NEA Report App Privacy Policy

Android app, version 1.0

The new NEA Report Android app (package com.neareport.android) provides news, search, saved stories, county feeds, weather and optional news notifications. No account is required. This Android version does not include Reader Rewards, support purchases, Google advertising, Firebase Analytics or Crashlytics. Those features described elsewhere on this page apply only to app versions that include them.

News, images and searches are requested over HTTPS from NEA Report and WordPress.com/Automattic. These services receive the requested resource or search text and connection information, including an IP address. Technical access logs may be kept to operate, protect and troubleshoot these services. The native article reader does not run website scripts. Links to other websites open in your browser and follow those sites’ privacy practices.

Weather requests use the fixed coordinates of the town you choose and are sent to National Weather Service/NOAA services. These services receive the selected town and normal connection information. The app does not request GPS permission or send your device’s precise location.

If you enable news alerts, Google Firebase Cloud Messaging processes an app-installation identifier, messaging token, selected breaking-news or county topics, and technical app/device information to deliver notifications. We do not require your name or email to receive them. Firebase messaging auto-initialization is disabled until you opt into an alert category. The app does not export Firebase delivery metrics.

Change alert categories in Menu > Alerts or disable notifications in Android Settings. Network access is needed to complete topic changes. Turning alerts off stops the app’s selected subscriptions when the connection succeeds; it does not immediately erase every record held by delivery providers.

Saved article text, a recent-news cache, local read markers, county/town selections and reading preferences stay on your device. There is no cloud bookmark account or synchronization. Android backup is disabled for the app. Remove saved articles in the app; Android’s Clear storage control or uninstalling removes local app data. Images generally require an internet connection.

Provider service records follow their retention practices. Contact news@neareport.com for privacy questions and access, correction or deletion requests. We will explain what NEA Report can locate and handle and when a request must go to a service provider. Do not email passwords or notification tokens. This general-audience news app is not directed to children under 13.

Provider information: Firebase privacy and security, Automattic privacy notice, and National Weather Service privacy policy.

Android app, version 1.1 and later

This section applies when you install an Android version with Reader Rewards, comments and advertising. Version 1.0 does not gain these features without an app update. Its news, weather, notification and local-storage practices described above continue to apply.

Reader Rewards is optional. You can read news without signing in. To create or access a Rewards account, provide your email address, accept the account notice and verify an emailed code. Using the same verified email on supported NEA Report apps accesses the same account and point balance. NEA Report stores the account identifier, verified email, points ledger, qualifying story identifiers and reading dates, achievements, sign-in sessions and consent choices to operate Rewards and prevent abuse. Reading credit requires at least 15 active seconds in a story and server eligibility checks. Background time does not count. Android does not claim a completed share or award share achievements merely because you open its sharing menu.

Android encrypts the sign-in token using a key held by Android Keystore. Tokens are not included in Android backups. The server stores token hashes. Sign-in codes expire after 10 minutes, reading sessions after 30 minutes and account sessions after 90 days; expired operational records are removed by the website’s scheduled cleanup. Account, points and consent records remain while the account exists. Clearing app storage or uninstalling removes the local token but does not delete the server account.

Marketing email consent is separate, optional and initially unchecked. It permits NEA Report to send its own news, merchandise promotions and sponsor offers; it does not permit giving your email to advertisers. Change this preference in Menu > Reader Rewards. The current service sends requested sign-in codes and records preferences; it does not itself send marketing campaigns.

Comments and replies use your verified Rewards account and a public display name. The display name, comment text, posting time and relationship to the story or parent comment are public; your email is not shown. NEA Report stores comment status, rule acceptance, reports, blocked-reader choices and moderation records. Reports and blocks are not public. Automated checks and human moderation may hold or remove comments. You can report a comment, block or unblock a reader, and delete your own comments. Blocking hides that reader’s comments for your signed-in account; it does not make your comments private. Eligible published comments contribute to Community Voice achievements, not spendable points.

To delete your NEA Report Rewards account and associated data, open Menu > Reader Rewards > Delete Rewards Account and confirm. This removes the active account email, points, achievements, sessions, consent records, comment text, display name, reports and blocks across supported platforms. Anonymous comment placeholders may remain to preserve other readers’ replies. Device bookmarks are separate. To request deletion without the app, email news@neareport.com from the account email with the subject “Delete NEA Report Rewards account.” We may verify account ownership before completing the request. Do not send passwords, sign-in codes or device tokens. Hosting backups may temporarily retain older records under the host’s backup practices.

