Privacy Policy

This policy explains how the iOS and Android apps "Dong-Suan!" (store name in Taiwan: 市長選舉模擬) and its website handle data; the Android version is covered in section 8. The Traditional Chinese version is available at /privacy; if the two differ, the Chinese version prevails.

No account is needed and your progress stays on your device. Anonymous play statistics are on by default in most regions and can be turned off at any time in Settings; in Europe (EU/EEA, UK, Switzerland) they are off unless you turn them on. Ads have their own privacy choices. The candidate and party you pick in the game are sent with the anonymous statistics (see section 2) for game balance and operations; your policy answers are never sent, and none of this is shared with ad services.

1. Game progress and local records

The iOS app keeps your progress, automatic backups and settings in the app's local storage. Play records may include in-game actions, in-game polls and simulated results so you can review or export them; full records and saves are never uploaded automatically. Removing the app or clearing its data may delete local progress.

2. Anonymous play statistics (iOS)

The app uses Google Analytics for Firebase to understand how many people play and to improve the tutorial, pacing, difficulty balance, stability and purchase flow. Statistics are on by default from version 2.0.2, except in Europe (EU/EEA, UK and Switzerland, detected from your device's time zone), where they stay off unless you turn them on. You can switch them on or off at any time in Settings → Anonymous play stats; the game works the same either way. If you turned statistics off in an earlier version, they stay off.

The events the game itself sends are limited to: launch and play time; screens or tutorial steps; the game mode, chosen city/county scenario, candidate and party at the start of a campaign; the difficulty test group and purchase-page version (from 2.0.7 also the ad-timing, store-content and campaign-supply test groups; from 2.0.8 also the limited-time offer, onboarding and results-screen product test groups); week numbers and your standing at the end of each week (points behind or ahead, rank, remaining funds and energy); action types and whether they succeeded; how often polls were revealed; final election results; whether ads were shown or rewarded (including which ad placement); which prompts appeared and the screen you were on when leaving the app (from 2.0.8 also how many seconds that prompt had been open and whether an ad was playing); which reward prompts appeared and what you chose; whether a limited-time offer or recommendation popup appeared and what you chose, and where you opened the store from and whether a sale was running (from 2.0.8); rating-prompt answers and timing; purchase and restore results; and save-failure types. Events carry a randomly generated session ID and sequence number for ordering and de-duplication; they are not derived from your candidate, save seed or Apple ID.

Difficulty test group (from version 2.0.6): to compare how different opponent strengths, weekly energy limits, campaign lengths and campaign budgets feel, and how they compare with the original version 2.0.4 gameplay, after the app downloads the game balance settings it may randomly place this device in one group (codes A–I) or leave it outside the test; the result stays fixed on this device. The group is sent with the anonymous statistics, and campaign start and final results also include the opponent strength actually used in that campaign. Groups are only used to compare aggregate numbers between groups (plays, return visits, ad views, purchases). They say nothing about your skill or preferences and are not used for advertising.

Purchase-page version (from version 2.0.6): to compare two layouts of the 2028 Road to the Presidency purchase screen, devices outside the difficulty test may also be randomly assigned the original (orig) or new (new) purchase page; the result stays fixed on this device and is sent with the anonymous statistics. When the purchase screen is shown, the version actually displayed (orig/new) is also recorded. This is only a screen version, not personal data, and is not used for advertising.

Test groups from version 2.0.7: only devices that first install version 2.0.7 or later may be randomly assigned, once the game balance settings are downloaded, to one group in each of four tests, fixed afterwards: difficulty (normal, hard-then-easier, or the older difficulty; two more groups are normally not assigned and are only applied to everyone when needed), ad timing (the 2.0.6 or the 2.0.7 schedule), store content (for example whether trials are offered and which bundles are sold) and how campaign supplies are claimed. The groups are stored on the device and sent with the anonymous statistics, and are only used to compare aggregate numbers such as plays, returns, ad views and purchases between groups. They do not describe your skills or preferences and are not used for advertising. Devices installed earlier keep the defaults and do not take part.

