PRIVACY POLICY

Last Revised: February 20, 2024

General

We know that your privacy is important to you, and we work hard to earn and keep your trust. This Privacy Policy addresses questions about the types of personal information we collect, the third parties with whom we might share such information, and how you can review or change the personal information you provide to us.

Text In Church and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“TIC,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your privacy through our compliance with this Privacy Policy (the “Policy”).

This Policy describes:

  • The types of information we collect from you or that you may provide when you visit our website available at: https://www.textinchurch.com/ (the “Website”), when you use the Text In Church mobile application (the “App”) or the Talk in Church virtual phone system (the “System”), any websites and blogs directly owned by TIC where this Policy is linked, and in-person interactions when you provide information to TIC (“Offline” and together with the Website, the App and the System, our “Platform”).
  • Our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

This Policy applies to your use as a user of the Platform, whether as a visitor or as a registered user (“you”). This Policy applies to information we collect on the Platform or in emails and other electronic messages between you and the Platform, and information gathered when you interact with our advertising on third-party websites if such advertisements include links to this Policy. This Policy does not apply to information collected by any other website operated by any third party, or information collected by any third party through any application or content (including advertising) that may link to or be accessible from the Platform (for further information, see below, “Third-party Websites”).

Please read this Policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your information and how we will treat it. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, then please do not provide personal information to TIC Offline or via the use of our Website, App or the Service.  By using our Platform, you agree to the terms of this Policy. This Policy may change from time to time (see below, “Changes to this Policy”). Your continued use of our Platform after we make changes is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so please check the Policy periodically for updates.


Terms of Use

This Policy should be read in conjunction with our Terms of Use, into which this Policy is expressly incorporated by reference. 

What We Collect and How We Collect It

To ensure that we provide you with the best possible experience, we will store, use, and disclose personal information about you in accordance with this Policy.  Personal information is information that identifies, relates to, describes, references, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular user, household or device (“Personal Information”). In particular, TIC may collect the following categories of Personal Information from users of our Platform:

Category
Examples
Collected
Disclosed

Identifiers.

A real name, postal address, unique personal identifier, online identifier, Internet Protocol address, email address, account name.

YES

Authorized Users of the Church.

Protected classification characteristics.

Age (40 years or older), race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, religion or creed, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, sex (including gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy or childbirth and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, veteran or military status, genetic information (including familial genetic information).

YES

Authorized Users of the Church.

Internet or other similar network activity.

Browsing history, history of the users interaction with the app, website, application, or advertisement.

YES

Authorized Users of the Church.

Geolocation data

Physical location or movements.

YES

Affiliates or subsidiaries.

Professional or employment-related information.

Current or past job history or performance evaluations.

YES

Affiliates or subsidiaries.

We obtain the categories of Personal Information listed above from the following categories of sources:

Directly from you. For example, when you:

  • register yourself with the App, Services or
  • subscribe to one of our e-newsletters;
  • review or comment on one of our products or services;
  • complete member applications and related forms;
  • submit a job application;
  • submit other web forms; or
  • otherwise communicate with us, such as request information.

Indirectly from you. For example, through information we collect from you in the course of providing our services to you.

Directly and indirectly from activity on our Platform. For example, from Website usage details that are collected automatically. For more information on automatic information collection, please review the “Automated Information Collection” section below.

Free-Text Boxes. The information that you provide in each case will vary. In some cases, you may be able to provide Personal Information via email or free text boxes, such as contacting TIC to request further information. When providing your Personal Information, please provide only relevant information and do not provide unnecessary sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, credit card information or other sensitive personal data, unless required for our services.

Username and Password; Other Sources.  We may ask you to create a username and password that should only be known to you. When you provide this information to us, you are no longer anonymous. Moreover, we may receive information about you from other sources and add it to the information you have provided to.

Aggregated and De-Identified Data. We may also collect, use and share Aggregated and De-Identified Data such as statistical or demographic data for any purpose. Aggregated and De-Identified Data could be derived from your Personal Information but is not considered Personal Information in law as this data will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. However, if we combine or connect Aggregated or De-Identified Data with your Personal Information so that it can directly or indirectly identify you, we treat the combined data as Personal Information which will be used in accordance with this Policy

Live Chat. When using the live chat features, please only provide necessary information and do not provide sensitive information. For recordkeeping, training, and quality assurance purposes, we or our third-party vendor may record and maintain a transcript of any communications in the live chat.

