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dirtn.app

Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 20, 2026

dirtn.app ("dirtn.app," "we," "us") answers one extremely important question: is this person still with us? We take that question more seriously than we take your data. Here's exactly what we collect, why, and what your rights are.

This policy is not legal advice, and it hasn't been reviewed by a lawyer. If you're relying on this for compliance purposes, get it checked by one before you go live.

Who we are

dirtn.app is operated by Donny West, a sole individual, reachable at donnywest@gmail.com. There is no company, no data broker arm, no "trusted partner network" beyond what's disclosed below.

What we collect

Search queries. When you type a name into the search bar, that query is sent to our server to look up the person against Wikidata and Wikipedia. We do not attach your query to an account, because there are no accounts. Aggregated, anonymized query logs (e.g., "how many searches for actors this week") may be kept to understand what's popular.

Server logs. Like nearly every website, our hosting provider automatically logs standard technical data on each request: IP address, browser/user-agent string, referring URL, timestamp, and pages requested. This is used for security (blocking abuse, rate-limiting bots) and basic uptime/error monitoring.

What we do not collect. We do not ask for your name, email, phone number, or a login. We do not build user profiles. We do not sell a list of "people you searched for" to anyone — we don't have the infrastructure to do that even if we wanted to, and we don't want to.

Cookies and similar technologies

dirtn.app uses a small number of cookies and local storage entries for:

  • Remembering your theme choice — if you switch between light and dark mode, that preference is stored in your browser's local storage. It never leaves your device and is not sent to us.

  • Site functionality — remembering your theme preference (e.g., dark mode) or dismissed notices.

  • Advertising — see below.

  • Analytics — see below.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings at any time. Blocking functional cookies may make parts of the site behave oddly (e.g., your preferences won't stick); it won't stop the site from working.

Advertising cookies (Google AdSense)

Current status: dirtn.app is not currently showing ads, and no advertising cookies are being set. The section below describes how advertising will work if and when it is switched on, and will apply from that point. Until then, you can treat it as advance notice rather than a description of what is happening today.

When advertising is enabled, ads will be served by Google AdSense. Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies (including the DoubleClick/Google ad cookie) to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site and other sites on the internet. This is sometimes called interest-based or personalized advertising.

  • Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to dirtn.app and/or other sites on the internet.
  • You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings: https://adssettings.google.com/
  • You can also opt out of a number of third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance's consumer choice page: https://www.aboutads.info/choices/ (US) or, if you're in Europe, https://www.youronlinechoices.eu/.
  • If you are browsing from the EEA or UK, ads on this site are subject to Google's EU user consent requirements. Before any advertising is enabled for those regions, a consent banner run by a Google-certified Consent Management Platform (IAB Transparency & Consent Framework) will ask for your permission before any non-essential advertising or measurement cookie is set.
  • For more on how Google uses information from sites that use its services, see: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

Analytics

We may use a privacy-conscious analytics tool (for example, Google Analytics or a similar service) to understand aggregate traffic patterns. Where Google Analytics is enabled on this site, it is configured with IP anonymization. It is used — how many people visit, which pages are popular, roughly where visitors are located at a country/region level. Analytics data is used in aggregate; we do not use it to identify individual visitors. Where Google Analytics is used, Google acts as a data processor and may combine limited data with other Google services in line with its own privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Legal basis for processing (EU/UK GDPR)

If you're located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, the GDPR and UK GDPR give you specific rights over your personal data. Our legal bases for processing are:

  • Consent — for advertising and analytics cookies, which will only be set after you consent via the cookie banner described above (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). You can withdraw consent at any time by changing your cookie settings. No advertising cookies are set at present.
  • Legitimate interests — for basic server logging necessary to keep the site secure and functioning (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR), balanced against your right to privacy; we don't use this basis for advertising.

Your rights under GDPR include the right to: access the personal data we hold about you; request correction or deletion; object to or restrict processing; request data portability; and withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal. Because dirtn.app doesn't maintain user accounts or persistent profiles tied to an identity, most of these requests will simply involve confirming we hold no such data about you, or clearing cookies/logs associated with your IP on request. To exercise any of these rights, email donnywest@gmail.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.

California privacy rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, gives you the right to:

  • Know what categories of personal information we collect and how it's used (see "What we collect" above).
  • Delete personal information we've collected about you, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Correct inaccurate personal information.
  • Opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of your personal information. Interest-based advertising through Google AdSense may be considered "sharing" under CPRA because it involves cross-context behavioral advertising, and would apply once advertising is enabled. You can opt out via the Google Ads Settings and DAA links above, or by declining advertising cookies in our consent banner. dirtn.app does not sell personal information for money.
  • Non-discrimination — we will not deny you service, charge you a different price, or provide a different quality of service for exercising these rights. (The site is free either way.)

To exercise any of these rights, email donnywest@gmail.com with "CCPA Request" in the subject line. We may need to ask a reasonable follow-up question to verify the request relates to you, though because we don't hold identity-linked profiles, most requests will be resolved by confirming what limited, non-identifying data exists.

Children's privacy (COPPA)

dirtn.app is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. The site is general-audience trivia/reference content about public figures. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact donnywest@gmail.com and we will delete it.

Data retention

  • Search queries: not retained in an identifiable form beyond what's needed for immediate server logging/troubleshooting.
  • Server/access logs: retained for a limited period (generally up to 90 days) for security and debugging, then deleted or aggregated.
  • Advertising and analytics cookies: retention is set by Google and third-party vendors, generally up to 13 months (EU) or up to 24 months (elsewhere) per their own policies, refreshed on repeat visits. See Google's policy for specifics: https://policies.google.com/technologies/cookies

Third-party links

dirtn.app links out to Wikidata and Wikipedia (and occasionally other sources) for every person we reference. Once you click through, you're on their site, subject to their privacy policy — not ours. We're not responsible for the privacy practices of sites we link to.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site, its ad setup, or the law changes. The "Last updated" date at the top will reflect the most recent revision. Material changes will be reflected here; we don't currently have an email list to notify, since we don't collect your email in the first place.

Contact

Questions, requests, or takedowns: donnywest@gmail.com Site: https://dirtn.app