Test groups and limited-time offers from version 2.0.8: once the game balance settings are downloaded, a device that has not bought anything may be randomly placed in one group of a limited-time offer test, fixed afterwards: no offer popup, a popup recommending the "Political Grand Slam" bundle at its regular price, or a 48-hour limited-time sale at a lower price (for example NT$250 or NT$150), so different devices may see different prices at the same time. The popup appears at most once a day, and the app-open ad is not shown on that launch. A device that has bought only "Remove Ads" may see one limited-time sale of the "Political Grand Slam" bundle starting 6 hours after that purchase. Devices that first install version 2.0.8 or later may also be assigned to the new or the original tutorial, and to a version of the products recommended on the results screen. The groups are stored on the device and sent with the anonymous statistics, and are only used to compare aggregate numbers such as plays, returns, ad views and purchases between groups. They do not describe your skills or preferences and are not used for advertising.

Final election results include the mode, chosen city/county or nationwide scenario, chosen candidate and party, the standing shown on the selection screen (e.g. favored, underdog), the final week, election stage, win or loss, and after the count the player's simulated votes, total simulated votes, vote share and margin (the gap to the closest rival in percentage points), plus the difficulty test group and opponent strength. Candidates are fictional characters; the city is the scenario you chose in the game, not your location; results do not represent real public opinion or your political views.

These statistics never include your name, email, policy or event answers, district-by-district routes, in-game poll numbers, saves, transaction receipts or free text, and never the identity or votes of individual rivals.

When statistics are on, Google's analytics SDK also uses an app-instance identifier and processes app/device version, basic usage events, an approximate region derived from your IP address, and in-app purchase events it measures (such as product, price and currency). See Google's Analytics data disclosure.

The app disables the advertising identifier (IDFA), the identifier for vendors (IDFV) and automatic screen reporting for analytics, and sets no account user ID. Analytics consent for ad storage, ad user data and ad personalization is set to denied; the custom statistics are never used to target ads by political choice. Where consent is required (e.g. in Europe), statistics are collected only after you turn them on in Settings.

3. Turning statistics off and managing data

Turning statistics off in Settings → Anonymous play stats stops new collection, clears events the game has not yet handed to the analytics SDK and resets the Firebase analytics data on the device; your saves are not deleted. Your choice is remembered across updates.

Data already sent is kept according to the analytics project's retention settings (currently 2 months for event data and 14 months for user data, reset on new activity) and Google's processing rules; aggregated standard reports may be kept differently. Google may process data on its global infrastructure; see the Firebase privacy and security page and Google's Privacy Policy.

For privacy questions, access or deletion requests, contact Walking technology Inc at marketing@walkingtechs.com and mention "Dong-Suan! / 市長選舉模擬". The game has no accounts, so an email address alone may not match analytics records; please do not send passwords, ID documents or full saves. If you are in the EU/EEA or UK, you may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

4. Ads and privacy choices (iOS)

The iOS app uses Google AdMob for: an app-open ad (from version 2.0.7 depending on the ad-timing group: from the second launch, or only after your first campaign; not again within 3 minutes; from 2.0.8 not on a launch that shows a limited-time offer or recommendation popup); a "campaign supplies" ad during a campaign (depending on the group every 4 weeks, or in weeks 9 and 18; either a 5-second countdown you can skip or a card where you choose whether to watch; the in-game reward is given only after watching); one interstitial ad around the vote count (at the end of the last week, or after you tap "Start the count"; plus one at the end of week 14 if you have not watched any ad in that campaign); and rewarded videos you choose to watch (energy, funds, super cards in the action menus, starter supplies for the next campaign). Buying "Remove Ads" (or the "2028 Road to the Presidency" chapter, which includes Remove Ads) stops automatic ads and gives video rewards directly.

