Privacy Policy
Last updated: 2025-12-25
This site is designed to collect as little information as possible. Below we explain what we collect, what we don’t collect, and the choices you have.
What we collect (minimum)
- Total visit count for a public “You are the n-th visitor” message.
- Aggregated coarse location buckets (rounded latitude/longitude grid) so we can display an approximate visitor map (for example, on the order of ~25–30 km buckets in the U.S. and ~110 km buckets elsewhere).
- Last-seen timestamp on each aggregate bucket (to keep the map reasonably fresh).
What we do not store
- We do not store IP addresses in our database.
- We do not store per-visitor records for the visitor map (no per-visitor identifiers or per-visitor location history).
- We do not store precise location (no GPS-level location; the map uses only coarse, rounded buckets).
- We do not build visitor profiles (no cross-site tracking or targeted advertising).
How the visitor counter and map work
The first time your browser loads the landing page (or after you clear site data), the site calls a small API endpoint that increments a total counter. On subsequent loads, the site may fetch the current total without incrementing. The same request may derive an approximate location from your network address (IP) only at request time. We then store only an aggregated count in a coarse location bucket.
Cost & spam control (browser-only)
To keep costs low (and to avoid counting refresh spam), the landing page attempts to count only once per browser using localStorage. This is not a cookie. It stays in your browser until you clear site data.
Approximate buckets (not individuals)
The map shows aggregated buckets (approximate dots), not the location of individuals. Buckets are rounded to a coarse grid (for example, ~0.25° in the United States (about 25–30 km in latitude) and ~1° elsewhere (about 110 km in latitude)). IP geolocation can be inaccurate due to VPNs, mobile carriers, or ISP routing.
Accounts and debate content
If you sign in or use features that save content, we may process information necessary to provide those features (for example, an account identifier and any text you submit). We recommend you avoid submitting sensitive personal information.
Your choices
- You can disable JavaScript (or use a script blocker) to prevent the visitor counter/map request.
- You can clear site data in your browser to remove the localStorageflag used to avoid recounting from the same browser.
Contact
For privacy questions, contact: info@debatepath.com