Energy Arena

Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 2, 2026

1. Introduction

Energy Arena ("we", "our", "the Platform") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

  • Email address: Required for account creation and verification (kept private)
  • Handle (username): Your chosen public identifier (can be pseudonymous)
  • Name: Optional, for display purposes (you can omit or use pseudonym)
  • Affiliation: Optional, your organization or institution (you can omit or generalize)

💡 Tip: You can maintain anonymity by choosing a pseudonymous handle (e.g., "forecaster123") and leaving name/affiliation fields empty. Only your email address is required, and it remains private.

2.2 Submission Data

  • Forecast submissions: Time series data you submit for evaluation
  • Submission metadata: Timestamps, challenge IDs, optional info text
  • API usage: Request logs, API key usage patterns

2.3 Technical Data

  • IP addresses: Logged temporarily for security and rate limiting
  • Browser information: User agent strings in access logs
  • Session data: JWT tokens for authentication (stored in your browser)

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Provide platform services (account management, API access, scoring)
  • Display your submissions on public leaderboards
  • Send account-related emails (verification, password reset, important updates)
  • Prevent abuse and maintain platform security
  • Conduct research and improve the platform
  • Generate anonymized statistics and visualizations

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

4.1 Public Information

The following information is publicly visible to anyone:

  • Your identity: Handle (username), name (if provided), affiliation (if provided)
  • Your forecast submissions: Individual time series values, timestamps, and metadata
  • Your performance: Leaderboard rankings, aggregated metrics (MAE, RMSE)
  • Visualizations: Your forecasts appear in interactive charts alongside ground truth data
  • Participation history: Challenge participation statistics, submission counts

⚠️ Important: Anyone visiting the platform can view your individual forecast values in detail through the interactive charts. Only submit forecasts you are comfortable making publicly available.

4.2 Private Information

The following is never shared publicly:

  • Your email address
  • Your API keys
  • Your password (stored as hashed value only)
  • Your IP address (logged temporarily for security only)

4.3 Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services:

  • Google Cloud Platform: Infrastructure hosting (see Google's Privacy Policy)
  • Mailgun: Transactional emails (see Mailgun's Privacy Policy)
  • ENTSO-E: Ground truth data source (public data, no personal info shared)

5. Data Retention

  • Account data: Retained while your account is active
  • Submissions: Retained indefinitely for research and leaderboard integrity
  • Access logs: Retained for 90 days, then deleted
  • Deleted accounts: Personal info removed; submissions may be anonymized and retained

⚠️ Important Note on Data Deletion: Because your forecasts are publicly displayed and may be used in research, cached visualizations, or archived datasets, we cannot guarantee complete removal of your submission data from all systems. Historical leaderboard snapshots and research publications containing your data will remain. If you request account deletion, we will remove your email and personal identifiers, but submitted forecast values may persist in anonymized form.

6. Your Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Union, you have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of your personal data
  • Rectification: Correct inaccurate information
  • Erasure: Request deletion of your account and personal data
  • Data Portability: Receive your submissions in machine-readable format
  • Object: Object to processing of your data
  • Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent for data processing at any time

To exercise these rights, contact: maxkleinebrahm@googlemail.com

7. Security

We implement security measures including:

  • Password hashing (bcrypt)
  • API key encryption
  • HTTPS encryption for all communications
  • Regular security updates
  • Rate limiting and abuse prevention

However, no system is 100% secure. Please protect your API keys and use strong passwords.

8. Cookies and Tracking

We use minimal cookies:

  • Session cookie: JWT token for authentication (stored in browser, expires on logout)
  • No tracking cookies: We do not use Google Analytics or similar tracking

9. Children's Privacy

The Platform is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you are under 16, please do not register or submit data.

10. International Data Transfers

Your data is stored on Google Cloud Platform servers in Europe (europe-west1 region). By using the Platform, you consent to this data processing.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced via email. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

12. Contact Us

For privacy-related questions or requests, contact:
Data Controller: Max Kleinebrahm
Email: maxkleinebrahm@googlemail.com
Institution: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

By using Energy Arena, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.