> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://walkingman.gitbook.io/the-walking-man/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://walkingman.gitbook.io/the-walking-man/anti-cheat.md).

# Anti-cheat & fairness

The whole idea of The Walking Man is that **your luck comes from real walking**. Here's how we keep cheating out.

## What we check for

Our system catches:

* **Shaking your phone** instead of walking
* **Phone in your hand** (detected by motion patterns)
* **Riding in a car** instead of walking (GPS shows you moving too fast)
* **Treadmill walking** without actual forward movement
* **Fake data** someone tried to submit after the fact

## How we verify

Every walking session is checked twice: once on your phone, then again on our servers using the same logic. If they don't match, the steps don't count.

Sessions are cryptographically signed so nobody can fake or edit them after they're submitted.

## What happens if you cheat

If we catch you:

* You lose all your accumulated steps and tier status.
* You forfeit your mint rights.
* Your referral bonuses get rolled back from anyone who referred you.

## What we don't do

* We don't track where you walk (unless GPS is on)
* We don't keep your movement data longer than we need to verify your steps
* We don't sell or share your data

**Walk honestly. The road remembers.**