1. Privacy Policy
1.1 Who we are
PixelGrew is a family-friendly gaming and creator community. We operate a website for browsing and uploading games, art, animation, audio, and lore; Discord-linked ranks and leaderboards; Minecraft and Palworld servers; Creator subscriptions; and tip payments to creators. Our public site is at https://pixelgrew.com.
1.2 Information we collect
Depending on how you use PixelGrew, we may collect:
- Account & identity data — When you sign up or sign in through Clerk, we receive identifiers such as your Clerk user ID, email address, display name, username, profile image URL, and linked OAuth providers (for example Discord or Google) that you choose to connect.
- Profile data you provide — Public username, display name, custom avatar overlays you upload, bio-style fields we offer, and preferences such as remaining anonymous on the public leaderboard.
- Discord-linked rank data — If your account is linked to Discord, we may read your Discord user ID and role names in the PixelGrew Discord server to compute PixelGrew Score ranks shown on the site. We do not sell Discord messages or private Discord content.
- Creator & upload data — Titles, descriptions, genres, ratings you select, tags/metadata, uploaded media files and icons, tip-enable settings, submission status (pending, approved, rejected), and confirmation that you have rights to share the content and that it follows PixelGrew rules.
- Engagement data — Likes, saves, playlist saves, follows, comments, comment likes, view counts, reports you submit about media, and similar interactions on submissions and profiles.
- Payment & payout data — Creator subscription status, billing interval, tip transaction records (amounts, submission tipped, payer/payee Clerk IDs, status), Stripe customer / Connect account identifiers, and whether Connect charges are enabled. We do not store full payment card numbers on PixelGrew servers; card and bank details are processed by Stripe.
- Technical & usage data — IP address, browser type, device/approximate locale, pages visited, referrers, error logs, and cookies or local/session storage needed for login sessions, security, and features such as “view counted once per session.”
- Communications — Messages you send us via Discord, email, or in-product forms (for example support or report reasons).
1.3 How we use information
- Provide, secure, and improve the website, accounts, and uploads.
- Moderate submissions for family-friendly rules, copyright, and safety; review reports; remove or refuse content.
- Operate Creator subscriptions, tip checkout, and creator payouts through Stripe (including Stripe Connect).
- Show public profiles, leaderboards (unless you opt for anonymity), ranks, and engagement stats.
- Sync Discord-linked ranks where you have connected Discord.
- Prevent fraud, abuse, spam, and unauthorized access; enforce these Terms.
- Communicate about account, payment, moderation, or service changes.
- Comply with law and respond to lawful requests from authorities when required.
1.4 Legal bases (where applicable)
If you are in a region that requires a “legal basis” (for example the EEA/UK), we process data to perform our contract with you (providing the service you signed up for), based on our legitimate interests (security, moderation, product improvement), with your consent where we ask for it, and to meet legal obligations.
1.5 Third-party processors & services
We use trusted vendors who process data on our behalf or as independent controllers for payment:
- Clerk — authentication and account identity (Clerk Privacy).
- Supabase — database and media file storage for profiles, submissions, and social features.
- Stripe — Creator subscriptions, tip payments, merch checkout, and Connect payouts (Stripe Privacy). Tip amounts, subscriptions, and merch charges are processed by Stripe; creators receiving tips may need to complete Stripe Connect identity / tax forms as required by Stripe and applicable law.
- Discord — community chat and optional role/rank sync (Discord Privacy). Our Discord server has its own community rules in addition to these Terms.
- Hosting / CDN — our website host and related infrastructure may process request logs and deploy builds.
- Merch — the PixelGrew shop at pixelgrew.com/merch is operated on this site. Checkout is processed by Stripe; physical fulfillment is handled by CJ Dropshipping (product, shipping, and tracking). PixelGrew receives order and shipping details needed to place and track fulfillment orders; card data is handled by Stripe.
1.6 Public information
Content you publish (approved uploads, public profile username / avatar / display name, comments, likes counts, and similar) can be viewed by other visitors. Leaderboard placement is public unless you choose the Creator checkout option to remain anonymous / stay off the public leaderboard. Free downloads of approved media are intentionally public for the community.
1.7 Cookies & similar technologies
We and our auth/payment providers use cookies, local storage, and similar technologies to keep you signed in, protect accounts, remember preferences, and operate checkout. You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling them may break login or payments.
1.8 Children’s privacy
PixelGrew is intended to be family-friendly, but the website account features, payments, and Creator tools are not directed to children under 13. If you are under 13, do not create an account or provide personal information. If you are between 13 and the age of majority where you live, use PixelGrew only with a parent or guardian’s permission. Parents who believe a child under 13 provided us data may contact us (see Contact) to request deletion.
