Privacy policy

The short version

The World Runs on Coffee is a map of coffee shops. You don’t need an account to use it, and we don’t ask for your name, email address or payment details.

We don’t sell or rent anyone’s personal information, and we don’t run ads that track you around the web.

A few small things are saved in your own browser so the map remembers you, and a few services we rely on (our web host, Google for fonts and vote counting, and the stores we link to) handle basic technical data. Here’s all of it.

What stays on your device

Your votes. When you tap “Shh. Keep it secret.” or “It was gross,” your browser remembers which spots you voted on, so you can’t vote twice by accident and can undo a vote. This is stored in your browser’s local storage, not on our servers.

Your Coffee Run high score. The secret game keeps your best score in your browser’s local storage.

Your location, if you use “Near me.” Your browser asks your permission first. Your location is used on your device to sort nearby spots and is never sent to us or stored anywhere.

Share images. When you “spill the beans,” the picture is drawn on your device. Nothing is uploaded unless you choose to post it somewhere.

You can clear all of this any time by clearing your browser’s site data.

What gets sent somewhere, and why

Vote counts. When you vote or share, we send the name of the spot and the kind of vote (for example “shh” or “share”) to a Google Sheet we use to keep the community totals. We don’t send your name or your location. As with any web request, Google can see your IP address when your browser sends it. Google processes this under Google’s privacy policy.

Hosting. This site runs on WordPress.com, run by Automattic. Like any web host, it logs basic technical details such as your IP address, browser type and the pages you visit, to keep the site working and secure, and may use cookies for that and for site statistics. See Automattic’s privacy policy.

Fonts and map code. Our hand-drawn fonts load from Google Fonts, and parts of the map’s code load from jsDelivr. Your browser contacts those services to download the files, which shares your IP address with them, the same as visiting any site that uses them.

Directions. “Map me there” opens Apple Maps or Google Maps with the shop’s address. What happens next is covered by Apple’s or Google’s privacy policies.

Links to shops, sponsors and stores

Some links on this site are affiliate or sponsor links, including Amazon links on our Safe house supplies page and links to our sponsor, Brix & Botany. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

When you follow one of these links, the other site may set its own cookies to know you came from us. Sponsor links include a simple tag in the web address (like “utm_source=worldrunsoncoffee”) so the sponsor can see the visit came from this site. We don’t receive any personal information from those stores.

Shop websites we link to have their own privacy practices, which we don’t control.

If you send us a shop or an edit

When you use our “Get on the map” or “Suggest an edit” form, we keep what you type, plus your email address if you choose to give it, on this website until our private Google Sheet collects it (usually within the hour), and then in that sheet, so we can check the listing and follow up. We don’t add you to any mailing list, and we don’t publish your email or your notes.

Information about coffee shops

The listings on the map are businesses. We use public information about them, such as name, address, website, hours and history from their own sites, to keep the map accurate. If you run a listed business and want something corrected or removed, get in touch and we’ll take care of it.

Children

This site isn’t aimed at children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect personal information from them.

Your choices and rights

Because we don’t keep accounts or profiles, there’s usually nothing personal of yours stored with us. Depending on where you live (for example in California or the EU), you may have the right to ask what personal information a business holds about you, to correct it, or to have it deleted. We’re happy to help with any of that.

You can block or delete cookies and local storage in your browser settings, and you can say no when your browser asks to share your location.

Changes and contact

If we change how the site handles information, we’ll update this page and the date below.

Questions or requests? Contact us through this website.