Privacy Policy

The short version

We don't ask you to sign up. We don't sell your personal data. We collect basic analytics about how the site is used (which pages are visited, roughly where in the world visitors come from) and we run display advertising through third-party networks that may use cookies. You can decline non-essential cookies and use the site normally.

1. Who we are

CrosswordsWithFriendsAnswers.com (“we”, “us”, “our”, or “the site”) is an independent reference website indexing Crosswords With Friends puzzles. We are not affiliated with Zynga. For any privacy-related questions, see contact below.

2. What information we collect

2.1 Automatically collected

When you visit the site, our servers and analytics tools automatically receive standard technical information, including:

• Your IP address (used for geolocation and rate limiting, then discarded or truncated)
• Browser type and version, operating system, device type
• Pages you viewed, time spent, referring URL
• Approximate location derived from IP (country / region level)

This data is aggregated for understanding site usage and improving content. We do not attempt to identify individual visitors from this data.

2.2 Information you provide

If you contact us directly (e.g., to report an incorrect answer), the message and any contact information you include is stored only as long as needed to respond.

2.3 What we do NOT collect

We have no user accounts. We do not collect or store your name, email, address, payment information, or any other personally identifying information unless you voluntarily provide it to us via a contact message.

3. Cookies and similar technologies

The site uses two types of cookies and storage:

• Strictly necessary — small bits of local storage used to remember non-tracking preferences (e.g., dismissing the cookie banner). These cannot be disabled without breaking site functionality.
• Analytics and advertising — third-party cookies set by analytics and advertising partners. These help us understand site traffic and serve relevant ads. You can decline these via the cookie banner shown on your first visit, or via your browser settings, and the site will still work normally.

4. Third-party services

We use the following third parties. Each has its own privacy policy governing how it handles data:

• Ezoic — our display advertising and analytics partner. Ezoic places ads and uses cookies for ad personalization, frequency capping, and reporting. See Ezoic's privacy policy for details.
• Web analytics — to measure aggregate traffic and content performance.
• Hosting and CDN providers — to deliver the site quickly and reliably worldwide.

We do not control these third parties' privacy practices. Please review their policies for details on how they handle data.

5. How we use information

We use the information described above to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve the site
• Understand which puzzles, clues, and dates are most useful to visitors
• Detect and prevent abuse, fraud, and technical issues
• Respond to questions and feedback you send us
• Serve relevant advertising that keeps the site free

6. Legal basis (for EU / UK visitors)

Where the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or UK GDPR applies, we process data on the following bases:

• Consent — for non-essential cookies (analytics, advertising). You may withdraw consent at any time via the cookie banner.
• Legitimate interest — for security, fraud prevention, and basic aggregate analytics necessary to keep the site running.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access information we hold about you
• Request correction or deletion of that information
• Object to or restrict certain types of processing
• Withdraw consent for cookie-based tracking
• Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority

Because we don't operate user accounts and don't collect personally identifying information by default, in most cases there is no individually identifiable data tied to you for us to access, correct, or delete. If you've contacted us directly and want your message removed, write to us using the contact details below.

8. Data retention

Aggregate analytics data is retained for as long as it remains useful for understanding site trends. Server logs containing IP addresses are rotated and discarded within a short period (typically 30–90 days). Contact messages are retained only as long as needed to respond and follow up.

9. Children's privacy

This site is a general-audience word-puzzle reference. It is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA/UK), and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has provided information via our contact form, contact us and we will delete it.

10. International transfers

Our hosting and third-party providers may operate servers in jurisdictions other than yours, including the United States. By using the site, you understand that your information may be transferred to and processed in those jurisdictions, subject to appropriate safeguards required by applicable law.

11. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures (HTTPS encryption, access controls, modern hosting infrastructure) to protect the data we handle. No internet transmission is 100% secure, but we take security seriously and continuously update our practices.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Effective” date at the top of the page reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be reflected by an updated effective date; please review periodically.

13. Contact us

For any privacy-related questions or requests, please use the contact page. Otherwise see the about page for more on who we are and what this site does.