Before ads start, the app checks the iOS tracking permission and asks if you have not decided yet (from version 2.0.7, at the first launch). If you allow tracking, the app requests personalized ads; otherwise all ad requests are non-personalized. Non-personalized ads may still process IP address and approximate location, device or app identifiers, ad views and interactions, and crash and performance data for ad delivery, frequency capping, measurement and fraud prevention. The app then uses Google's consent flow (UMP) to check whether ads may be requested and shows a privacy message where required (for example in Europe). See AdMob data disclosure and non-personalized ads.

Ads are served through Google AdMob. Subject to applicable consent and platform review, ad partners such as PubMatic, Magnite DV+ and Smaato may take part in bidding; the actual provider depends on AdMob serving and your consent settings. See the PubMatic, Magnite and Smaato privacy policies.

You can open "Manage ad privacy choices" from the app's privacy settings; whether the form appears depends on your location and Google's consent requirements. Declining optional consent, skipping a video or having no ad available never blocks you from finishing a local campaign; you just don't get that extra reward.

5. In-app purchases

The paid chapter and "Remove Ads" are handled by Apple's App Store and StoreKit. We never receive your card, bank account or Apple ID password. The app reads verified entitlements to unlock the chapter or remove ads and offers "Restore purchases". To avoid double-counting purchases awaiting approval, the device stores only a pending flag per product; receipts and transaction IDs are not included in the custom statistics.

6. Website ads and cookies

Only the website's game introduction home page and guide pages use Google AdSense auto ads; game pages and this privacy page load no ad code. Google and its partners may use cookies, device and browser information to serve or measure ads based on your visits to this and other websites; where required, Google shows a consent message where you can choose and change your settings. You can manage personalized ads at My Ad Center and see other options at aboutads.info; see how Google uses data in ads.

7. Hosting, sharing and support

The website is hosted by Vercel, which may process IP addresses, request times, browser and error information to deliver pages and keep them secure; see Vercel's Privacy Policy.

From version 2.0.5 the iOS app downloads a game balance settings file (numbers such as starting polls, opponent strength and, from 2.0.6, the difficulty test groups and purchase-page versions; from 2.0.7 also the ad-timing, store-content and campaign-supply tests; from 2.0.8 also the limited-time offer, onboarding and results-screen product tests) from our Vercel-hosted site at launch. It only downloads; no saves or personal data are uploaded, though the host may process your IP address and request time. If the download fails, the app uses the last downloaded or built-in settings.

Campaign report images and exported files are created on your device and are only passed to another app when you choose to share them; the game never posts for you.

When you email us, we receive your address, message and attachments and use them only to handle that support or privacy request, not for advertising. You can ask us to delete them; if we must keep anything by law, we will tell you why.

8. Android version (Google Play)

The Android version (on Google Play from version 2.0.6) handles data the same way as the iOS app described above: progress, automatic backups and settings stay in the app's local storage; anonymous play statistics also use Google Analytics for Firebase, are on by default (off by default in Europe), can be turned off in the app's Settings and send the same events as section 2; ads also use Google AdMob with the same timing, rewards and limits as section 4; and the app downloads the same game balance settings described in section 7.

Differences: Android has no iOS tracking-permission prompt. Whether ads are personalized follows your Google ad settings, and you can reset or delete your advertising ID in your phone's system settings. Users in the EEA, the UK and Switzerland first see Google's ad consent message and can change their choice later in the app's ad privacy settings. The Android version does not use the advertising ID for anonymous statistics.

The paid chapter and "Remove Ads" are handled by Google Play's billing system. We never receive your card number, bank account or Google account password. The app reads the purchase status reported by Google Play to unlock the chapter or remove ads and offers "Restore purchases". To avoid double-counting purchases that are still awaiting payment, the app stores only a per-product "still pending" flag on the device and never puts order numbers or purchase tokens into its own statistics. Device backups follow your Google account backup settings.