Automated Information Collection

In addition to the information that you provide to us, we may also collect information about you during your visit to our Website. We collect this information using automated tools that are detailed below. These tools may collect information about your behavior and your computer system, such as your internet address (IP Address), the pages you have viewed, and the actions you have taken while using the Website. Some of the tools we use to automatically collect information about you may include:

  1. Cookies. A “cookie” is a small data file transmitted from a website to your device. Cookies are usually defined in one of two ways, and we may use either (or both) of them:
  2. session cookies, which do not stay on your device after you close your browser, and
  3. persistent cookies, which remain on your device until you delete them or they expire.

We may use the following categories of cookies.

i. Strictly Necessary Cookies. These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the Website or App and use the features. Without these cookies, services you have requested cannot be provided.

ii. Performance Cookies. These cookies collect anonymous information on how you use our Website or App to help us understand how you arrive at our Website, browse or use our Website and highlight areas where we can improve, such as navigation. The data stored by these cookies never shows personal details from which your individual identity can be established.

iii. Functionality Cookies. These cookies remember choices you make such as the country from which you visit our Website, your preferred language, and your search parameters. This information can then be used to provide you with an experience more appropriate to your selections and to make your visits to our Website more tailored to your preferences. The information in these cookies may be anonymized. These cookies cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

iv. Targeting Cookies or Advertising Cookies. These cookies collect information about your browsing habits in order to make advertising more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. The cookies are usually placed by third-party advertising networks. These cookies remember the websites you visit and that information is shared with other parties, such as advertisers.

Of course, if you do not wish to have cookies on your devices, you may turn them off at any time by modifying your internet browser’s settings. However, by disabling cookies on your device, you may be prohibited from full use of certain features or lose access to some functionality.

  1. Google Analytics. The Website sends aggregated non-Personal Information to Google Analytics for the purpose of providing us with the ability to conduct technical and statistical analysis on the Website’s performance. For more information on how Google Analytics supports the Website and uses information sent from the Website, please review Google’s privacy policy available at https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.
  2. Meta Pixel. With the help of the Meta pixel, also known as the Facebook Pixel, Meta is able to determine the visitors of our Website as a target group for the presentation of advertisements. With the help of the Meta pixel, we want to make sure that our ads are in line with the potential interest of users and do not have a nuisance effect. Using the Meta pixel, we can also track the effectiveness of Meta or Facebook ads for statistical and market research purposes. Meta’s processing of the data is governed by Meta’s Data Usage Policy, which is available at https://www.facebook.com/policy.php. For specific information and details about the Meta pixel and how it works, please visit the Meta Business Help Center: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/651294705016616.
  3. Web Beacons. A Web Beacon is an electronic image. Web Beacons can track certain things from your computer and can report activity back to a web server allowing us to understand some of your behavior. If you choose to receive emails from us, we may use Web Beacons to track your reaction to our emails. We may also use them to track if you click on the links and at what time and date you do so. This information is only collected in aggregate form and will not be linked to your Personal Information. Please note that any image file on a webpage can act as a Web Beacon.
  4. Embedded Web Links. Links provided in our emails and, in some cases, on third-party websites may include tracking technology embedded in the link. The tracking is accomplished through a redirection system. The redirection system allows us to understand how the link is being used by email recipients. Some of these links will enable us to identify that you have personally clicked on the link and this may be attached to the Personal Information that we hold about you. This data is used to improve our service to you and to help us understand the performance of our marketing campaigns.
  5. Third-party Websites and Services. We work with a number of service providers of marketing communications technology. These service providers may use various data collection methods to improve the performance of the marketing campaigns we are contracting them to provide. The information collected can be gathered on our Website and also on the websites where our marketing communications are appearing. For example, we may collect data where our banner advertisements are displayed on third-party websites.
  6. App. In addition to the information you provide to us, we may also collect information about you during your use of the App. We collect this information using automated technology. This technology may collect information about your behavior and your device, such as your internet address (IP Address), the pages you have viewed, the actions you have taken while using the App, saved preferences, and log-in session ID. This information is not personally identifiable or capable of being used to identify you in the scope of this Policy.

