Follow the Money

Legal

Terms of Use

Last updated: June 2026

Summary

These Terms of Use ("Terms") are an agreement between you and Matthew Green ("we," "us," "the developer") that governs your use of Follow the Money (the community bill tracker) and Follow the Money: The Game (a location-based territory game), together with the related websites and services (collectively, the "Apps"). The two Apps share one account and one backend. By creating an account, signing in, or otherwise using the Apps, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Apps.

The most important thing to know up front: the Apps let users post content that other users can see, and we have a zero-tolerance policy for objectionable content and abusive behavior. See Acceptable use below.

Who can use the Apps

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Apps. By using them you confirm that you meet this requirement and that the information you provide about yourself is accurate. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure and for everything that happens under your account.

Your account

You sign in with the same account across both Apps, using Sign in with Apple or an email and password. You may delete your account at any time from inside either App (in the Game: Profile → Delete account; in the bill tracker: About → Account). Because the two Apps share one account, deleting your account removes it for both Apps and deletes the data tied to it. This is permanent.

License to use the Apps

We grant you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Apps for their intended, lawful purposes, in line with these Terms and with the App Store Terms of Service. We retain all rights, title, and interest in the Apps and their content (other than content you provide). You agree not to copy, modify, reverse-engineer, decompile, resell, or create derivative works from the Apps except as permitted by law.

Apple standard EULA. The Apps are distributed through the Apple App Store. Except where these Terms expressly provide otherwise, your license to use the Apps is also governed by Apple's standard Licensed Application End User License Agreement (the "Apple Standard EULA"), available at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference as the baseline licensing terms. If there is any conflict between these Terms and the Apple Standard EULA regarding the license itself, the Apple Standard EULA governs that license; these Terms otherwise apply. You acknowledge that Apple has no obligation to furnish any maintenance or support for the Apps, that Apple is not responsible for addressing any claims relating to the Apps, and that Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them against you.

Acceptable use — zero tolerance for objectionable content and abuse

The Apps include user-generated content and social features — in the Game, public chat messages and the username and display name shown to other players; in the bill tracker, the locations, notes, usernames, profiles, and direct messages other users can see. We have zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive behavior.

By using the Apps, you agree that you will not post, send, upload, or otherwise share any content, and will not engage in any conduct, that:

  • is harassing, bullying, threatening, hateful, or that attacks or demeans people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic;
  • is sexually explicit or obscene, or that sexualizes, exploits, or endangers minors in any way;
  • is violent or that incites, threatens, or glorifies violence or self-harm;
  • is illegal, promotes illegal activity, or infringes anyone's intellectual property, privacy, or other rights;
  • is defamatory, fraudulent, deceptive, or a scam;
  • is spam, or that impersonates another person or misrepresents your affiliation with anyone;
  • discloses another person's private information without their consent; or
  • is otherwise objectionable, or that interferes with, abuses, or attempts to circumvent the Apps, their safety tools, or other users.

You are solely responsible for the content you post and the way you behave in the Apps.

Moderation, reporting, and blocking

We do not tolerate objectionable content or abusive users. To keep the community safe:

  • You can report any message or any user from inside the Apps. Reports go to us for review, and we act on them — typically within 24 hours.
  • You can block any user so you no longer see their content, and you can manage or undo your blocks at any time.
  • We remove objectionable content and act on abusive users. We may, at our sole discretion and without prior notice, remove content, restrict features, suspend, or permanently ban any user who violates these Terms or who posts objectionable content or behaves abusively. Offenders may be removed and barred from the Apps.
  • The Game also applies an automated filter that blocks clearly objectionable language from being posted.

You can also report abuse directly by emailing followthemoney.support@gmail.com. Our commitment to acting on objectionable content and abusive users is a condition of being allowed to use the Apps.

Your content

You keep ownership of the content you create. By posting content in the Apps, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, display, and distribute that content as needed to operate the Apps and their social features (for example, showing a bill's journey to other users, or showing your chat messages to other players). This license ends when you delete the content or your account, except for copies retained for moderation, legal, backup, or safety purposes, and except for content already shared with other users (such as messages they have received).

Location and the Game

Follow the Money: The Game uses your device location while you play to determine which map areas you can claim or attack, and your distance is checked on our server so the rules can't be faked. The Game does not track your location in the background. You can turn location access off at any time in iOS Settings, but the Game's core features won't work without it. See the Privacy Policy for details on what the Game collects.

In-app purchases and virtual items

The Apps may offer optional purchases (for example, a physical custom stamp, handled through a third-party checkout). In-game coins, territory, and cosmetic items have no real-world cash value, cannot be exchanged for money, and may be adjusted or reset as part of normal game operation, including season resets. Payments made through the App Store are subject to Apple's terms and refund policies.

Disclaimers

The Apps are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law. We do not warrant that the Apps will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that any content posted by users is accurate or appropriate. Always use common sense and stay aware of your surroundings when playing a location-based game — do not trespass, enter unsafe areas, or use the Apps while driving.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, profits, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of the Apps. As an independent, free app made by one person, our total liability for any claim relating to the Apps is limited to the amount you paid us, if any, for the App in the 12 months before the claim.

Termination

You may stop using the Apps and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access at any time if you violate these Terms, post objectionable content, behave abusively, or use the Apps in a way that harms other users or the service. Sections relating to content licenses, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and governing law survive termination.

Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes we will update the "Last updated" date above and may notify you in the App on next launch. Your continued use of the Apps after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which the developer resides, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Nothing in these Terms limits any rights you may have under the mandatory laws of your place of residence.

Contact

Questions about these Terms? Reach out at followthemoney.support@gmail.com or via our Support page.