where there is a legal obligation to disclose information.
Dark Master does not pass on personal data for advertising purposes.
In the case of external services, personal data may, where applicable, also be processed outside the European Union or the European Economic Area. The data protection provisions of the relevant provider also apply to such processing.
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13. Retention period and deletion
Personal data is, as a general rule, only stored for as long as is necessary for the respective purpose of processing.
In this regard, the following principles apply in particular:
- User accounts are generally stored until the account is deleted.
- Closed support tickets, including any attachments, are always deleted after seven days.
- Messages and community content will be deleted if they are no longer required for their intended purpose or if the associated account is deleted, provided there are no reasons to the contrary.
- Sponsorship enquiries are deleted once the enquiry has been fully resolved and there is no longer any need to retain them.
- Order and payment details are stored for as long as is necessary to process the order or in accordance with statutory retention obligations.
- Server and security data are deleted as soon as they are no longer required for operational purposes, security or the detection of misuse.
Users can request the deletion of their account via the Dark Master support system.
Data will not be deleted if statutory retention obligations, the assertion or defence of legal claims, or compelling security reasons prevent immediate deletion.
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14. Rights of data subjects
Subject to the statutory requirements, data subjects have, in particular, the right to:
- Information regarding the personal data processed in accordance with Article 15 of the GDPR,
- Correction inaccurate data in accordance with Article 16 of the GDPR,
- Deletion personal data in accordance with Article 17 of the GDPR,
- Restriction of processing in accordance with Article 18 of the GDPR,
- Data portability in accordance with Article 20 of the GDPR and
- Objection against certain forms of processing in accordance with Article 21 of the GDPR.
Where processing is carried out on the basis of consent, that consent may be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future.
To exercise these rights, the data controller may be contacted using the contact details provided in Section 1.
Data subjects also have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority.
Competent data protection supervisory authority:
Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information
Alt-Moabit 59–61
10555 Berlin
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15. Automated decisions
Dark Master does not, as a matter of principle, make any decisions based solely on automated processing that have legal effects or result in similarly significant adverse effects within the meaning of Article 22 of the GDPR.
Automated technical processes, such as the publication of approved shop content or the automatic deletion of closed tickets, do not constitute such an automated decision concerning the data subject.
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16. Safety
Dark Master implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, tampering, unauthorised access and unauthorised disclosure.
Depending on the system in question, these include, in particular:
- Storing passwords exclusively as password hashes,
- Access restrictions and authorisation systems,
- encrypted connections,
- Server and application protection,
- regular security updates and
- Restricting administrative access to authorised personnel.
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17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
This privacy policy may be amended if there are changes to the features of the Dark Master website, the service providers used, or legal requirements.
The current version published on the website at any given time shall apply.
As at August 2026
Partner and Sponsor Tracking
If a visitor uses a partner/sponsor tracking link provided by Dark Master or accesses the website via such a link, the website processes data on the server side for the purposes of technical abuse prevention and the traceable evaluation of the partnership. The data collected includes the partner/sponsor assignment, click direction and click destination, the time of the click, a visitor identifier pseudonymised using HMAC-SHA-256, a pseudonymised user-agent identifier and – provided it is transmitted by the browser – exclusively the hostname of the referring page. The full IP address and the full referrer URL are not stored in the tracking table.
Repeat clicks by the same pseudonymised visitor are not recorded as a new raw click within 60 seconds. A 24-hour period is used to identify unique clicks. The analysis serves, in particular, to determine total and unique click figures, partner/sponsor statistics and to detect obvious click spam.
Detailed pseudonymised raw tracking data is currently being used for 180 days stored. The operator can configure the retention period within the permitted range of 90 to 730 days. Once the retention period has expired, the raw data is first aggregated into daily figures and then deleted, including the visitor/user agent hash and referrer hostname. The aggregated daily statistics derived from this data contain only count values and the times of the last activity, and are retained for the historical evaluation of the partnership.
The specific legal basis under data protection law, as well as any additional information or consents that may be required, must be assessed by the operator in accordance with the actual use of the data and the applicable legal requirements.