Privacy & how it works

NewsForge on the web is built the same way as our iOS apps: private by design.

Everything stays on this device

Your progress — best scores and XP — is stored only in this browser (on-device storage). It is never sent anywhere. Clear your browser data and it's gone; nobody else can see it.

No accounts, no ads, no tracking

There is no sign-up and no login. There are no ads and no in-app purchases. There are no third-party trackers. Nothing is fetched from the live web — the claims and articles you investigate ship with the app.

Non-partisan by design — every example is made-up

NewsForge teaches how to check and read the news, not what to think. Every claim, post, article, and "source" is invented — we never use real political claims, real outlets, or real people. The Bias Detector names slant structurally (loaded words, a missing side, a spun headline), never "this side is biased." The goal is trust that is calibrated to the evidence — not "believe everything" and not "trust nothing."

Built for ages 11–14

The 400 questions come straight from the NewsForge iOS app and are aligned to CCSS ELA, the C3 social-studies framework, and ISTE standards. The skills — the SIFT method (Stop, Investigate, Find better coverage, Trace) and reading for framing bias — come from Mike Caulfield's SIFT, Stanford's Civic Online Reasoning, and the News Literacy Project. A hint appears only after a first try — you think it through first, and mistakes are treated as part of learning.

If the news ever makes you feel scared or overwhelmed, it's okay to step away and talk to a grown-up you trust — and to ask "what can I actually do with this?" Spark & Anvil is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Apps stay free forever. This page is a plain-language summary, not legal advice.

Full parent guide Site privacy policy