Privacy Policy
DataWorks Commons ("the Commons") is a public civic-data platform operated by The DataWorks. This page explains what information the site collects, why, and who else is involved in processing it.
What we collect
- A visitor identifier. When you use the chat, your browser is assigned an anonymous identifier so we can apply fair-use limits. If you sign in, that identifier is linked to your account.
- Account information. If you sign in with Google or an email link, we receive your basic profile information (name, email address) from the sign-in provider.
- Organization and role. We record the domain of your email address (for example baltimorecity.gov) and a general category derived from it, such as government, academic, nonprofit, or private. This tells us which kinds of organizations use the Commons, which is how the project reports on its work with cities. You may also choose to tell us your role; that question is optional and you can change or skip your answer at any time on your account page. We do not collect or infer personal characteristics such as age or gender.
- Usage information. The text of questions you ask in the chat, data downloads, sign-ins, and the computational cost of serving your requests, associated with your visitor identifier. We use this to operate fair-use limits, understand how the Commons is used, and keep the service safe.
- IP addresses. Used for security, abuse prevention, and fair-use limits. A short-lived per-day, per-network counter is kept in our database to limit automated abuse; standard request logs also contain IP addresses.
- Analytics. Google Analytics for aggregate navigation statistics. Chat question text and account identifiers are never sent to Google Analytics.
Storage in your browser
Your chat conversations are saved in your browser's local storage on the device you use, so they are available when you return. They are not uploaded to us. Clearing your browser data removes them. If you sign in with an email link, your email address is briefly stored in your browser to complete sign-in.
Retention and access
Usage records (including question text and computed cost) are retained while they are useful for operating and improving the service and are visible only to authorized DataWorks operators. To request access to, or deletion of, information associated with your account, contact us at the address below.
Bot protection (Cloudflare Turnstile)
To keep automated bots from abusing the chat, this site uses Cloudflare Turnstile, which runs invisibly in your browser. Turnstile is operated by Cloudflare, Inc. and its handling of the data it processes is described in the Cloudflare Turnstile Privacy Addendum, which is incorporated into this policy by reference.
Service providers
The Commons runs on Google Cloud. Sign-in and visitor identity use Google Identity Platform (Firebase Authentication); usage counters are stored in Google Cloud Firestore; chat answers are generated with Google's Gemini models, which process the text of your questions; aggregate analytics use Google Analytics; bot protection uses Cloudflare Turnstile.
What we don't do
We do not sell your information, run advertising, or share your individual activity with third parties beyond the service providers named above.
Contact
Questions about this policy: info@thedataworks.org.
We may update this policy as the platform evolves; the date above reflects the current version.