Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 11, 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.
Private search log. When you submit a search in the main search box on the home page (an address, property name or OPA account number), the operator of this Site records what you typed, the time, your approximate location (country only) and a device fingerprint, which is a one-way hash made from ordinary browser and device settings (browser, language, screen size, time zone and similar). We also count how many keys were pressed in the box and how long the page had been open, which helps tell people from automated scripts. We do not store raw IP addresses; IP addresses are used only to derive the country and are kept only as salted hashes. This log is private: it is not published, not sold, not shared with advertisers, and used only to confirm that the tool is being used by real people and to detect abuse or automated scraping. Entries are kept for up to 180 days. The fingerprint is calculated each time and is not saved on your device.
Page-view analytics. Every page of the Site except the Right-to-Know page also sends a small page-view request to the operator's own analytics server (page address, referring page, approximate country, browser type), kept under the same terms: private, salted hashes instead of raw IP addresses, up to 180 days, used only to measure use and spot abuse.
Right-to-Know page: not tracked. This page is not tracked in any way. It has no ads, no analytics, no page-view request, no search log 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 or logged. 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 those logs.
No advertising. The Site shows no ads and loads no advertising code. We do not give anyone your searches or any information you enter for advertising purposes.
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 search log above is separate and is not read from your device). 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, 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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