1.9 Retention
We keep account, upload, engagement, and payment records for as long as needed to run the service, resolve disputes, meet tax/accounting requirements, and enforce our rules. You may delete or request deletion of your account/content as described below; backup copies may persist for a limited period. Stripe and Clerk may retain records under their own policies and legal duties.
1.10 Your choices & rights
- Update profile information in your account / “You” pages where available.
- Opt to stay off the public leaderboard when becoming a Creator (anonymous supporter preference).
- Enable or disable tips on uploads only if you are an eligible Creator with payout setup complete.
- Disconnect OAuth providers via Clerk/account settings where supported.
- Request access, correction, or deletion of personal data we hold, subject to legal exceptions (fraud prevention, completed payment records, etc.), by contacting us.
- If you are in the EEA/UK/California or similar jurisdictions, you may have additional rights (access, erasure, portability, restriction, objection, appeal). We will honor valid requests as required by law.
1.11 Security
We use industry-standard measures such as HTTPS, access-controlled databases, and service-role keys kept off the public client. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. Protect your login credentials and do not share account access.
1.12 International transfers
We and our processors may store or process data in the United States and other countries. By using PixelGrew, you understand your information may be transferred to jurisdictions with different data protection laws than your own.
1.13 Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do. Material changes may also be announced via the site news ticker, Discord, or account notice. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the updated policy.
2. Terms of Service
2.1 Agreement
By accessing or using PixelGrew (including creating an account, uploading, tipping, subscribing, joining our Discord, or connecting to our game servers), you agree to these Terms and the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the services.
2.2 Eligibility
You must be at least 13 years old (or the higher minimum age in your country) to create an account. Creator subscriptions and tip receiving require capacity to form a contract and to complete any identity/tax steps Stripe requires. You are responsible for compliance with local laws.
2.3 Accounts
- You are responsible for activity under your account and for keeping login methods secure.
- Provide accurate information. Do not impersonate others or create accounts to evade bans.
- We may suspend or terminate accounts for Terms violations, fraud, abuse, or risk to the community.
2.4 Family-friendly community rules (content)
PixelGrew is a family-friendly platform. All uploads, comments, profile content, and server conduct must be appropriate for a broad audience including teens and shared family spaces. Without limitation, you may not upload, link, or promote:
- Pornography, sexual content, fetish content, or sexualization of minors (including fictional minors) — zero tolerance.
- Extreme gore, real-world graphic violence, or content designed to shock or harass.
- Hate speech, slurs used to attack people, or content that promotes violence or discrimination based on protected characteristics.
- Harassment, doxxing, threats, stalking, or targeted abuse.
- Malware, phishing, scam downloads, cryptominers, or deceptive “free download” traps.
- Illegal content, including piracy packages, stolen assets you do not have rights to, or instructions primarily for committing crimes.
- Spam, mass advertising, misleading clickbait, or SEO junk dumps.
- Content that violates another person’s privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights.
Mild cartoon violence, fantasy themes, and PG-13-adjacent humor may be allowed when consistent with a family-friendly vibe; we decide in our sole moderation discretion. Ratings you select on submit must be honest.
2.5 Uploads, ownership & license
- You retain ownership of original content you upload, subject to licenses you already granted others and to the license you grant us below.
- By uploading, you represent that you have all rights needed to share the work (including music, fonts, code, assets, and likenesses), and that sharing it on PixelGrew does not violate any agreement or law.
- License to PixelGrew: You grant PixelGrew a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, adapt for display/transcoding, publicly perform/display, and distribute your approved uploads through the PixelGrew services, including offering them as free downloads to users, and to use titles, icons, and short descriptions in browse grids, search, news, and promotional showcases of the PixelGrew community.
- You may remove or request removal of your uploads; removal may take time to propagate, and copies previously downloaded by users are outside our control.
- We may refuse, delay, edit metadata for safety, or remove any submission for any reason, including quality, rights doubts, or rule violations — without owing payment.
2.6 Free downloads
Approved media on PixelGrew is generally offered as free to download for personal, non-commercial community use unless a specific upload says otherwise in its description. “Free download” does not mean you may re-upload someone else’s work claiming ownership, strip credits, or sell the files as your own product. Respect the creator’s stated wishes and applicable copyright law.
2.7 Creator subscriptions
- Uploading can be free. Receiving tips requires an active PixelGrew Creator subscription (monthly or yearly options as shown at checkout) and completed payout setup.
