About Us and this Policy
Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited control the data collected when you interact with PlayStation.
This Privacy Policy explains when we collect data about you, what we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with, where it is processed, how we handle it and what your choices and legal rights are.
For further information about our Privacy Policy or our processing of data about you, please contact us by either of the following methods:
Post:
Data Protection Officer
Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited
10 Great Marlborough Street
London
United Kingdom
W1F 7LP
Online:
dpo@scee.net
Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Limited are registered in England under company numbers: 03277793 and 06020283.
Version 7.3 (April 2018)
Data Collection
This section explains what data we collect about you and the sources of this information. We may combine data we receive from any of these sources. For example, we may process together information we have collected from you, your visits to our website, your PS4 system gameplay history, etc., for the purposes explained in this Privacy Policy.
Data You Provide
You may provide us with certain information directly, including:
- Account information: When you create an account for PlayStation Network, we ask you to provide information such as your name, date of birth, gender, email address, country, address and password. You can also add pictures and other details about you to your account profile and set various account settings (including social privacy controls)
- Payment information: If you wish to purchase funds for your account wallet or make any other payments via PlayStation Network using a payment method, we will ask you to provide certain data such as your billing address and payment details
- User Content: Some PlayStation products and services will allow you to upload to our servers: messages, comments, forum posts, game levels, videos, images and other information
- Customer Services: If you contact us for assistance we may ask you to provide information about you (such as your name and contact details) and the nature of your query, and you may choose to send further communications about your query. We may record calls you make to PlayStation Help & Support and other customer service teams
- Other: We may ask you to provide information if you participate in market research surveys, beta and other user testing research, competitions, promotions or events or agree to receive marketing information from us
Please make sure that any personal details which you provide are accurate and current. We will send any important information relating to your account to you using the contact information you provide (including account security and data protection notices). Let us know if there are any changes. You can check and update the information you have provided to us any time via PlayStation Network Account Management. Always obtain consent first before giving us anyone else's personal information.
Consoles and other devices
Each time you use a PlayStation console or a PlayStation app on a PlayStation console or other devices (such as a mobile or PC), we may automatically access and store information about your use of that device and app. If you sign into an account for PlayStation Network, we may combine it with other data we have for that account.
The data that we access from and store on your devices may include:
- Device identifiers such as your PlayStation console ID, mobile device IDs, cookie IDs
- Network identifiers such as your IP address and MAC address
- Account authentication tokens that avoid you having to log in repeatedly
- Content and ads downloaded to your device for the online services that you access
- Your current and recent locations if you choose to share this with us
- Trophies, scores and rankings achieved online and offline
- Some device type and setting details and error reporting
- Information about which features and services you are accessing from your PlayStation device or app and when (such as Share or Spotify if applicable)
- Information about the device you are using and how you have configured it and any connected peripherals (such as controllers and VR headsets), such as model and serial number and device settings
- Information about how you use the software installed on your device (including offline), such as date and time of use, what games or music you play, what content you browse, share or download, what services you access and for how long, including how often you use chat and other communication applications
- What actions you take within a game or app (for example, what obstacle you jump over and what levels you reach)
- Software errors and load times details
You can choose whether to limit our collection of data from your PlayStation 4 or PlayStation app just to Service Data that is necessary to provide the online services that you use or to allow us to also collect Additional Data about how you set up and use your device or app. You can change this Data Collection setting at any time via your device or app settings menu. This will apply to future collections from that device or app.
If your device or app crashes, you may be asked to provide detailed information about the crash, including screenshots and video captured before the crash (this information may be sent automatically if you have the "Report System Software Errors Automatically" setting turned on).
PlayStation Network and Store
Each time you sign in to PlayStation Network and access our online services (including PlayStation Store), we may automatically:
- access and store information about your use of PlayStation Network features and services on your device, including for offline (see the 'Consoles and other devices' section of this Privacy Policy); and
- log your activity on our PlayStation Network servers.
For example, we may receive device and Account identifiers, such as your PlayStation Network Online ID and Account ID. We may also receive details of: the content, ads and other information your devices request and receive from our servers (such as store content, trophies and friends lists) and when you receive and interact with them; what content and apps you add to your 'basket' in our Store; and what you purchase.
