Privacy

Independent · unofficial · free

NJTracker has no accounts and doesn’t ask who you are. Here is everything it keeps.

Last updated November 2, 2026.

On your device

Your saved routes, starred trains, favorite stations and display settings are stored in your browser’s local storage on your own device, and clearing your browser’s site data removes them. The lists themselves are never sent to NJTracker’s server, except for a route you turn train alerts on for (below).

To show a route’s next trains or a station’s departures, the page has to ask the server for them, so the server sees the stations it is looking up: the two ends of one route, or one station, at a time. It answers without recording who asked for which stations; those lookups are left out of the server’s logs, including the access logs below.

Train alerts

If you turn on a train alert in Favorites, your browser gives NJTracker a push address from its maker’s push service (Apple, Google, Mozilla or Microsoft), and the server keeps that address with each alert’s two stations, its time window and its days, and for an alert on one train (the bell in a train’s details), its train number. Nothing else goes with them: no name, no account, no IP address. While an alert’s window is open, the server sends an empty message to the address; your device then fetches the notification’s words from NJTracker itself, so the push service never sees which train or stations it is about. The server keeps those words, and a note of what it has already told you that day, for 2 days.

Switching an alert off takes it off the server; it stays on your device, to switch back on. Removing or switching off your last alert deletes the address and everything kept with it, and so does not opening NJTracker for 90 days or the push service reporting the address gone. Train alerts are not in the nightly backups.

A stop alarm (“Set stop alarm” in a train’s details) works the same way: the server keeps the push address, the train number and the stop you get off at. It deletes them when the last notification is sent, when you cancel the alarm, or 4 hours after you set it, whichever comes first. One alarm is kept per device.

On the server

• A count of live-board sessions and how long each lasted — no IP address, device or identity is attached.
• To count how many people use the site, the live board makes up a random visitor number the first time it opens and keeps it in your browser’s local storage. It goes with the live board’s connection, is left out of the access logs, and the server keeps it only in scrambled (hashed) form, with when the board was open. It is not linked to your IP address, your saved routes or stars, or the trains you look at, and it is never shown publicly. Connection times are kept for 30 days; which days a visitor number was seen, for about a year, to count visitors per day, month and year. Clearing your browser’s site data gives you a new number.
• Standard web server access logs (IP address, page requested, time, browser), kept for security and troubleshooting and deleted after 30 days.
• Your IP address is also held in memory to limit request rates: for up to an hour (until midnight for a daily count of requests, only a number, not which trains or stations), and for as long as a live-board connection stays open. It is not written anywhere else.

Garden State Gridlock

The puzzle game’s campaign progress, stars and settings stay on your device, in your browser’s local storage, like the rest of the site’s saved things.

If you choose to get a save code (Menu ▸ Save code), your game progress, garage and driver name are copied to the server so another device can load them with the code. The copy is locked with your code on your device before it is sent, and the code itself never leaves the device, so the server keeps only a locked copy it can’t read, filed under a scrambled ID. A copy no device has synced for a year is deleted. Choose “Stop syncing on this device” in the same menu to stop sending it.

If you play a ranked run (the weekly challenge or a leaderboard), the server stores the driver name you chose, a hashed random player ID made up by your browser (no IP address, no account), and your best moves and time for each puzzle. Those names, moves and times are shown on public leaderboards. Each ranked run’s timing, how long each move took, is also kept for 90 days under the same hashed player ID, to check fair play and improve the game; it is never shown publicly. When someone passes you while you hold a top-3 spot on a leaderboard, the server keeps a short notice for you (which puzzle, your old and new place, and the other driver’s name, moves and time), tied to the same hashed player ID and deleted after 30 days. To keep your runs off the leaderboards, turn on “Keep me off the leaderboards” in the game’s Driver settings: finished runs then stay on your device, and the game plays the same.

A puzzle solved offline still counts toward your driver level. The game keeps its moves on your device until you’re back online, then sends them to the server with the same hashed player ID. The server keeps how many moves it took and when, never shows it on a leaderboard, and keeps it as long as your leaderboard runs. Nothing is sent while “Keep me off the leaderboards” is on.

The Ticket Machine and the garage keep their records on the server under the same hashed player ID: the tickets you spend, each roll and what it won, the flair you own and wear, and the garage rides and lots you buy, for as long as your leaderboard runs. The flair you wear shows beside your name on the public leaderboards and in other drivers’ notices. Nothing is kept while “Keep me off the leaderboards” is on.

The Boss Battle keeps each hit on the server under the same hashed player ID (the puzzle solved, the damage and when), the boss puzzles made for you (with your fewest moves on each and when), each fight’s places and prizes, your fighter’s look, and your gear and scrolls (each scroll gained or used, whether it worked, and when you last started an ad for one), for as long as your leaderboard runs. Other drivers see your driver name, flair, fighter, the gear it wears and your damage on the Boss Battle screen, and in the news when a boss falls.

Invites: once you’ve cleared 10 stops, the server makes you an invite code and keeps it with your hashed player ID. When a friend takes your invite, it keeps which hashed player ID invited which, when, and when the free rolls were paid, for as long as your leaderboard runs. You see the driver names of the friends who took your invite, and they see yours.

