Privacy Policy
Last updated November 1, 2026
Short version: today we collect no personal information from readers, set no cookies and don’t track you. When we add a newsletter, donations, ads or accounts, this page will say exactly what changes before it happens. We never sell your personal information.
Porkbarrel.ai is run by an individual for now; a nonprofit or fiscal sponsor is expected to take it over. “We” means whoever runs the site at the time. Questions or requests: hello@porkbarrel.ai.
What we collect today
- Nothing you type in. There are no sign-up forms, reader accounts or comment boxes.
- No cookies and no advertising or social-media trackers.
- Daily puzzle progress stays in your browser. The daily puzzle saves your guesses and streak in your browser’s local storage so you can pick up where you left off. It never leaves your device and we can’t see it. Clearing your browser data deletes it.
- Server and network logs. Like every website, our hosting (Vercel) and network (Cloudflare) providers automatically record technical details of each request: IP address, browser type, the page requested, the referring page and the time. These are used for security, to stop abuse and to fix problems.
- Cookieless analytics, if turned on. We may use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which counts page views without cookies, without fingerprinting and without tracking you across sites.
- Email you send us. If you write to us (for example to challenge a flag), we keep your message and address to reply and to publish the outcome. We don’t publish your name or address unless you ask us to.
What we’ll collect later
None of these exist yet. Each will be added to this page, with its date, before it goes live.
- Newsletter. Your email address, when and where you signed up, and whether emails were delivered or opened. Used only to send what you signed up for. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe.
- Donations. Your name, email, amount and date, kept for receipts and for the records the law requires. Card or bank details go straight to the payment processor; we never see or store them. Donor lists are never mixed with any data from Federal Election Commission reports.
- Reviewer accounts. For invited reviewers only: email address, sign-in records and a log of what each reviewer approved, which is part of our public accountability record.
- Ads. See “Ads” below.
Ads
We plan to show ads on general pages and lists (never next to a flag or inside a bill check). We will choose an ad network that lets us block political and issue ads, or sell ads directly. Ads may use cookies or similar tools. Where the law requires consent (for example in the EU, the UK and some US states), ad cookies stay off until you agree, and you can change your mind at any time. Where possible we’ll ask for non-personalized ads only. Ads will be clearly labeled. See Funding for who pays for the site.
Contributor data from public records
Some pages show money political action committees (PACs) gave members of Congress, from Federal Election Commission reports. Contributor data is shown as totals only, never for solicitation or commercial use. We use contributions from committees to candidates, not donations from individuals, so we don’t publish individual contributors’ names or addresses, and we don’t use FEC data to build any mailing, donor or advertising list.
Who processes data for us
These service providers handle data only to run the site for us:
| Provider | What it does | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Hosts the website | Server logs: IP address, browser, pages requested, time |
| Cloudflare | DNS, security, content delivery and (if turned on) cookieless analytics | Network logs; anonymous page-view counts |
| Supabase | Database and reviewer sign-in (planned: newsletter list) | Reviewer email and sign-in records; later, subscriber emails |
| GitHub | Stores our code and runs our data jobs | Nothing about readers, unless you contact us there |
| Email provider (to be chosen) | Sends the newsletter and replies to email | Subscriber email address, delivery and unsubscribe records |
| Payment processor (to be chosen) | Processes donations, once accepted | Name, email, payment details (held by the processor, not us) |
| Ad network (to be chosen) | Shows ads on general pages, once added | Only with your consent where the law requires it; see “Ads” below |
We don’t sell or rent personal information, or share it with anyone except these providers, authorities when the law requires it, and an organization that takes over running Porkbarrel.ai under this same policy.
How long we keep it
- Server and network logs: as set by Vercel and Cloudflare, generally days to a few weeks.
- Email you send us: up to 2 years, longer if it led to a published correction.
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe; we then keep only what’s needed to make sure we don’t email you again.
- Donations: as long as tax and accounting law requires (usually 7 years).
- Reviewer approval records: kept as part of the public record of each flag.
Your choices and rights
Anyone, wherever you live, can ask us to show, correct or delete the personal information we hold about them. Email hello@porkbarrel.ai and we’ll reply within 30 days. We may need to confirm it’s you. We won’t treat you differently for asking.
California (CCPA/CPRA)
California residents have the right to know what personal information we collect and why, to delete it, to correct it, and to opt out of its “sale” or “sharing” for cross-context behavioral advertising. We don’t sell personal information. If we add ads that would count as “sharing”, we’ll honor opt-outs, including the Global Privacy Control signal, and add a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link. You can use an authorized agent to make a request.
EU, EEA and UK (GDPR)
If you’re in the EU, EEA or UK, the legal bases we rely on are our legitimate interest in running a secure website (logs), your consent (newsletter, ad cookies) and legal obligations (donation records). You can access, correct, delete, restrict or object to processing, take your data with you, and withdraw consent at any time. You can also complain to your local data protection authority. Our data is stored in the United States; where required, our providers use approved safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
Today there is nothing to opt out of, because we don’t track you. When we add ads, we’ll treat a Global Privacy Control signal as a request to opt out of sale and sharing. Browsers’ “Do Not Track” setting has no common standard, but we’ll treat it the same way where we can.
Children
The site is for a general audience and isn’t aimed at children under 13. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from them. If you think a child has given us information, email hello@porkbarrel.ai and we’ll delete it.
Where data is stored
The site and its data are hosted in the United States. If you visit from elsewhere, your information is processed in the US.
Security
We use encrypted connections (HTTPS) everywhere, limit who can reach our systems, and require secure sign-in for reviewers. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach affects your information, we’ll tell you as the law requires.
Changes
We’ll update this page before we start collecting anything new, and change the date at the top. For significant changes we’ll post a notice on the site and, if you’re a subscriber, email you.
Contact
Email hello@porkbarrel.ai. [Owner to add a postal address (a PO box or virtual mailbox) once one is set up.]