Privacy Policy

1. Overview

FSQuest Pandemic ("the Application", "we", "us") is a browser-based game overlay that uses live public data from the VATSIM network to run a cooperative pandemic-response simulation. It is one of the FSQuest game modes.

Independent Project: FSQuest Pandemic is an independent, fan-made project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or officially connected to VATSIM inc. or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. The VATSIM name and network are the property of their respective owners.

By using the Application you acknowledge this addendum and the FSQuest Privacy Policy it supplements. If you do not agree, please discontinue use.

2. VATSIM Pilot Data

The Application reads live flight data from the VATSIM public data feed. This feed is made publicly available by VATSIM and contains information that pilots on the VATSIM network have voluntarily published, including:

• Aircraft callsigns
• Aircraft position (latitude / longitude / altitude)
• Heading and ground speed
• Departure and destination airport codes

This data originates from the VATSIM network and is governed by VATSIM's own terms of service and privacy policy. The Application displays this information solely to drive game mechanics and does not store it beyond the active server session.

3. What This Game Does With Your CID

Sign-in uses VATSIM Connect, VATSIM's official OAuth2 login service. The FSQuest policy covers that in general; the following is specific to this game:

• Sign-in requests zero permissions/scopes from your VATSIM account. The temporary access token VATSIM issues is used exactly once, to read your VATSIM CID, and is then discarded — it is never stored.
• Sign-in and admin actions are written to the server's operational audit log (used for troubleshooting and abuse investigation), identified by CID.

4. Cookies & Local Storage

The Application sets no cookies for advertising, analytics, or behavioural tracking. The following browser storage is used:

• VATSIM Connect session (vsid) — set when you sign in (Section 3). An httpOnly cookie containing your VATSIM CID and an expiry timestamp, cryptographically signed so it cannot be read or forged by client-side scripts or other sites (SameSite=Lax). Lasts up to 30 days or until you sign out.
• Sign-in nonce (vsid_state) — a short-lived (10-minute), httpOnly cookie used only to protect the sign-in redirect against forgery. Cleared automatically once sign-in completes.
• Game & dispatch settings — Your chosen callsign, display theme, notification sound, and SimBrief weight-unit preference are stored in your browser. These contain no personal data and expire automatically after 10 days.
• Socket.IO session identifier — a randomly generated, non-personal identifier used by the browser's WebSocket connection. Exists only for the duration of your active session and is not written to persistent storage.

Third-party services loaded by the Application (Google Fonts, OpenFreeMap) may set their own cookies subject to their respective privacy policies. See Section 5 for details.

5. Third-Party Services

The following third-party resources are loaded by the Application:

• VATSIM Connect (auth.vatsim.net) — VATSIM's OAuth2 login service, used only when you choose to sign in. See Section 3.
• OpenFreeMap / OpenStreetMap — Vector map tiles. When the map loads, your browser makes requests directly to OpenFreeMap's servers (tiles.openfreemap.org), a free, no-account map-tile provider. OpenFreeMap's terms and the underlying OpenStreetMap data licence apply to those requests.
• Google Fonts (Inter, JetBrains Mono) — Typefaces loaded from Google's CDN. Google's privacy policy applies to those requests.
• SimBrief (dispatch.simbrief.com) — When you file a flight plan, the Application opens SimBrief in a new browser tab, passing your selected route, aircraft, cargo, and remarks so it can generate a flight plan. SimBrief's privacy policy applies to those requests.

We do not control these third-party services and recommend reviewing their respective privacy policies if you have concerns.

6. Everything Else

Anything not listed above is governed by the FSQuest Privacy Policy — including what data is collected, how it is used and shared, data retention, your rights, security, minors, international transfers, changes to the policy, and contact details.