Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 4, 2026

4philly.net ("the Site") is a civic transparency tool that aggregates and displays publicly available Philadelphia rental license and Licenses & Inspections (L&I) data. This policy explains what information is and isn't collected when you use the Site.

1. Data We Display

All property, license, and inspection data shown on this Site is sourced from public government records (e.g., the City of Philadelphia's open data portals and L&I databases). This data is public record and is presented here for civic transparency and research purposes. We do not independently verify the accuracy of third-party public records and are not responsible for errors in the source data. You can independently verify any record shown on this Site directly at the City of Philadelphia's official property lookup: atlas.phila.gov.

2. Data We Collect From Visitors

We aim to collect as little as possible.

No account creation. The Site does not require sign-up, login, or personal profiles.
No sale of data. We do not sell, rent, or trade visitor data to third parties.
We keep no visitor logs of our own. The Site is a static website. We do not run a server or database that records who visits, what addresses you search, or what you type into forms. The Right-to-Know request form is filled in on your own device and is never sent to us. We have no visitor logs or search history of our own to hand over, because we do not keep any. (Google and GitHub keep their own records, described below.)
Right-to-Know page. This page has no ads, no analytics and no cookies, and it loads nothing from third parties (no Google fonts or scripts). The form is filled in entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere. When you arrive from a property lookup, the property details travel in the part of the web address after the "#", which browsers never send to any server. Only your name is saved, in your browser's local storage, and "Clear my data" removes it. (GitHub, which hosts the Site, still sees an ordinary request for the page itself.)
Analytics. The main search page uses Google Analytics to see aggregate usage (page views, referrer, browser type, approximate location derived from IP). We use these reports only in aggregate and do not use them to identify individual visitors. Google processes this data under its own policies. The blog, guides and Right-to-Know pages do not use Google Analytics.
Hosting logs. The Site is hosted on GitHub Pages. As with any host, GitHub may log basic technical information (IP address, timestamp, requested page). We do not receive or keep those logs.
Advertising. The main search page and the blog pages show ads served by Google AdSense (the Right-to-Know page does not). Google and its advertising partners use cookies and similar technology to serve and measure ads, including ads based on your prior visits to this or other websites. Google's ad code runs on the page and may read the page's visible content to choose ads. We do not give advertisers your searches or any information you enter. You can opt out of personalized advertising in Google Ads Settings or at aboutads.info. To learn how Google uses data from sites like this one, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.
Local storage. Your browser keeps a few things on your device only: your light/dark choice, your saved properties list, whether you've dismissed certain tips, and, if you use the Right-to-Know page, the name you typed (so it's ready next time). None of it is sent to us. The Right-to-Know page has a "Clear my data" button, and you can clear everything by clearing this site's data in your browser.

3. Third-Party Services

Which of these your browser contacts depends on the page. The City of Philadelphia's public data services (ArcGIS and Carto) receive the address or account number you search for. Google receives requests for Analytics, AdSense advertising, reCAPTCHA (which scores traffic to deter automated abuse) and Google Fonts (the site's typefaces, which means Google sees your IP address) on the pages that use them. GitHub hosts the Site. The Right-to-Know page loads none of these third parties' scripts or fonts. Each has its own privacy practices, which we encourage you to review independently. We do not control and are not responsible for third-party privacy practices.

4. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect the Site and its infrastructure, but no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Children's Privacy

The Site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

6. Changes to This Policy

This policy may be updated periodically to reflect changes in practices or legal requirements. The "Last updated" date above will reflect the most recent revision.

7. Contact

Questions about this policy or the Site's data practices can be directed to onlinemartialartist@pm.me, or see the Contact page.

4philly.net is an independent, non-governmental civic research project. It is not operated, affiliated with, or endorsed by the City of Philadelphia or any government agency.

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