How We Use Your Information

you request, in addition to various other purposes, including, but not limited to: 

  • communicating information regarding your congregation’s news and operations;
  • allowing you to communicate with other parishioners and members of or visitors to your congregation; 
  • providing the information, products and services you request;
  • security, credit or fraud prevention purposes;
  • providing you with effective customer service;
  • providing you with a personalized experience when you use the Platform;
  • contacting you with special offers and other information we believe will be of interest to you (in accordance with any privacy preferences you have expressed to us);
  • contacting you with information and notices related to your use of the Platform;
  • inviting you to participate in surveys and providing feedback to us (in accordance with any privacy preferences you have expressed to us);
  • better understanding your needs and interests;
  • improving the content, functionality and usability of our Platform;
  • improving our products and services;
  • improving our marketing and promotional efforts; 
  • other business purposes, such as better understanding our customer needs, enhancing relationships, or making appropriate offers; and
  • any other purpose identified in an applicable privacy notice, click-through agreement or other agreement between you and us.

Duration. The length of time TIC intends to retain Personal Information, including sensitive personal information, if any, is for as long as reasonably necessary to carry out the intended business purpose for such information.  

How We Disclose Your Information

We do not sell or lease your Personal Information to any third party. We may disclose your Personal Information to a third party for a business purpose, including the following categories of third parties:

  • Our Affiliates or Subsidiaries. We may disclose the information collected through the Platform with our affiliates in order to provide our products, services and effective customer support.
  • Third-party Service Providers. We may disclose Personal Information collected through the Platform with third-party Service Providers who act for or on behalf of TIC. These third parties may need information about you to perform their functions. “Service Providers” may include suppliers, dealers, distributors, companies and consultants that provide website hosting, software development, payment processing, website and data analytics, order fulfillment, information technology and related infrastructure support, customer service, email delivery, and auditing.
  • In Aggregate or De-Identified Form. We may aggregate or otherwise anonymize the data we collect for purposes of analytics, research, marketing and other business interests of TIC. Such use shall not include Personal Information or information that can identify you as an individual or reasonably be used to identify you.

Except as described in this Policy, we will not disclose your information with third parties without your notice and consent, unless it is under one of the following circumstances:

  • Legal Reasons.
  • We believe that disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with any applicable law, regulation, subpoena, or court order;
  • To respond to duly authorized information requests from law enforcement or other governmental authorities;
  • To enforce our agreements, policies, or the Terms of Use;
  • To investigate and prevent security threats, fraud, or other malicious activity; or
  • To respond to an emergency that we believe in good faith requires us to disclose such information to assist in preventing the death or serious bodily injury of any person or Company employee.
  • Sale of Business or Merger. There are circumstances where TIC may decide to buy, sell, or reorganize its business in selected countries.  Under these circumstances, it may be necessary to disclose or receive Personal Information with prospective or actual partners or affiliates. In such circumstances, TIC will ensure your information is used in accordance with this Policy.

Your Choices and Selecting Your Privacy Preferences

We want to provide you with relevant information that you have requested. When possible, we will always provide options as to what information we collect and how you can manage any preferences that pertains to such information. 

If we provide subscription-based services, such as email newsletters, we will allow you to make choices about what information you provide at the point of information collection or at any time after you have received a communication from us while you are subscribed.  Transactional or service-oriented messages, such as delivery confirmation messages, are usually excluded from such preferences, as such messages are required to respond to your requests or to provide goods and services, and are not intended for the purposes of marketing.

We may send you email newsletters and marketing emails.  You may opt out of such emails at any time by selecting the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of each email.  Please note that by opting out or unsubscribing you may affect other services you have requested we provide to you, in which email communication is a requirement of the service provided. 

Text Messaging 

You will receive SMS or "text" messages through the App, and also may receive pre-recorded voice messages or auto-dialed phone calls from TIC and its affiliates when you elect to use the System.  Such messaging is by your affirmative election and consent, and in addition to the primary use of the same, such communications may be used to authenticate your identity or mobile device, as well as provide you informational updates about services or products you may have requested.  In providing your mobile device number or cell phone number to TIC, you knowingly consent to such communications from TIC and/or for TIC to use your cell phone number or mobile device number in accordance with the Terms of Use.  In providing your number, you represent that you have the authority to agree to receive text messages at the telephone number that you provide to TIC, or from which you sent the text message request to us.  You further acknowledge that no purchase is required to use this service, and you may opt out at any time by following the instructions provided in our communications to you.