- Pricing starts at the amounts shown in the Become a Creator flow (for example from $5/month, with yearly discounts when offered). Taxes may apply.
- Subscriptions renew automatically if you leave auto-renew on, until you cancel via the Stripe customer portal / account billing tools we provide.
- Benefits may include tip eligibility, Creator badge, Discord shout-outs, and participation in community reward programs that may scale with how many Creators join. Benefits can change; we will not guarantee any specific future reward amount.
- Choosing “remain anonymous” / stay off the public leaderboard hides you from that public ranking; it does not hide your public uploads or username on media pages unless we offer a separate private upload feature.
2.8 Tips
- Tips are voluntary payments from users to creators on eligible uploads. PixelGrew’s stated model is that creators keep 100% of the tip amount we route via Stripe Connect, subject to Stripe’s processing fees, currency conversion, chargebacks, and any taxes the creator owes.
- Tips are not purchases of ownership of the media unless the creator expressly agrees otherwise in writing.
- Tips may be reversed for fraud, unauthorized payments, or Connect disputes. We are not a bank; payout timing depends on Stripe.
- You may not use tips to launder money, bypass sanctions, or buy illegal goods/services.
2.9 Comments, likes, follows & reports
Engagement features must follow the same family-friendly and non-harassment rules. Do not spam hearts, brigades, or fake engagement. Reports should be made in good faith; false or abusive reporting may lead to action against your account. We are not obligated to take any particular action on a report, but we may investigate and remove content or restrict users.
2.10 Game servers & Discord
Minecraft (play.pixelgrew.net) and Palworld (palworld.pixelgrew.net:25589) and the PixelGrew Discord are part of the community experience. Server rules posted in Discord or in-game may add to these Terms. Cheating, griefing beyond allowed modes, exploiting, toxic behavior, or breaking Discord’s Terms can result in bans from servers, Discord, and/or the website. Server availability, worlds, and resets are provided as-is and may change.
2.11 Acceptable use of the website
You agree not to:
- Scrape, flood, or overload the site; bypass rate limits or access controls; probe for vulnerabilities without permission.
- Reverse engineer the service except where allowed by law.
- Use bots to fake engagement, tips, or ranks.
- Misuse another user’s personal data obtained through the platform.
2.12 Intellectual property of PixelGrew
The PixelGrew name, logo, site design, plant/nature branding, and original site code/content (excluding user uploads) are owned by PixelGrew or its licensors. You may not copy the brand for a confusingly similar service. Fair-use commentary and community fan content that doesn’t impersonate official PixelGrew is generally welcome when family-friendly.
2.13 Copyright complaints (DMCA-style)
If you believe content on PixelGrew infringes your copyright, send a notice including: (a) your contact information; (b) identification of the copyrighted work; (c) the URL or submission ID of the allegedly infringing material; (d) a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized; (e) a statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized agent; and (f) your physical or electronic signature. Contact us via Discord staff channels or the contact method in Section 3. We may remove content and, in appropriate cases, terminate repeat infringers.
2.14 Disclaimers
PIXELGREW IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant uninterrupted uptime, that uploads will be approved, that tips will reach a creator on any schedule, that ranks/scores are error-free, or that game servers will remain online without wipes or changes.
2.15 Limitation of liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PIXELGREW AND ITS OPERATORS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR LOST TIPS / REVENUE, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM RELATED TO THE SERVICES WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO PIXELGREW (NOT INCLUDING TIPS PASSED TO CREATORS) IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM OR (B) USD $50. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limits; in those places, our liability is limited to the fullest extent allowed.
2.16 Indemnity
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless PixelGrew and its operators from claims, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your content, your tips/subscriptions, your misuse of the services, or your violation of these Terms or others’ rights.
2.17 Termination
You may stop using PixelGrew at any time and may request account deletion. We may suspend or terminate access immediately for violations or risk. Sections that by nature should survive (ownership, licenses already granted for distribution already occurred, disclaimers, liability limits, indemnity) will survive termination.
2.18 Changes to the Terms
We may update these Terms. Continued use after updates become effective constitutes acceptance. If you disagree, stop using the services and request account closure.
2.19 Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the State of California (without regard to conflict-of-law rules), unless mandatory consumer protections in your country require otherwise. Courts located in California will have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes, except where prohibited by law. (If PixelGrew later designates a different home jurisdiction in an updated notice, that update controls.)
2.20 Miscellaneous
These Terms are the entire agreement between you and PixelGrew about the website services described here, and supersede prior conflicting website terms. If a provision is unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a reorganization or transfer of the project.
