Fair Usage Policy

TypeLords is an arena. The whole point is that your result is yours — typed by you, on your keyboard, with your hands. A leaderboard is meaningful only if the scores on it are real. This page explains what that means in practice, what we treat as cheating, and what we do about it.

This policy is part of our Terms of Service. If anything here conflicts with the Terms, the Terms control.

1. The principle

Every result on TypeLords must come from a human typing on a real keyboard. Not a bot. Not a script. Not a paste. Not voice-to-text. Not autocomplete. Not a friend at the next desk. You.

Speed and accuracy can both be earned. We honour both. What we don't honour is anything that fakes either one.

2. What we treat as cheating

The following are violations, full stop. This list isn't exhaustive — anything that produces a result you didn't actually type counts:

• Bots and scripts — any program, macro, or automation that produces keystroke events instead of (or alongside) your own. AutoHotKey scripts, Selenium/Puppeteer drivers, custom JavaScript dispatching synthetic events — all forbidden.
• Voice-to-text and dictation — macOS Dictation, iOS Dictation, Windows Speech Recognition, Whisper, Otter, Dragon — anything that inserts characters from spoken or recorded audio.
• Pasting passage text — copying the passage from anywhere (the page itself, OCR of a screenshot, a screen reader, a chat with a friend) and pasting it into the typing surface.
• Autocomplete suggestion bars — tapping a word suggestion above a mobile keyboard inserts the full word in one event, which is not a keystroke. Tap-by-tap typing and swipe-type are allowed.
• Browser extensions or assistive software that modify, predict, complete, or speed up your input.
• Multiple accounts created to game leaderboards, referrals, certificates, or rewards. One person, one account.
• Account sharing or transfer — letting someone else type on your account, or selling/transferring your account to someone else.
• Coordinated play — two or more users colluding to manipulate standings, rewards, or referrals.
• Reward laundering — manipulating TL Coins, stage unlocks, or certificates through any means other than genuine, completed typing.

3. How our anti-cheat works

We operate an active, layered anti-cheat program across all seven activities — TypeWars, TypeLegends, TypeAcademy, TypeCareers, TypeTest, TypePractice, and TypeH2H.

Input guard. Before any keystroke is accepted, we check that it came from a real input event. Synthetic events dispatched by JavaScript, multi-character insertions from voice or autocomplete, and paste-style insertions are blocked at the source and never produce typed characters.

Telemetry capture. For every completed run, we record per-keystroke timing, the input type of each event, and a coarse browser/device fingerprint (user agent, screen size, timezone, platform — no IP, no geolocation, no canvas/audio fingerprinting). Clean runs produce no record. Suspect runs do.

Server-side analysis. Every submission is examined against rule checks: untrusted events, blocked input types, paste attempts, composition events, ultra-uniform timing (the signature of a bot), superhuman bursts (10+ keys faster than 30ms apart), and leaps far beyond your own history. Any rule that fires writes a suspect signal for admin review.

Admin review. Flagged runs are reviewed by a human. The admin can confirm cheating (consequences below) or mark the run as a false positive. We err on the side of human review rather than automated punishment.

4. What happens when we confirm cheating

Consequences scale with severity and history. At our discretion, any of the following may apply:

• Run invalidated. The result is removed from leaderboards and your history.
• Rewards reversed. TL Coins awarded for the run are deducted. Journey progression from the run is rolled back.
• Certificate revoked. Any certificate issued because of the run is revoked. Its public page is taken down.
• Stage unlock forfeited. Stage unlock payments are non-refundable in cases of confirmed cheating.
• Leaderboard exclusion. Repeat offenders are excluded from leaderboards.
• Account suspension. Temporary lock with no access to the activities. Existing history preserved.
• Account termination. For severe, repeated, or coordinated cheating. Permanent and not appealable except where factual error is demonstrated.

5. Appeals

If you believe a run of yours was flagged in error — for instance, a legitimately fast burst, an unusual but real device setup, or a false-positive from the input guard — you can appeal.

Email ping@typelords.com from the email address registered on your account. Include:

• The activity (TypeWars, TypeTest, etc.).
• The date and time, or contest hour/date.
• Your account email.
• A short description of what was going on at the time.

We aim to respond within 2 business days. We will look at the telemetry on file (timing, input types, events) and either reinstate the run or explain why the determination stands. Decisions on appeal are final.

6. Reporting suspected cheating

Spotted something on a leaderboard that doesn't look right? Email ping@typelords.comwith the activity, the contest hour or date, and the user you're reporting. We investigate every report. We do not share the outcome of an investigation with the reporter for privacy reasons, but we do read every message.

7. Privacy and proportionality

We collect anti-cheat telemetry only for completed runs. Clean runs leave no record. We do not store IP addresses, geolocation, or fingerprint hashes for this purpose. Telemetry retained alongside a flagged signal is kept for up to 12 months after review and then purged. See our Privacy Policy for full detail.

8. Changes to this policy

We update this policy as the anti-cheat program evolves. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be communicated by email.

9. Contact

Questions, reports, appeals: ping@typelords.com.