Faithify — Faithify Z

1

Who We Are & Covered Applications

Faithify ("we," "us," "our") operates the web platform at www.faithifyz.com, the Faithify audio learning platform (including Faithify Kids), and the DebreSync ("ደብረ ስንቅ") mobile application ecosystem. We are the data controller responsible for the personal information collected through these Services.

This unified Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information across all our digital products:

Faithify & Faithify Kids: Our Christian educational audiobook streaming, curriculum, and interactive learning platform for families, parents, and children.
DebreSync ("ደብረ ስንቅ"): Our liturgical scheduling, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) canonical calendar, worldwide parish directory (312+ churches across 34 countries), confession scheduling, and clergy duty management mobile application.

🔒 By accessing or using the Faithify platform or the DebreSync mobile application, you consent to the data practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please discontinue use of our Services.

2

Information We Collect

2.1 Faithify Platform (Web & Audiobooks) — Data you provide directly:

Data Type	What We Collect	Why
Account data	First name, last name, email address, password (encrypted)	To create and manage your Faithify family account
Payment data	Payment method details (processed securely by Stripe — we never store full card numbers)	To process subscription payments and family tiers
Child profiles	Child's first name, age, chosen emoji avatar, learning tier	To personalize the audiobook learning experience
Communications	Emails you send to us at info@faithifyz.com	To respond to support requests and inquiries

2.2 DebreSync Mobile Application — Data & Permissions:

User Role / Feature	Data & Permissions Requested	Purpose & Privacy Safeguards
Public Churchgoers (General App Access)	No account or personal data required. Anyone can browse the 312+ worldwide parishes, Ethiopian Calendar, daily scripture lectionary, and fasting guides anonymously.	Complete privacy. No sign-up, tracking, or user identification is required for general churchgoers.
Device Location (Optional GPS)	Current latitude and longitude coordinates (requested only with your explicit permission).	Strictly On-Device: Used solely to calculate driving distances to nearby EOTC parishes and sort the parish directory. Coordinates are processed locally on your device and are never transmitted, logged, or stored on remote servers.
Clergy & Church Administrators	Registered phone number, 4-digit PIN, clergy title/role (Priest, Deacon, Administrator), and assigned parish.	Used exclusively to authenticate clergy into the secure administration portal to manage Divine Liturgy (Qidase) celebrant assignments and substitute duty requests. Tokens and PINs are encrypted via Apple Keychain / Android Keystore.
Pastoral Confession & Prayer Requests	Parishioner phone number, preferred date/time, and private spiritual message/note.	Transmitted securely and privately to the selected parish priest under the sacred sacramental seal. Never shared with third parties or used for any non-pastoral purpose.
Liturgical Schedules & Rota	Duty assignment records, celebrant roles, and parish announcements.	Stored in local SQLite cache and synchronized with Supabase cloud database to ensure all altar celebrants see up-to-date assignments.

2.3 Information collected automatically:

Usage data: Pages visited, features used, playback state, and screen interaction
Device data: Device model, operating system version (iOS/Android), and app release version
Log data: IP address, network status, and error logs for crash troubleshooting
Cookies & Local Storage: Essential session preferences (see Section 9)

2.4 Information we do NOT collect:

Full credit or debit card numbers (handled entirely by Stripe, Apple StoreKit, or Google Play Billing)
Background GPS location tracking (we never track your location when the app is closed)
Audio recordings of confessions, prayers, or personal conversations
Government-issued ID or Social Security numbers
Biometric data of any kind (e.g. Face ID / Fingerprints remain strictly on your device)
Social media profiles or contact book data

3

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following service-specific purposes:

Faithify Audio & Learning: Creating and managing your account, streaming Christian audiobooks, processing subscription tiers, and personalizing child profiles
DebreSync Liturgical Scheduling & Directory: Calculating nearby EOTC parish distances strictly on-device, displaying official parish directories, providing daily scripture lectionary verses, and tracking canonical fasts
Pastoral Care & Sacramental Confession: Securely routing confession bookings and prayer requests from churchgoers to their selected parish priest under the sacred sacramental seal
Clergy Duty Coordination: Authenticating priests and deacons via phone/PIN to coordinate Divine Liturgy (Qidase) celebrants, substitute assignments, and sanctuary altar display modes
Cloud Synchronization: Synchronizing liturgical duty rosters and parish announcements in real-time across devices via Supabase
Customer support: Responding to your questions, resolving app issues, and processing support requests
Service communications: Sending transactional alerts, renewal notices, parish duty updates, and important service announcements
Security & Integrity: Detecting and preventing abuse, securing clergy accounts, and protecting user privacy

✅ We do not use your data for: targeted advertising, profiling for commercial sale, political messaging, or any purpose not listed above. We do not sell your data. Ever.