Local sponsor images and videos come from NEA Report’s published advertising placements. Requests disclose the requested resource and normal connection information to the hosting service. The story reader does not run website advertising scripts. Some short sponsor videos play silently and loop. Selecting a sponsor opens the destination in your browser under that site’s privacy practices.

Google AdMob and User Messaging Platform deliver Google ads and manage advertising privacy choices. Google may process device/app and advertising identifiers, IP addresses and derived approximate location, ad views and interactions, and crash/performance diagnostics for advertising, measurement, security and service improvement. We request non-personalized ads, which still involve data processing. We do not send Rewards email addresses, account details, reading records, comment content or precise GPS location to AdMob. Required consent is checked before ad requests. Developer and sideloaded test installations use sample Google ads.

Open Menu > Privacy to turn off Google ads on this device or manage advertising privacy choices when Google’s consent service requires that option. Turning off Google ads leaves local sponsor displays visible and does not erase information already held by providers. Google’s Privacy Policy and advertising information describe its practices.

Android 1.1 does not offer in-app support purchases. It may display existing achievements associated with the shared account. Points have no current cash value, and redemption is not open. The Android app does not include Firebase Analytics or Crashlytics. Contact news@neareport.com for privacy, account or moderation help. The app is not directed to children under 13.

Local advertisements are drawn from the website’s published placements. The native story reader does not run the website’s ad-selection and tracking scripts. Short advertiser videos can play silently and loop. Selecting an advertiser link opens the destination outside the app, where that service’s privacy practices apply. NEA Report does not use the app to build advertising profiles across other companies’ apps and websites.

Google advertisements in updated app versions

Advertising disclosure updated September 28, 2026. App versions that include Google AdMob use Google’s Mobile Ads and User Messaging Platform services to deliver ads and manage privacy choices. Earlier versions without these components do not make these ad requests. TestFlight versions use test advertisements rather than revenue-generating ads.

Google may process device and app identifiers, an IP address that can indicate approximate location, advertising views and interactions, and crash or performance diagnostics for advertising, measurement, security and service improvement. Non-personalized ads still involve data processing. We request non-personalized ads and do not request Apple’s permission for cross-app tracking. We do not pass Reader Rewards email addresses, account details, reading history or sharing records to AdMob, and we do not send precise GPS location.

In versions with Google ads, open Menu > Privacy to turn off Google ad requests on this device or revisit Ad privacy choices when Google’s consent service requires that option. Required consent is checked before requesting ads. Disabling Google ads does not disable existing local sponsor displays or erase data already held by providers. Google explains its practices and choices in its Privacy Policy and advertising privacy information.

Optional Reader Rewards account

Rewards privacy update: September 27, 2026.

News remains free to read without an account. To earn Rewards points, you enter your email address, accept the Rewards account notice and verify a six-digit code sent to that address. Signing in with the same email on supported NEA Report platforms links to the same reader account and points balance; website and Android integrations will be announced separately.

NEA Report stores your verified email address, account identifier, point ledger, qualifying story identifiers and reading dates, shared story identifiers and share-record timestamps, derived achievements, sign-in sessions, and consent choices. This information operates the program, prevents duplicate awards and abuse, and supports essential sign-in and account notices. Current app versions request reading credit after a story stays open for 15 active seconds; scrolling is not required. The server checks timing and eligibility, and no detailed scroll-by-scroll history is retained. For Community Informer achievements, the app reports a story identifier after a share service reports completion. Each story counts once per reader account. This does not verify public posting or delivery, and we do not collect recipients, contacts, message text or the sharing service used. Sharing earns achievement progress, not spendable points. Unverified email addresses are temporarily stored to deliver and validate sign-in codes. Rate limiting uses keyed hashes derived from an email address or connecting IP address, with short-lived counters.

Your iPhone stores its sign-in token in Keychain, separate from local news and bookmarks. The server stores token hashes. Codes expire after 10 minutes, reading challenges after 30 minutes and sign-in sessions after 90 days. Daily cleanup removes expired operational records when the website scheduler runs. Point and consent records remain while your Rewards account exists. Signing out revokes that device’s session; it does not delete your shared account or points. Deleting the app does not delete your server account and may not remove its Keychain entry.

