This decentralized, open-source application is designed to serve as a crowdsourced tool for recording public, official activities of government employees at the federal, state, and local levels. Its primary purpose is to enable citizens, journalists, researchers, and nonprofit organizations to document when and where these officials are visibly performing their duties in public spaces.
The app captures only the date, time, location, and a general description of the observed public functions, ensuring that no personal or identifiable information is recorded and that no real-time tracking or surveillance occurs.
The overarching objective is to foster greater governmental transparency and support independent audits of public activities without interfering with official operations. By using this tool, users agree that the purpose is solely to provide an independent record of public, observable actions and not to monitor or target individuals. Users are solely responsible for complying with all applicable local, state, and national laws governing public observation and data collection.
This app is not meant to be used for illegal activity. Use only to submit observations of public activity.
Observation data is community-generated, which means the developer cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data. The developer is not responsible for any consequences of using this app or the data generated by this app.
This app allows multiple data sources. If one source is unavailable, you can switch to another source or create your own.
An initial data source is provided, with the expectation that more sources will be added by the community.
The initial data source can be accessed by entering "https://www.gwus.net/data.php" in the "Source" field in the GovWatch app.
Managing data sources will require community involvement. Anyone can add a source with only a few requirements, but it is up to the creator of the source to distribute the source URL and to maintain data accuracy, reliability, and availability.
A data source consists of (1) a data storage method (e.g., a database) and (2) an API endpoint for retrieving and submitting observation data.
The API endpoint must accept POST requests and return JSON data.
The API must have a single endpoint that accepts a "type" parameter and (if "type" is "getPins") "minLatitude", "maxLatitude", "minLongitude", "maxLongitude", and "filter" parameters, or (if "type" is "setPin") "latitude", "longitude", and "notes" parameters.
For getting observation data. The API must return a JSON array of data entries where:
The API must return a JSON array where each entry has: "latitude", "longitude", "timestamp", and "notes".
For submitting observation data. The API must accept a JSON object with:
The API must generate the current unix timestamp and return a JSON object with either "Success" or "Error".
Here's example PHP code for a data source:
<?php
// Include database connection
include [file for database connection];
// Retrieve data from POST request
$data = json_decode(file_get_contents('php://input'), true);
$type = $data['type'];
// Check the type of request
if ($type == 'getPins'){
$minLatitude = $data['minLatitude'];
$maxLatitude = $data['maxLatitude'];
$minLongitude = $data['minLongitude'];
$maxLongitude = $data['maxLongitude'];
$filter = $data['filter'];
$pins = retrieveData("*", "`[database table name]`", "`latitude` >= '$minLatitude' AND `latitude` <= '$maxLatitude' AND `longitude` >= '$minLongitude' AND `longitude` <= '$maxLongitude' AND `timestamp` >= '$filter' LIMIT 50");
echo json_encode($pins);
}
elseif ($type == 'setPin') {
$latitude = $data['latitude'];
$longitude = $data['longitude'];
$notes = $data['notes'];
$timestamp = strtotime('now');
$insert = insertData("`[database table name]`", "`latitude`, `longitude`, `notes`, `timestamp`", "'$latitude', '$longitude', '$notes', '$timestamp'");
echo json_encode($insert);
}
?>
The above "retrieveData" and "insertData" functions are custom functions for database operations. They build SQL queries as follows:
<?php
retrieveData($fields, $table, $data){
$query = "SELECT $fields FROM $table WHERE $data";
...
}
insertData($table, $fields, $data){
$query = "INSERT INTO $table ($fields) VALUES ($data)";
...
}
?>
Effective Date: June 18, 2025
Last Updated: June 18, 2025
The GovWatch team ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect the information you provide when using our app. By using GovWatch, you agree to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy.
We collect the following types of information when you use our app:
Location Data:
-Latitude and longitude coordinates, either from your device’s GPS at the time of submission or from a location you manually select on the map.
Timestamp:
-The date and time when you submit an observation.
User-Generated Notes:
-Any text or notes you provide when submitting an observation.
We do not collect any personally identifiable information (PII) such as your name, email address, or phone number.
The information collected is used for the following purposes:
To display observations submitted by users for public accountability, journalism, and research purposes.
To allow users to view and analyze submitted observations.
To enable users to set up their own data sources for managing submitted observations.
We do not use your information for marketing purposes, nor do we sell or share your data with third parties for advertising.
We do not sell, rent, or share your data with third parties, except in the following circumstances:
Public Observations:
-Observations you submit (including location data, timestamp, and notes) are publicly visible to all users of the app.
Legal Requirements:
-We may disclose your data if required by law, such as in response to a subpoena or other legal process.
Data Storage:
-Observations are stored on publicly accessible servers to ensure transparency and accountability. Users may also choose to set up their own data sources for managing submitted observations.
Security Measures:
-We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your data from unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction. However, no system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your data:
Access and Portability:
-You can view all observations submitted through the app.
Deletion:
-If you wish to delete an observation that you submitted to the initial data source (https://www.gwus.net/data.php), please contact us at j9727438@gmail.com. To delete an observation from a different data source, please contact the administrator of that data source. Note that once data is publicly shared, it may not be fully removable from all systems.
Our app does not use third-party services to collect or process data. However, users who set up their own data sources may rely on third-party hosting providers, and their privacy policies will apply.
Our app is not intended for use by individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If you believe a child has submitted data through our app, please contact us at j9727438@gmail.com, and we will take appropriate action.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted within the app, and the "Last Updated" date will be revised. Continued use of the app after changes are made constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at:
GovWatch Team
j9727438@gmail.com
This Privacy Policy is designed to ensure transparency and trust while complying with applicable privacy laws. Thank you for using GovWatch!