Marketing communications: We may occasionally send promotional updates about Faithify or DebreSync features. You may opt out at any time by clicking "Unsubscribe" in any email or contacting us at info@faithifyz.com. Opting out of promotional messages does not affect transactional or liturgical service notifications.

4

How We Share Your Information

🔒 We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for their marketing, commercial, or advertising purposes.

We share your information only with trusted infrastructure processors in the following limited circumstances:

4.1 Service providers (processors):

Provider	Purpose	Data Shared
Supabase	Real-time database hosting, WebSocket sync, & clergy authentication for DebreSync and Faithify	Encrypted user credentials, duty assignments, parish announcements
Apple App Store (StoreKit)	iOS app distribution & in-app subscription processing	Anonymous transaction identifiers (processed directly by Apple)
Google Play Console / Billing	Android app distribution & in-app subscription processing	Anonymous transaction tokens (processed directly by Google)
Stripe	Web subscription payment processing (Faithify)	Email, payment details, subscription status (processed directly by Stripe)
Squarespace	Website hosting & CDN	Standard web traffic logs
Google Fonts	Web typography delivery	IP address (standard CDN font request)

All service providers are contractually bound to:

Process your data only according to our instructions
Maintain appropriate security measures
Not use your data for their own purposes
Delete or return your data when our relationship ends

4.2 Legal requirements: We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government authority, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of any person, prevent fraud, or enforce our Terms of Service.

4.3 Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of Faithify's assets, your information may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you by email prior to any such transfer.

5

Children's Privacy & Family Protection

Protecting children's privacy is one of our highest priorities across all our applications. Faithify is designed as a family platform managed entirely by parents or legal guardians. DebreSync is an open, family-friendly church tool used by families, youth, and Sunday school learners to study the Ethiopian Calendar and liturgical lectionary. We strictly comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and similar international regulations.

Our approach to children's data:

Neither Faithify nor DebreSync permits children under 13 to create independent user accounts
All Faithify subscription accounts are created and managed exclusively by a parent or legal guardian aged 18+
Faithify child profiles contain only: first name, age, emoji avatar, and educational learning tier
DebreSync enables youth, children, and families to view daily holy readings and fasting calendars completely anonymously without any account creation or personal data collection
We never collect email addresses, phone numbers, or location histories from child profiles
We do not serve advertisements, trackers, or commercial promotions of any kind to children

⚠️ If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information without parental consent, please contact us immediately at info@faithifyz.com. We will promptly investigate and permanently delete any such information.

Parents may review, update, or delete their children's profile data at any time through the parent dashboard or by contacting us directly.

6

Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to:

Maintain your active account and provide the requested Services
Enable ongoing liturgical duty coordination for active parish clergy
Comply with applicable legal, tax, and regulatory obligations
Resolve disputes and enforce our terms and pastoral agreements

Specific retention schedules:

Data Category & Service	Retention Period
Faithify Account Data	Duration of active account + 30 days following deletion request
Faithify Child Profiles	Permanently deleted immediately upon parent account deletion
Payment & Subscription Records	7 years (statutory tax/accounting requirement via Stripe/Apple/Google)
DebreSync Clergy Credentials & Roster	Duration of clergy appointment at the active parish
DebreSync Confession & Prayer Requests	Pastoral duration (maximum 90 days after spiritual consultation, or immediately upon user request)
Support Emails & Inquiries	3 years or as required for ongoing assistance
Anonymized System & Error Logs	90 days rolling window

📌 When you request account or data deletion, we will permanently delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except where statutory retention is required by law.

7

Data Security & Sacramental Confidentiality

We implement comprehensive administrative, technical, and physical security measures to safeguard your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration.

Our security and privacy safeguards include:

Encryption in transit: All data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using modern TLS 1.3 / HTTPS
Encryption at rest: Stored database records are encrypted using AES-256 via Supabase infrastructure
Hardware-backed credential storage: DebreSync clergy PINs and authentication tokens are secured locally on iOS devices via the Apple Keychain and on Android via the Android Keystore
Sacramental confidentiality: DebreSync confession and pastoral requests are treated with the highest degree of confidentiality under the pastoral seal and are accessible only to the specific authorized priest
Payment security: All payments are processed through PCI DSS Level 1 certified processors (Stripe, Apple StoreKit, Google Play Billing) — we never access or store payment card numbers
Granular access control: PostgreSQL Row-Level Security (RLS) ensures users can access only their own authorized parish records

⚠️ Security Notice: While we employ industry-standard safeguards, no electronic transmission or storage system can be guaranteed 100% secure. If you ever suspect unauthorized access to your account or clergy credentials, please contact us immediately at info@faithifyz.com.