Games
Each time you play a game developed and/or published by us or another Sony Interactive Entertainment company we may automatically:
- access and store information about your use of that game on your device, including for offline games (see the 'Consoles and other devices' section of this Privacy Policy); and
- log your activity on our game servers.
For example, we may receive device and Account identifiers, such as PlayStation Network Online ID and Account ID information, and information about how you use our online games, which players you play against, when you jump over a hurdle or complete a task, when you move between areas on a map and how long you spend in an area.
Websites, Marketing and Advertising
Each time you visit our websites or receive and interact with our marketing communications and advertising on our and third party websites and services, we may automatically:
- access and store information about your use of that game on your device, including for offline games (see the 'Consoles and other devices' section of this Privacy Policy); and
- log your activity on web, advertising and marketing servers managed by us or by a third party on our behalf
For example, we may receive:
- Online identifiers usually stored in cookies on your device
- Other tracking data, such as tracking pixels and browser configuration details (e.g. browser type, list of installed plugins and list of installed fonts)
- If you sign into your account, account identifiers such as PlayStation Network Online ID and Account ID
- Information about the content, marketing communications and advertisements you view and interact with (for example, if you click on a banner on PlayStation.com about Unchartered, open a marketing email about PlayStation VR or click on one of our adverts on a social network about PlayStation 4)
- If you use your account to sign into other Sony or third party websites or online services, information about that third party website or online service and when you signed in
Please see the PlayStation Cookie Policy at www.playstation.com/legal/cookies for more details on our use of cookies and how to control them when accessing our websites.
Third Party Partners
We may receive limited information about you from third party partners, including from:
- Our financial and anti-fraud service providers processing your account sign in and purchase transactions, including fraud risk scores
- Other Sony companies, other online service providers, our security service providers, government agencies, law enforcement and public security sources, including IP addresses and details of suspected unlawful or fraudulent activity and security risk scores
- Third party partners providing games and apps via PlayStation Network, including information about accounts, IP addresses and devices reasonably suspected of breaching our or our third party partners terms of service or of being involved in fraudulent or malicious activity
- Other third parties where permitted under notices and choices that they or we have provided to you (for example, we may receive information from a PlayStation merchandising store that you visit if you've agreed that the provider of that store can send us information about your activity and purchases on that store)
Data Use
This section explains how we may use the data we collect about you. We may use data combined from any of the sources explained in the 'Data Collection' section of this Privacy Policy. For example, we may process together information we have collected from you, your visits to our website, your PS4 system gameplay history, etc., for the purposes explained in this Privacy Policy.
Services
We (and affiliates and third parties operating on our behalf in accordance with our instructions) may use your information to operate PlayStation Network and to provide the services you have requested - for example, in order to maintain your account, process your purchases and/or carry out credit and anti-fraud checks.
We may personalise the services we provide to you based on the combined data we have collected about you (for instance, we may use your IP address to display content relevant for your area or we may recommend new players to you or to help you discover new games or social media that you are entitled to play and watch using information about your past activity).
Development
We use the data we collect to understand, improve and enhance our existing products and services and your experiences using them, and to help develop new ones. For example, we may use the data to optimize user interfaces, for bug and error fixing, to improve the balance between different characters, teams or factions in a game, to tune game progression and economy mechanics and to design entirely new hardware, games, apps and websites. We may also use the data to plan and improve our business operations, and to produce anonymous statistical reports.
Moderation and Safety
We cannot monitor the whole of PlayStation Network and make no commitment to do so. However, we reserve the right in our sole discretion to monitor and record your online activity and communication throughout PlayStation Network and to remove and/or delete any content. We may use the combined data we collect (including information such as the content of your voice and text communications, the time and location of your activities, and your PlayStation Network Online ID, registered account details and IP address) to detect breaches and enforce our PlayStation Network Terms of Service, Software Usage Terms, System Software Licence Agreements, any other terms of service you have agreed to and any rules or codes of conduct applying to your use of PlayStation Network. Enforcement action that we may take can include suspending or banning accounts and/or devices.
Legal and Compliance
We may use the combined data we collect for auditing, compliance and legal purposes (for example, making or defending claims or activities that are required by law).
Marketing and Advertising
We may target and personalise our marketing communications, purchase recommendations and adverts that we display on our and third party websites and services based on the combined data we have collected about you.