A separate, optional and initially unchecked choice lets NEA Report use your email address for its news emails, merchandise promotions and sponsor offers sent by NEA Report. Earning points does not require marketing consent. This choice does not authorize sharing your email address with advertisers. You can withdraw it in Rewards without losing points; any future marketing messages must also provide an unsubscribe option. The initial Rewards service records preferences and sends requested sign-in codes; it does not send marketing campaigns or export mailing lists.

Rewards provides a Delete Rewards Account control. Confirming removes the active account email, points, achievements, sign-in sessions, reading challenges and consent history across supported platforms. In versions with comments, it also erases your comment text, public display name, reports and blocks from active records. Anonymous placeholders and reply relationships may remain to preserve other readers’ replies. Saved stories on your device remain separate. Hosting backups may retain older copies temporarily under the host’s backup practices; these are not active accounts or mailing lists. You may also contact news@neareport.com for access, correction or deletion help.

Rewards points have no current cash value and redemption is not yet available. The Rewards Terms in the app explain eligibility and earning limits. Rewards is not directed to children under 13.

Story comments and replies

This section applies to app versions that offer story comments. Commenting is optional. Reading news does not require an account. To post a comment or reply, sign in with your verified Reader Rewards email and choose a public display name. Your display name, comment text, posting time and connection to the story or parent comment are public. Your account email is not shown with your comments. Choose a name you are comfortable making public and do not include private information in comments.

NEA Report stores comments and replies with your account identifier, their status and timestamps, your acceptance of the comment rules, and the information needed to organize a discussion. We also store comment reports, your blocked-reader choices and moderation decisions to handle abuse and keep discussions usable. Reports and blocked-reader choices are not displayed publicly. Our hosting provider processes normal connection information when you use these features.

Comments normally appear immediately. Automated checks may hold a comment for review, and moderators may remove comments or restrict a reader’s ability to comment. One reader report flags a comment and temporarily suspends its achievement credit while it is reviewed; three distinct reports hold the comment from public display. A report is a concern to review, not proof that the author violated a rule. You can report a comment or block a reader from a comment’s menu. Blocking hides that reader’s comments for your signed-in account; it does not make your own comments private. For help or an urgent moderation concern, contact news@neareport.com.

Automated moderation checks run on NEA Report’s server using local rules for abusive language, spam, links and personal contact information, including words and phrases configured by the site. Human moderators review reports and held comments.

Community Voice achievements use the number of your currently published, eligible comments and replies: 25, 100 and 1,000. Held, flagged, removed or deleted comments do not count. Progress can decrease when an eligible comment is removed or becomes ineligible. Commenting does not award spendable Rewards points. The same account is intended to carry these records across supported NEA Report platforms; this does not mean comments are already available on every platform.

You can delete your own comments. Deleting your Reader Rewards account removes your comment text and display name from the active comment records and disconnects those records from your account. An anonymous placeholder and reply relationships may remain so other readers’ replies still make sense. Other readers’ replies are not deleted with your account. Backups may temporarily retain older copies under the host’s backup practices. Deleting the app or signing out does not delete your server account or comments.

Comments and comment activity are used to operate discussions, moderate abuse and calculate these achievements. They do not expand your optional marketing-email consent and are not passed to AdMob. Contact news@neareport.com for access, correction or deletion help.

The NEA Newsroom game and ranked-play purchases

Updated October 27, 2026. These features apply to versions that offer the game. Ranked play and optional Apple purchases are available to signed-in readers in supported releases, subject to the availability and play allowances described below.

Offline practice is saved only on your device. Optional ranked play requires your Reader Rewards account and an explicit game notice. We send the fictional game brief and the headline you enter to OpenAI for AI scoring and fictional parody rewrites. Do not include private information. We do not send your Rewards email, account identifier or sign-in token to OpenAI. Responses are requested without storage; OpenAI may retain information under its applicable API policies.

NEA Report stores current ranked progress, submitted game headlines, scores and achievements with your Rewards account. The all-time leaderboard shows your chosen public nickname and best completed score; it does not show your email or submitted headlines. A real name is not required. You can choose or change your public nickname in Reader Rewards. Until you choose one, an assigned player alias is used. You can hide your leaderboard entry. Deleting your Rewards account deletes your game records. Game followers have no cash value and do not add spendable Rewards points.

Optional ranked-play purchases

Signed-in readers receive five free ranked games each calendar month. Optional Apple in-app purchases add 20 ranked games per pack. Purchased plays do not expire and are separate from Reader Rewards points. One play is used when the first scored round is successfully saved. Practice remains free.