8

Your Rights & Choices

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@faithifyz.com.

Right to access: Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you
Right to correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to deletion: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
Right to portability: Request your data in a machine-readable format
Right to restriction: Request that we limit how we process your data
Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time

✅ We will respond to all data rights requests within 30 days. We will never charge a fee for exercising your rights. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any privacy right.

How to submit a request: Email info@faithifyz.com with the subject line "Privacy Request" and describe your request. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

9

Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Faithify uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the Service and improve your experience.

Types of cookies we use:

Cookie Type	Purpose	Can you opt out?
Essential	Required for login sessions, authentication, and core platform functions	No — required for the Service to function
Functional	Remember your preferences (language, tier, playback settings)	Yes — via browser settings
Analytics	Understand how users interact with the platform (aggregated, anonymized)	Yes — email us or use browser opt-out tools

Local storage: We use browser local storage to save child profile preferences and playback state on your device. This data stays on your device and is not transmitted to our servers unless you are logged in.

Managing cookies: You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling essential cookies will prevent you from logging in and using the Service.

📌 We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or cross-site tracking technologies of any kind. We do not share cookie data with advertisers or data brokers.

10

Third-Party Services

Faithify integrates with a small number of carefully selected third-party services necessary to operate the platform. Each provider has their own privacy policy which we encourage you to review:

Supabase (authentication, real-time sync & database) — supabase.com/privacy
Apple (iOS App Store & StoreKit in-app processing) — apple.com/legal/privacy
Google (Google Play Store & Play Billing) — policies.google.com/privacy
Stripe (web payments) — stripe.com/privacy
Squarespace (website hosting) — squarespace.com/privacy
Google Fonts (typography) — policies.google.com/privacy

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (such as our Amazon book listings). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

🔒 Faithify does not integrate with social media platforms, advertising networks, data brokers, or any third party whose business model involves monetizing user data.

11

International Data Transfers

Faithify serves users globally, including families in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and other countries. Our infrastructure (Supabase, Stripe, Squarespace) may process and store your data in the United States and other countries.

When we transfer personal data from the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or other regions with data protection laws, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
Transfers only to processors who maintain adequate data protection standards
Reliance on our service providers' own compliance frameworks

12

California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) provides you with specific rights regarding your personal information.

You have the right to:

Know what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell (we do not sell)
Request deletion of your personal information
Opt out of the "sale" of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
Non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights
Correct inaccurate personal information
Limit use and disclosure of sensitive personal information

✅ Faithify does not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA. We do not share personal information with third parties for cross-context behavioral advertising.

To submit a CCPA request, email info@faithifyz.com with "CCPA Request" in the subject line. We will verify your identity and respond within 45 days.

13

GDPR Rights (EU & UK Users)

If you are located in the European Union or United Kingdom, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or UK GDPR applies to our processing of your personal data.

Our legal basis for processing:

Processing Activity	Legal Basis
Account creation and management	Contract performance
Payment processing	Contract performance
Sending transactional emails	Contract performance / Legitimate interest
Sending marketing emails	Consent (opt-in)
Analytics and improvement	Legitimate interest
Legal compliance	Legal obligation
Fraud prevention	Legitimate interest

Your GDPR rights include: access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, and objection. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

To exercise your GDPR rights, contact us at info@faithifyz.com. We will respond within 30 days.

14

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make material changes, we will:

Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this policy
Send a notification to your registered email address
Display a prominent notice on our website for a reasonable period

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

The current version of this Privacy Policy is always available at faithifyz.com/privacy.

15

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices for Faithify, Faithify Kids, or DebreSync, please contact us:

Email: info@faithifyz.com
Website: www.faithifyz.com
Subject line: "Privacy Request — Faithify" or "Privacy Request — DebreSync"
Response time: Within 48 business hours for general questions; within 30 days for formal data rights requests

📌 This Privacy Policy was written to be clear and understandable. If any part of it is unclear, please email us and we will explain it. We believe privacy should be simple and transparent — not buried in legal jargon.

Privacy Policy