The tavern: a message you post there is kept with your hashed player ID and the time, for as long as your leaderboard runs. The tavern shows the latest 20 messages to every visitor to the game, with your driver name and flair.

If you turn on “Phone notifications” or the “Daily Detour reminder” in the game’s Driver settings, your browser gives the game a push address from its maker’s push service (Apple, Google, Mozilla or Microsoft). The server keeps that address with your hashed player ID, which of the two you turned on, the reminder’s hour and the day the last reminder went. When someone passes you, or at your reminder’s hour on a day you haven’t solved that day’s Detour, it sends an empty message to the address; your device then fetches the words from NJTracker itself, so the push service never sees them. Turning both off deletes the address, and so does not opening the game for 180 days.

To help improve the game, Garden State Gridlock sends usage statistics about how puzzles are played, such as which puzzles are started, solved or hinted and how long they take. They include random identifiers (the site’s visitor number and a temporary number for each game session) and aren’t tied to your driver name or player ID. The detailed statistics are kept for 30 days, and anonymous play-time data, tied only to the random visitor number, for about a year; after that only overall totals remain. They are never shown publicly, sold, or given to advertisers. Turning on “Keep me off the leaderboards” stops them.

In Garden State Gridlock, the first three hints each day are free; after that, a short ad plays before each hint. The Boss Battle also offers a scroll for watching an ad, up to five a day. Until an ad partner is switched on, these are NJTracker’s own house ads, which load nothing from anyone else.

Beats To Beats

The rhythm game’s settings (latency, note speed, volumes) and your personal bests stay on your device, in your browser’s local storage.

The server keeps, under a hashed random player ID made up by your browser (no IP address, no account): the name you chose, your coins (one line per coin earned or spent, with when), the items you bought and the look you wear, and the accuracy of your last 10 songs (older ones are pushed out as new ones come in). All of it is deleted after a year without playing. Your name and look are shown to the other players in your lobby and song, and to anyone watching the song. While a song runs, the server holds its seats, scores and judgments in memory for the players and the watchers, and drops them a minute after it ends. To count the day’s coins per connection, your network address is held in the server’s memory until midnight, New York time, and never written down.

If you choose to get a save code (Settings ▸ Save code), your settings, bests and player ID are copied to the server so another device can load them with the code. The copy is locked with your code on your device before it is sent, and the code itself never leaves the device, so the server keeps only a locked copy it can’t read, filed under a scrambled ID. A copy no device has synced for a year is deleted. Choose “Stop syncing on this device” in the same place to stop sending it. The game shows no ads.

If you upload a song (Songs ▸ Upload a song), the server keeps the MP3, the title and artist you typed, the notes your device made for it, when you uploaded it and that you confirmed you have the right to share it, under the same hashed player ID. NJTracker listens to it first; once approved, everyone who plays sees the song with its title, its artist and your player name. If you report a song, the server keeps your report (the reason, your note and when) under your hashed player ID; nobody else sees who reported it. A song taken down, by you or by NJTracker, leaves the game at once; its file is deleted 30 days later, and a record of the takedown (the song’s title, artist and why) is kept, with any copyright strike against the uploader’s hashed player ID, so the copyright policy can be enforced. The song files are not in the nightly backups. To count uploads per connection, your network address is held in memory until midnight, as for coins.

Backups

The server’s data is backed up every night, and each backup is kept for up to 30 days. Something deleted from the server can take up to 30 more days to leave the backups.

Third parties

The site is served through Cloudflare, which processes requests to deliver and protect it. Pages load fonts from Google Fonts.

NJTracker may show ads in Garden State Gridlock to help pay for the server and continued development; the live board and the other pages show none. Today the game shows only NJTracker’s own house ads. If ads from Google (AdSense) are switched on in the game, Google and its partners may use cookies or similar technologies to serve and measure ads, including ads based on your previous visits to this and other sites. See How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services. You can turn off personalized ads from Google in Google Ads Settings, and opt out of other third-party vendors’ personalized ads at www.aboutads.info.

NJTracker itself does not sell personal information, and ads never receive your saved routes, favorites or game progress.

Do Not Track

Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” signal. NJTracker doesn’t track you across other websites, so it works the same whether or not your browser sends one. If Google ads are switched on, Google’s own settings (above) control how its ads are personalized.

Children

NJTracker is a general-audience site for commuters. It isn’t directed to children under 13 and doesn’t knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has put a name on a Garden State Gridlock leaderboard or in Beats To Beats, email [email protected] and it will be removed.

Your choices

• Clearing your browser’s site data removes everything NJTracker keeps on your device and gives you a new visitor number.
• Removing your train alerts in Favorites ▸ Alerts deletes what the server keeps for them.
• In Garden State Gridlock, “Keep me off the leaderboards” stops ranked runs and the game’s statistics, “Stop syncing on this device” stops save-code copies, and turning off “Phone notifications” and the Daily Detour reminder deletes your push address.
• In Beats To Beats, “Stop syncing on this device” stops save-code copies; a player not seen for a year is deleted with its name, coins and items.
• To have a driver name removed from the leaderboards, or a Beats To Beats name and its coins deleted, or to ask what is kept, email [email protected].

Changes to this page

When this page changes, the date at the top changes too.

Contact

Questions: [email protected].