You may notice this personalisation when you visit the PlayStation Store (whether via console, website or game), when we send you marketing communications or when you visit our and third party websites (such as social network sites) that show purchase recommendations or advert from us (for example, you might see an adverts for a game similar to one you have played recently or a product that you have recently viewed on one of our websites or the PlayStation Store).
You can choose whether to allow us to use the combined data we have collected about you to personalise and target our advertising and/or our Store and recommendations to purchase products and services via your account Personalisation Settings as follows:
- Personalised Purchase Recommendations: If this setting is on, our Store offerings and recommendations-to-buy for products and services may be personalised based on what we know about you. If this setting is off, you will still see our Store offerings and these recommendations, but they may be less relevant.
- Advertising: If this setting is on, ads in our products and services and our ads on third party apps and sites may be personalised based on what we know about you. If this setting is off, you may still see these ads but they may be less relevant.
We will always slightly customise what you see (e.g. to avoid displaying content you've already purchased from our Store). Marketing communications – including recommendations – may still be personalised, if you choose to receive them (see below). And some older devices (e.g. PS3/Vita), apps and games may still show some commercial personalisation.
You can also choose whether to receive personalised and targeted marketing emails from us relating to PlayStation and Sony. If you later decide not to receive personalised emails from us, you can turn off marketing communications:
- Via Marketing Preferences in your PlayStation Network Account Management area
- By following the instructions and/or the link "unsubscribe" attached to our marketing emails
We will aim to process your request as soon as reasonably practicable and in any event, within 28 days. Note that we will still send you important emails about your account even if you opt-out of marketing emails.
If you choose not to allow us to store and access cookies that are not strictly necessary for the provision of our websites, this will also limit when we can recognise your visits to our websites and target and personalise the advertising and commercial purchase recommendations displayed on those websites. Please see the PlayStation Cookie Policy at www.playstation.com/legal/cookies for more details on our use of cookies and how to control them when accessing our websites.
Data Sharing and Transfers
This section explains how we may share the combined data we collect with third party vendors and partners that provide services to us or provide games and apps on PlayStation Network that you use.
Services
We may share the combined data we collect with third party vendors and partners that provide services to us or provide games and apps on PlayStation Network that you use. For example, we may share your payment details to banks and other financial and anti-fraud organisations in order to complete your purchase, obtain payment and carry out credit and anti-fraud checks.
If you access third party games or apps via PlayStation Network or log in to third party applications and websites using your PlayStation Network account, such as third party game publishers, social networking and game consolidation websites, we may provide those third parties with access to some of your PlayStation Network account details (such as your Account ID, PlayStation Network Online ID, country, gender, age and Friends and Block lists) so they can operate and improve their services and websites.
When you log in with your PlayStation Network account to access a third party service, you provide your details to us and we confirm your identity to the third party but never share your password or passcode.
When those third parties access your information or when you link your account for PlayStation Network with a third party's account, they should inform you about their use of your information for any other purposes and, where required by law, obtain your prior consent. Such third parties' processing of your information will be covered by their notices, policies and consents rather than this Privacy Policy.
Other Users
When you create an account for PlayStation Network, certain information will form part of your public profile and we will make it accessible to all accounts on PlayStation Network and on the Internet via PlayStation.com and third party gaming websites. This includes:
- Your PlayStation Network Online ID
- "About Me" statement, avatar, language, country and gaming scores and statistics
You can also choose whether to share other information via your Account Social Settings, such as:
- Your real name
- Your PlayStation Network Friends
- Your activity feeds
- Shared content via the "Share" button
Please be aware that anyone who can see your information will be able to share it with others, for example by sharing a gameplay video that you feature in. Some devices allow users to record, stream and upload online activities such as gameplay and therefore may be distributed outside PlayStation Network without your knowledge, which means that you and we have no control over it.
You are responsible for any content you share on forums, communities, chat and messaging features and this content will be accessible to others.
We recommend you consider carefully with whom you share your information. Avoid sharing your contact information with others.