Apple processes payment; NEA Report does not receive your card or bank details. To verify and deliver purchased plays, the app provides Apple a randomly assigned account token, and our server verifies Apple’s transaction information. We store the account token, transaction ID, product, purchase environment, refund status, and play usage with your Reader Rewards account. This information is used for purchase delivery, balance recovery, refund handling and fraud prevention, not advertising tracking. Sign into the same Rewards account to access its purchased balance. Deleting that account deletes its game records and unused plays; deleting the account does not itself request a refund from Apple.

Ranked play and new purchases pause if the game’s operating budget is exhausted. Unused purchased plays stay on the account during a pause; practice remains available. We check Apple for refunds and adjust the purchased balance when a refund is confirmed. Sandbox purchases and test scores are kept separate from production purchases and scores.

Optional rewarded advertisements

Signed-in readers may choose to complete a rewarded advertisement for 10 Reader Reward points. Watching is optional and is not required to read news or use other app features. No ad click or purchase is required. There is no daily viewing limit; ad availability may vary. Bonus Collector achievements recognize 25, 100 and 1,000 verified completed rewarded ads. Milestones do not add extra points.

NEA Report records an opaque reward-session identifier, its association with your Rewards account, ad unit, completion transaction, completion time and credited points to deliver rewards, prevent duplicate credits and calculate achievements. We send Google the random session identifier for server-side verification, not your email address or public nickname. Google’s signed completion message confirms the reward; a skipped or unfinished ad does not qualify. Confirmation may be delayed. Test advertisements preview completion without adding real points or achievements.

Ad-earned points are recorded separately from story-reading activity. They cannot be transferred, exchanged for cash or gift cards, or redeemed for transferable physical merchandise. Redemption is not currently available. Any future eligible redemption will be described before launch and must comply with Google’s rewarded-ad rules, including its limit on physical-item discounts.

Ad preferences and applicable consent choices remain available in Menu > Privacy. The existing Google advertising section describes Google’s processing. Deleting your Rewards account removes its ad reward history and points from the active Rewards database, subject to the existing backup policy. Uncompleted reward sessions expire after one hour and are cleared after a further seven days; completed reward records are retained with the account to prevent duplicate awards and maintain balances.

Contact NEA Report at news@neareport.com if a completed reward has not appeared.

Optional support purchases

Optional, one-time Support NEA Report purchases use Apple’s App Store payment system. Apple processes payment using your App Store account. NEA Report does not receive your payment-card details. Support purchases do not award points, unlock content, remove ads or create a subscription. Apple manages payment receipts and refund requests.

When Local News Supporter achievements are available, you may choose to link a new support purchase to your signed-in Reader Rewards account before buying. Linking starts unchecked and is optional; you may support NEA Report without a Rewards account. We give Apple a randomly generated account token rather than your Rewards email address. We store that token, Apple’s transaction identifier, the support product/level, whether it is a real or test purchase, verification times and refund status with your Rewards account. We use these records to verify purchases with Apple, prevent duplicate or incorrect claims and maintain supporter achievements across devices. We do not store your card information or a copy of your Apple payment receipt. Linked purchases do not change your marketing preference, and are not automatically linked to Fourthwall merchandise orders.

Bronze, Silver and Gold Local News Supporter badges recognize the corresponding one-time support options. A higher level includes lower badges. Repeated purchases do not combine into higher tiers. Refunded purchases and test payments do not qualify. Purchases made without account linking cannot be retroactively claimed. Verification is periodically refreshed with Apple; a badge may temporarily be unavailable if verification cannot be refreshed for more than 24 hours.

Deleting your Rewards account removes these linked records and achievements from the active Rewards system, subject to the backup retention described elsewhere in this policy. Deleting Rewards does not refund Apple purchases or erase Apple’s own transaction records. Contact Apple for purchase receipts or refunds.

Merchandise store

The Store opens NEA Report’s Fourthwall shop inside an in-app Safari browser. Fourthwall and its payment providers process product selections, cart information, payment, shipping and order support under the store’s privacy policy. NEA Report and Fourthwall may receive the contact and delivery information needed to fulfill and support your order. Store order and cart activity may also be used for shop analytics and email reminders about an unfinished checkout, including promotional offers. The app does not read payment-card information entered in the browser or automatically link merchandise orders to Reader Rewards. The store’s own marketing choices are separate from Reader Rewards consent. Review the shop’s privacy policy before checkout.