Privacy Policy
This policy explains what information the Squad Overlay app for Windows ("the app") handles, and why. "We" and "us" mean squadoverlay.com, the publisher of the app.
What Squad Overlay does
Squad Overlay lets a private group of up to six people (a "lobby") share screenshots with each other. A screenshot is taken only when you press a shortcut or button, and it is shown in a small overlay on the other members' screens. There are no accounts: you choose a nickname, and you join a lobby with a short code.
Information that leaves your device
| Information | When | Who receives it | How long it is kept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screenshots you send | Only when you press a shortcut or button while in a lobby | Our relay server in your region, then the other members of your lobby | Not stored. Held in memory only until delivered to the lobby or discarded |
| Your nickname and lobby membership | While you are in a lobby | Our relay server; the other members of your lobby | Memory only; gone when the lobby ends |
| IP address | Whenever the app connects | Our relay server | Used in memory to limit abuse (rate limiting); not written to logs |
| A random ID that changes every time the app starts | When the app connects | Our relay server | Used for the connection only; not logged |
| Session credentials | When the app connects | Our relay server keeps only a keyed hash | Up to 24 hours per session, or 2 minutes after a disconnect (to let you rejoin) |
| Abuse reports you choose to send | Only when you send a report email | squadoverlay.com, at openstability@outlook.com | As long as needed to handle the report and any follow-up, then deleted |
Usage statistics and crash reports. The app has switches for anonymous usage statistics and crash report upload. Both are off by default. The current version has no server to receive either, so nothing is sent even if you turn them on. If we add one, we will update this policy first, and data will only ever be sent if you have turned the switch on.
Screenshots are encrypted in transit (TLS) but are not end-to-end encrypted: our relay server processes the image to deliver it. Members of your lobby can keep anything shown to them, for example by taking their own screenshot.
We do not sell or share personal information for advertising, show advertising, or use screenshots for any purpose other than delivering them to your lobby.
Information that stays on your device
Settings, logs (which never contain screenshots, names, lobby codes or credentials), local crash dumps and an encrypted session token are stored in the app's private storage on your PC. Uninstalling the app removes them. Squad Overlay does not record your screen; it captures only the single screenshot you ask for.
Your choices
- Disarm capture, or turn the overlay off.
- Use notifications instead of the overlay for specific games.
- Block another member (their screenshots are no longer shown to you) or report them, using ⋯ next to their name.
- Leave a lobby or disconnect at any time; sharing stops immediately.
Abuse reports
When you report a member, the app opens your email app with a message addressed to us that includes the member's nickname, member ID and the lobby code. Nothing is sent until you send the email yourself. We use reports only to investigate abuse and enforce the Terms of Use, and we may share them with law enforcement where the law requires it.
Microsoft Store
If you install the app from the Microsoft Store, Microsoft handles the download, installation, updates, subscription billing, and any ratings or reviews you leave, under Microsoft's own privacy statement. The app asks Windows on your PC whether your subscription is active; that check never passes through our servers, and we do not receive your payment details. We may see aggregate install and crash statistics that Microsoft provides to app publishers.
Children
Squad Overlay is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has used the app, contact us and we will help.
Your rights
Depending on where you live you may have rights to access, correct or delete personal information, or to object to its use. Because our relay keeps no screenshots, nicknames or IP addresses after a session, there is usually nothing stored about you. Contact openstability@outlook.com with any request and we will respond within 30 days.
Security
Connections use TLS 1.2 or later. Relay servers keep sessions in memory and store credentials only as keyed hashes. No system is perfectly secure; "memory only" does not protect against malware on any participant's PC.
Changes
We will update this policy when the app's data handling changes, and change the effective date above. Significant changes will be noted on this page.
Contact
squadoverlay.com · openstability@outlook.com