WordLink

Who we are

This policy explains how Arlington North LLC ("we", "us") handles information in connection with WordLink — both the website at wordlink.io and the WordLink app for iOS.

1. Data stored on your own device

Both the website and the app keep your game state in your browser's or the app's local storage. This is not transmitted to us, except where the leaderboard section below says otherwise.

• wordlink_stats_4, wordlink_stats_5 — games played, games solved, current and best streak, your distribution of move counts, and a per-date history of your results.
• wordlink_device — a random identifier used for the leaderboard (see section 3).
• wordlink_name — your chosen display name.
• wordlink_theme, wordlink_theme_manual, wordlink_keyboard — your light/dark and on-screen-keyboard preferences.
• wordlink_registered, wordlink_submitted_<date>_<length> — small markers so the same result is not submitted to the leaderboard twice.

Clearing your browser's site data, or deleting the app, erases all of it. In the app and on the website, Settings → "Reset my stats" clears your local statistics without touching anything on our server.

2. The wordlink.io website

The wl_vid analytics cookie

On your first visit the site generates a random identifier (a UUID — not derived from anything about you or your device) and stores it in a first-party cookie named wl_vid, scoped to wordlink.io, with SameSite=Lax and an expiry of 730 days. Its only purpose is to tell a returning browser apart from a new one so our traffic counts are meaningful. It is not shared with anyone, and it is deliberately kept separate from the leaderboard identifier described in section 3 — the two are never joined together.

What our visit tracker records

Each page view sends a record to our own server (track.php), stored in our own database. It contains:

These rows are also rolled up into a daily summary table (date, campaign, country, device, visit and completion counts) that contains no per-visitor detail. We use all of this to understand how much traffic the site gets and where it comes from. We do not use it to build advertising profiles, and we do not sell it.

HitCounters

The website's pages also load a lightweight third-party visitor counter from HitCounters.com, which produces aggregate traffic statistics. That script runs in your browser on the website and is subject to HitCounters' own privacy practices. It is not present in the iOS app.

Cloudflare and server logs

The site sits behind Cloudflare and runs on Amazon Web Services. Like every website, the web server and Cloudflare keep short-lived technical logs (including IP address, request path, and user agent) to serve traffic, block abuse, and diagnose faults.

The contact form

If you use the form on wordlink.io/about, the name, email address, subject and message you type are emailed to us at [email protected] through Mailgun, our email provider. We use that information only to answer you. The form is protected from spam by Cloudflare Turnstile.

3. The worldwide leaderboard

The leaderboard is the only feature that sends anything about your play to us. It works without an account, an email address, or a password.

What is sent

• A random device ID. The first time you play, the game generates a random UUID and keeps it in local storage as wordlink_device. It is created by our software; it is not your device's advertising identifier, not a hardware ID, and not derived from anything about you. Its only job is to be the key for your row on the leaderboard. It is separate from the website's wl_vid cookie and the two are never linked.
• Your display name. Auto-generated (for example BrightFalcon) and editable in Settings.
• Your puzzle results. The puzzle date, whether it was the 4- or 5-letter puzzle, your number of moves, the optimal number, how far over par you were, the points earned, the sequence of words in your solution, how long the solve took, and whether you played on the web or in the app.

We keep running totals derived from those results — season points, lifetime points, days played, number of solves, and your current and longest streak.

What other people can see

The public boards show your display name, rank, points, days played and number of solves. Nothing else. Your device ID is never sent to another player, and there is no way for one player to look up, contact, or message another. There is no chat, no comments, and no friend list.

Display names are public

Please choose a name you are happy for strangers to see. Names are limited to plain ASCII letters, digits, spaces, hyphens and underscores, and every name is checked server-side against a profanity filter before it is stored — a rejected name is never saved and never shown. There is zero tolerance for offensive display names. We may rename or remove any display name, or remove a player from the leaderboard entirely, at our discretion — for example if a name is offensive, impersonates someone, or is used to advertise. This happens on our side; it does not require anything from other players.

Removing yourself — one button

Open Settings (the ⚙ icon) and choose "Remove me from the leaderboard". That permanently deletes your player record, your display name, your points, and every solve we have stored for your device. It happens immediately, in the app or in the browser, with no email round-trip. It cannot be undone, and afterwards you can carry on playing normally — you simply are not on the board.

If you would rather ask us to do it, email [email protected]. Because we hold no name, email address or account for you, the fastest way to identify your record is to tell us the display name it uses.

How long we keep it

Leaderboard records are kept for as long as you are on the board, so that all-time totals stay meaningful. Individual solve records older than roughly 400 days are pruned automatically; the daily and seasonal point totals derived from them are kept. Deleting yourself with the button above removes everything at once, regardless of age. The website analytics records described in section 2 are retained while we operate the site; ask us at [email protected] if you want yours removed.

4. The WordLink iOS app

The app is the same game, compiled into the app itself — the puzzles and both word dictionaries ship inside it, so it plays with no internet connection at all.

• No analytics in the app. The website's visit tracker, the wl_vid cookie and the HitCounters script are all stripped out of the app build. None of them run in the app.
• No ads, no in-app purchases, no third-party SDKs.
• No account, no login, no email address.
• One network destination. The only thing the app talks to is our own leaderboard endpoint at wordlink.io, and only for what is described in section 3. If you never solve a puzzle while online, nothing is sent at all.
• No tracking. We do not link anything from the app with data from other companies for advertising, and we do not share anything with data brokers. We do not use the advertising identifier and the app does not ask for tracking permission.
• No access to your device. The app does not request your location, contacts, photos, microphone, camera, or notifications.

5. Who else sees your data

We do not sell your information, we do not rent it, and we do not use it for advertising. The only third parties involved are the service providers that make the site work:

We may also disclose information if we are legally required to.

6. Your choices

• Leave the leaderboard and delete everything we hold: Settings → "Remove me from the leaderboard".
• Clear your local progress: Settings → "Reset my stats", or clear site data in your browser, or delete the app.
• Change your display name: Settings → Display name, at any time.
• Refuse or delete the wl_vid cookie: block or clear cookies for wordlink.io in your browser. The game still works; a new random ID is issued if you visit again with cookies allowed.
• Ask us anything, or ask us to delete something: email [email protected].

Depending on where you live you may have rights to access, correct, or erase personal information we hold about you, or to object to its processing. Because we hold no name, email address, or account for players, in practice the deletion button above satisfies these in one tap. Write to us if you need anything else.

7. Children's privacy

WordLink is a word puzzle suitable for all ages, and it is rated 4+ on the App Store. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. We never ask any player — of any age — for a name, an email address, a phone number, an age, a location, or any other personal detail, and there is no messaging or chat feature.

The one thing a child could type that other people would see is a leaderboard display name, which is filtered for offensive content and which we can remove at any time. If you are a parent or guardian and would like a display name changed or a player record deleted, use the "Remove me from the leaderboard" button on that device, or email [email protected] and we will take care of it.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes are posted on this page with a new "Last updated" date at the top. If we ever start collecting something materially different — for example if advertising were ever added — we will update this page and the App Store privacy details before that change ships.

9. Contact

Questions about this policy, about a display name, or about your data:

Arlington North LLC
Email: [email protected]
Web: wordlink.io/about