Any such communications you receive from us will be administered in accordance with your preferences and this Policy.  

Accuracy and Access to Your Personal Information

We strive to maintain and process your information accurately.  We have processes in place to maintain all of our information in accordance with relevant data governance frameworks and legal requirements.  We employ technologies designed to help us maintain information accuracy on input and processing. 

Where we can provide you access to your Personal Information in our possession, we will always ask you for a username and password to help protect your privacy and security.  We recommend that you keep your password safe, that you change it periodically, and that you do not disclose it to any other person or allow any other person to use it.  

To view and change the Personal Information that you have provided to us, you can directly edit your details in the App, or contact us directly for assistance.

Information of Minors

We do not intentionally seek to gather information from individuals under the age of sixteen (16).  We do not target the Platform to minors, and we will only obtain the Personal Information of individuals under the age of 16 from a parent or legal guardian.  By providing information of an individual under the age of 16, the parent or legal guardian represents to TIC that they are doing so knowingly and in accordance with all lawful consents and authorizations under applicable law.  We encourage parents and guardians to provide adequate protection measures to prevent minors from providing information unwillingly on the internet.  If we are aware of any Personal Information that we have collected about minors which was not provided directly by a parent or legal guardian, we will take steps to securely remove it from our systems. 

Submissions

We welcome inquiries or feedback on the services or products you might use or like to use. Any inquiries, feedback, suggestions, ideas, materials, comments or other information you provide to us (collectively, “Submissions”) will be treated as non-proprietary and non-confidential. Your Submissions on or through this Website may be available to others who visit the Website. In addition, we may use your Submissions in advertising campaigns and other promotions. We may or may not use your name in connection with such use, and we may or may not seek your consent before using the Submissions for such purposes. Therefore, you should have no expectation of privacy with respect to your Submissions on or through this Website or the Platform more generally. You should not submit any content you do not wish to make available to the general public, and you must take special care to make sure your Submissions comply with our Terms of Use or other applicable agreements. All terms and conditions of our Terms of Use apply to Submissions on or through this Website. In particular, your Submissions must not violate the privacy or other rights of others. You may not use false identifying information or contact information, impersonate any person or entity, or otherwise mislead us as to the origin of any Submission. 

Third Party Websites and Services

This Policy does not apply to websites or other domains that are maintained or operated by third parties, or more generally to any such third parties.  Our Platform may link to or allow you to interact with certain third-party websites and services.  For example, if you click on an advertisement on this Website, you may be taken to another website that we do not control. These links are not endorsements of these websites.  Moreover, the Platform allows you to communicate directly with third parties in certain instances at your discretion.  In any event and for the avoidance of doubt, this Policy does not extend to any such third parties.  Because this Policy is not enforced on these third-party websites or services, we encourage you to read any posted privacy policy of a third party before using the service or website and providing any information.  

Your Rights Under State Law

California

  • Shine the Light law.  Pursuant to California Civil Code Section 1798.83, we will not disclose or share your Personal Information with third parties for the purposes of third-party marketing to you without your prior consent. 
  • Do Not Track Signals.  Our Website does not track you when it receives Do Not Track signals from your internet web browser. 
  • WE DO NOT SELL OR SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION. If we ever decide to “sell” or “share” Personal Information, as those terms are defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, we will update you via this Policy and include a link entitled “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information,” to provide you with an opportunity to opt out of the selling or sharing of your Personal Information. 

Consumer Rights

Some state laws in the United States provide consumers with additional rights with respect to their personal information (also known as “personal data”), as those terms are defined under those applicable state laws. Such state laws may include, but are not limited to, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (the “CCPA”) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, the Colorado Privacy Act (“CPA”) and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VCDPA”).  Any personal information we collect is collected for the commercial purpose of effectively providing our services to you, as well as enabling you to learn more about, and benefit from, our services. If you reside in a state that provides additional rights with respect to your Personal Information, you may exercise each of your rights as identified below, subject to our verification of your identity. 

A. Access.  You have the right to request that we disclose certain information to you about our collection, use and disclosure of your Personal Information over the past twelve (12) months. Any disclosures we provide will only cover the 12-month period preceding the receipt of your request. The response we provide will also explain the reasons we cannot comply with a request, if applicable. 

B. Correction.  You can correct what Personal Information our Platform database currently contains by accessing your account directly, or by contacting us to request that we correct or rectify any Personal Information that you have provided to us. 

