Potholes WTF · Privacy
Potholes WTF is a free game for the web, Android and iOS. The Android and iOS apps have no ads, no third-party analytics, no tracking and no in-app purchases. The website potholes.wtf adds the visit measurement described under “Website only: visit log and Google Analytics” below. We do not sell or share personal data. This page says exactly what the game sends anywhere, and why.
On your device
Settings, your best scores and times, and (if you sign in) your display name are kept in the game's own storage on your device. Uninstalling the app or clearing site data removes them.
Signing in with Apple or Google (optional)
After five free lives the game asks you to sign in with Google to keep playing. You choose Sign in with Apple or Google; either way sign-in goes through our own sign-in service (auth.hardin.systems). We receive your name and email address (with Apple's “Hide My Email”, only the private relay address Apple gives us), use them only to know it is you (one account, one entry on the boards) and keep them until you ask us to delete them. We never see your Apple or Google password.
Leaderboards
When you post a score or time, we store what you enter (three initials, and an optional name and New Orleans ward) with the score or time, the street and your run time (and, for finished runs, a compact record of your inputs so a winning run can be checked). The boards show the initials, name, score or time to everyone.
Website only: the Franklin reward and the petition
On potholes.wtf (not in the apps) a player who beats Franklin Avenue can claim a cash reward by giving a name, email, phone number and date of birth, used only to verify and pay that claim; and a separate petition page collects what signers enter, used only for the petition. The Android and iOS apps contain neither: the petition link opens the website.
Anonymous play counts
To see which parts of the game people play, the game sends our own counter (run on our own server, no outside company) a short note when a run starts and when it ends: which street, and whether the run reached the finish, crashed, fell in a canyon, ran out of time, was arrested or was quit, whether a score made the board, and whether you play on the web, Android or iOS. It carries no name, initials, email, score, account or device ID and sets no cookie; we see totals only. Nothing is sent when your browser or device asks sites not to track you (Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control). The website pages are counted the same way (pages viewed, referring site, browser and screen size, approximate country).
Website only: visit log and Google Analytics
The website potholes.wtf (not the apps, and not the game itself) runs our own first-party visit log. It sets one cookie, hs_vid (a random ID, kept up to 2 years), and records the pages you view, the page that sent you here, campaign tags in the link (for example utm_source or an ad click ID from Google, Meta, TikTok or Microsoft), your IP address, browser, device type, language and screen size. It is stored on our own server, never sold, never shared with advertising platforms, and we do not use services that try to identify anonymous visitors. If your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, or you browse from a European time zone, no cookie is set and nothing that identifies the visit is kept — it is only counted. Visit records are deleted after 24 months. A copy or deletion: privacy@hardin.systems.
Google Analytics (website only). The website pages also load Google Analytics 4, which sets Google cookies and sends Google the pages viewed, the referring site, an approximate location and device details, so we can measure visits and app-store clicks. Google's policy: policies.google.com/privacy; opt out with tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. The apps never load it.
Server logs and abuse protection
Like any website, our servers see your IP address when the game talks to them. We use it only to keep the service running and to limit abuse (rate limits), and do not keep it in the leaderboard data.
Children
The game has mature humour (alcohol and nightlife references) and is rated for adults (17+ / Mature). It is not directed to children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect their data; if you believe a child signed in, email us and we will delete it.
Delete your account and data
In the game: on the title screen, next to your name, tap delete account and confirm. You sign in once more (that proves it is you, also for a Hide My Email address), and we delete at once your name and email, your sign-in account, and — for Sign in with Apple — we revoke the app's access with Apple. Leaderboard entries are anonymous initials and were never linked to your account, so they stay; if you want one removed, tell us which.
Or by email: write to privacy@hardin.systems (for an Apple relay address, say which one); we finish within 30 days and confirm. Data on your device: uninstall the app or clear its storage.
Changes
If this page changes we update the date above. Questions: privacy@hardin.systems.