Privacy at SafeWalkr
SafeWalkr helps users plan walking routes to Fairfax County schools. You can use SafeWalkr without creating an account. SafeWalkr does not display ads and does not use analytics or tracking scripts.
Last updated: October 1, 2026
Who runs SafeWalkr
SafeWalkr is an independent, student-led project created by Isaac Leetyn, Ashwath Muppa, and Daniil (Danya) Prokofev. Fairfax County Public Schools does not publish, endorse, or operate SafeWalkr.
For privacy questions, contact info@safewalkr.com.
Your address and location
SafeWalkr is designed so that most location processing happens directly in your browser.
Typing an address
When you select a school, your browser downloads the list of home addresses within that school’s walking zone. As you type, your browser matches your text against that list locally.
The address text you type is not sent to SafeWalkr.
Tapping the map
If you choose a starting point by tapping the map, your browser snaps that point to the nearest home in the walking zone or to the building you selected. That location is then used as the starting point for the route.
Using your current location
If you select Use my location, your browser asks for permission before accessing your location.
If you allow access, your browser matches your position to the nearest home in the walking zone, or to the building you are currently in, and uses that location as the starting point.
If you are outside the school’s walking zone, your location is not sent to SafeWalkr.
What a route request sends
To calculate and display a walking route, your browser sends SafeWalkr’s route server only the information needed to generate that route:
- the school’s walking zone;
- the coordinates of the selected starting point; and
- your routing preferences, such as preferring sidewalks, avoiding busy roads, reducing crossings, or using crossing guards.
The route request does not include the address text you entered, your name, or other identifying information about you.
The server calculates the route and sends it back to your browser. SafeWalkr does not keep route requests or starting points, and there is no database of route requests.
The route server’s own logs record which webpage or API endpoint was requested and whether the request succeeded. They do not record the route’s starting point.
Hosting and server logs
SafeWalkr is hosted by Vercel, which serves the website and runs the route server.
Like other web hosting providers, Vercel may keep its own request logs containing technical information such as your IP address, the time of the request, and the webpage or API address requested. Vercel handles this information under its own privacy policy.
Links you copy or share
SafeWalkr does not place your route’s starting point in the normal map URL.
The address bar identifies the selected school, for example:
/app?area=chesterbrook
It does not include the location where your walk begins. As a result, copying or sharing the link does not reveal your home or starting point.
Some older SafeWalkr links may still contain a starting point. When one of those links is opened, SafeWalkr uses the location to display the route once and then immediately removes the starting point from the address bar.
Printed directions
When you choose to print a route, SafeWalkr temporarily passes the route to the printable page using storage in your browser.
The printable page moves that information into the print tab itself. The information is deleted when you close that tab.
If the printable page never opens—for example, because your browser blocks the pop-up—the temporarily saved route is automatically deleted after 10 minutes.
SafeWalkr does not receive information about what you print.
What your browser remembers
SafeWalkr stores a small number of preferences on your device so that you do not have to select them again each time you visit.
These may include:
- language;
- measurement units;
- map style;
- color accent;
- routing preferences; and
- the date on which you accepted the Terms of Use.
These settings remain on your device and are not sent to SafeWalkr.
You can remove them by clearing SafeWalkr’s site data through your browser settings.
Other services
Map images
SafeWalkr draws its street map itself, from OpenStreetMap data served by SafeWalkr. Satellite imagery is provided by Esri through ArcGIS.
When you switch to satellite, your browser loads those images directly from Esri. As a result, Esri may receive your IP address and information about the portion of the map displayed on your screen.
Street View photos
Street View images shown along a route are copies stored by SafeWalkr using Cloudflare. Your browser loads those images from Cloudflare’s servers.
If you choose Open this spot in Google Street View, you will be taken to Google Maps, where Google’s privacy policy applies.
Feedback
SafeWalkr’s feedback link opens a Google Form. Information you submit through that form is provided to Google and to SafeWalkr.
Blog videos
Some SafeWalkr blog posts contain embedded videos from YouTube or Vimeo. Those services are loaded only when you visit a post containing one of their videos.
Fonts and map software
Fonts and the software used to display SafeWalkr’s maps are served directly by SafeWalkr rather than loaded from outside services.
Children
SafeWalkr does not ask users to provide names, ages, student records, or accounts.
A walking route can be planned without telling SafeWalkr who will be walking it.
Questions and changes
For privacy questions, contact info@safewalkr.com.
If this privacy page changes, the Last updated date at the top of the page will change as well.