C. Prohibit Data Sharing.  When applicable, you may prohibit the sharing of your Personal Information. In your request, please explain how you wish us to prohibit the sharing of your Personal Information, and which categories of third parties you want to prohibit from receiving your Personal Information. When such prohibitions are not possible to provide our services to you, we will advise you accordingly. You can then choose to exercise any other rights under this Policy.

D. Portability.  Upon request and when possible, we can provide you with copies of your Personal Information. When such a request cannot be honored, we will advise you accordingly. You can then choose to exercise any other rights under this Policy.

E. Deletion.  You have the right to request that we delete any of your Personal Information, subject to certain exceptions. Once we receive and confirm your verifiable consumer request, we will delete (and direct our service providers to delete) your Personal Information from our records, unless an exception applies. Where applicable, we will ensure such changes are shared with trusted third parties.

F. Opt-out of Processing. You have the right to request that we do not sell your Personal Information, use your Personal Information for Targeted Advertising, or use your Personal Information for profiling. Where applicable, we will ensure such changes are shared with trusted third parties.

G. Non-Discrimination. If a data subject exercises his or her rights under applicable state law, including but not limited to the CCPA, CPA, and VCDPA, we shall not discriminate against that data subject by denying our goods or services, charging different prices or rates to similarly situated consumers, providing a different level or quality of our goods or services, or taking any other adverse action.

H. Exercising your rights.  If you are a data subject that has rights under applicable state law, including but not limited to the CCPA, CPA, and VCDPA, who chooses to exercise the rights listed above, you can: 

1. Submit a request at the following address: 

Text In Church
8118 Park Ridge Drive
Parkville, MO 64152
Attn: Privacy

2. Call us at 844-324-2727

Only you, or someone legally authorized to act on your behalf, may make a request related to your Personal Information. If an authorized agent makes a request on your behalf, we may require proof that you gave the agent permission to submit the request.  

Responding to Your Request. Upon receiving your request, we will confirm receipt of your request. To help protect your privacy and maintain security, we may take steps to verify your identity before granting you access to the Personal Information. In some instances, such as a request to delete personal information, we may first separately confirm that you would like for us to in fact delete your personal information before acting on your request.

We will respond to your request within 45 days. If we require more time, we will inform you of the reason and extension period in writing. 

In some cases, our ability to uphold these rights for you may depend upon our obligations to process Personal Information for security, safety, fraud prevention reasons, compliance with regulatory or legal requirements, or because processing is necessary to deliver the services you have requested. Where this is the case, we will inform you of specific details in response to your request.

For Website Users or Visitors Outside of the United States

Our Website is designed for use by individuals in the United States and Canada only.  We do not warrant or represent that this Policy or the Platform’s use of your Personal Information complies with the laws of any other jurisdiction.  Furthermore, to provide you with our services, we may store, process, and transmit information in the United States and other locations around the world, including countries that may not have the same privacy and security laws as yours.  Regardless of the country in which such information is stored, we will process your Personal Information in accordance with this Policy.   

Safeguarding the Information We Collect

We use reasonable technical, administrative, and physical safeguards in order to protect your Personal Information against accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure.  However, we can never promise 100% security.  You have a responsibility, as well, to safeguard your information through the proper use and security of any online credentials used to access your Personal Information, such as a username and password. If you believe your credentials have been compromised, please change your password. Please also notify us immediately of any actual or suspected unauthorized use.

Careers at Text In Church

We use private and third-party databases and tools hosted by third parties on their websites to collect information from individuals that provide information to be considered for potential employment. Information you provide to us via these private label services is accessible to TIC. We will not use the information you provide for any purpose other than to allow you to conduct automated job searches or determine your qualifications for potential employment with TIC except as otherwise permitted by this Policy. 

Changes to this Policy

This Policy describes our current policies and practices with regard to the information we collect through this Website. We are continually improving and adding to the features and functionality of this Website along with the products and services we offer through our Platform. If we make any changes to this Policy, a revised Policy will be posted on this webpage and the date of the change will be reported in the “Last Revised” block above. You can get to this page from any of our webpages by clicking on the “Privacy Policy” link (usually at the bottom of the screen).

How to Contact Us

We value your opinions and welcome your feedback.  To contact us about this Policy or your Personal Information, please contact us by email at compliance.officer@textinchurch.com.