Security and Fraud
We may share limited information about you with third party partners, including:
- Our financial and anti-fraud service providers processing your account sign in and purchase transactions, including fraud risk scores
- Other Sony companies, other online service providers, our security service providers, government agencies, law enforcement and public security sources, including IP addresses and details of suspected unlawful or fraudulent activity and security risk scores
- Third party partners providing games and apps via PlayStation Network, including information about accounts, IP addresses and devices reasonably suspected of breaching our or our third party partners terms of service or of being involved in fraudulent or malicious activity
Legal and Corporate
We may share the combined data we collect:
- To defend legal claims or exercise legal rights
- With our service providers processing data on our behalf
- With our professional advisors dealing with, for example, legal, tax, audit or accounting matters
- During negotiations for and following conclusion of a sale of all or part of our business
Government Authorities
We may share your information with police and other government authorities if we believe that it is reasonably necessary to comply with a law, regulation, or legal process, to detect, protect and enforce the safety of any person, their property or their rights, to address fraud and security and report criminal activity. The majority of the cases in which we have shared information with police and government authorities concern their investigations into stolen devices or unauthorised use of payment methods. In a small number of cases, we have also provided information in response to anti-fraud or more serious criminal investigations.
International Transfers
Your information may be processed, stored and transferred outside your country of residence and beyond the European Economic Area (EEA) where we are located for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, such as the United States or Japan. Data protection laws in these countries may not offer the same level of protection as in your country or the EEA and you may have fewer legal rights in relation to your information. We ensure there are adequate safeguards in place when transferring your data outside your country and the EEA, including by relying on Privacy Shield, Model Clauses or other lawful mechanisms or otherwise that the transfer only occurs where permitted by applicable law.
Data Handling and Your Choices
Storage
We keep the data that we collect about you for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. In general, we will retain information that is associated with your account or device until you close your account. Even following account closure, please be aware that the data that we collect about you may still be retained for legal, accounting, business continuity (backup), anti-fraud and community reasons.
Security
Access to your PlayStation device may usually be restricted by setting up a passcode. Access to your account for PlayStation Network is restricted through the password that you set. We advise you to make use of the enhanced account access controls that we make available such as 2 Step Verification. Please visit www.playstation.com and/or contact PlayStation Help and Support if you need any assistance in restricting access to your devices or accounts.
Please keep any passwords and passcodes for your devices and accounts safe and do not disclose them to anyone else. Consider ensuring automatic account log in setting is disabled and the setting requiring a password to be entered before completing purchases is enabled, particularly if your PlayStation device is shared with others. You should contact PlayStation Help and Support (or another customer services team) immediately if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account or other security breach.
Children's Data
You must be at least 18 years old to create an account for PlayStation. However, if you are a parent or guardian, you may create accounts (or confirm the creation of an account initiated by your child) under your PlayStation Network account for your children aged 7 to 17 to access PlayStation Network and some of its services. If you do so, we will process your child's data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
You may be able to access certain information about accounts created for your children, including details of account transactions and communications, and you should make your children aware that you can see this information about their activity.
You can use our parental controls to tailor your child's account's use of the PlayStation Network (e.g. preventing them from chatting online). Search for "Parents" on PlayStation.com for more details.
Your Choices and Rights
If you are a user of our services, you can access, correct, and modify some of the personal information that you have provided to us via PlayStation Network Account Management.
You can choose:
- Whether we may use data we have collected about you to personalise advertising and purchase recommendations – See PlayStation Personalisation Settings in Account Management
- Whether to receive personalised marketing communications in the Notification Preferences in your PlayStation Network Account Management
You can decide whether to limit our collection of data from your PlayStation 4 or PlayStation app to just Service Data that is necessary to provide the online services that you use, or to allow us to also collect Additional Data, via your device or app settings. Similar settings can be found for our websites via the privacy or cookies link at the bottom of each page.
You also have the right to request a copy, rectification, erasure or blocking of your personal information and to object to our processing of your personal information in certain situations. You can exercise these rights by contacting us via the information in the About Us and Complaints section of this Privacy Policy.
You can close your account for PlayStation Network by contacting PlayStation Help & Support. Note that this will not affect any accounts you have for other Sony services even if you have accessed those services using an account created using your account for PlayStation Network (and you will need to close those accounts separately) – see https://www.sony.co.uk/mysony or https://account.sonymobile.com/#/signup/learnmore for more information.
Complaints
If you have a concern about our handling of your personal information, please get in contact with us first so we can try to resolve your query using the details in the 'About Us and this Policy' section of this Privacy Policy.
If however you feel we have not dealt with your concern and that we are failing to meet our legal obligations, you can report this to your local data protection regulator or the Information Commissioner's Office ("ICO") in the United Kingdom. More information on reporting a concern to the ICO can be found at https://ico.org.uk/.