Legal

Privacy Policy

Effective 23 September 2026privacy@praize.faith

Effective date: 2026-10-13 Controller: Joshua Katigbak, operating Praize ("Praize", "we", "us") Privacy contact: privacy@praize.faith Supervisory authority (Estonia): Andmekaitse Inspektsioon (Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate), https://www.aki.ee

1. Overview

Praize is a prayer community app where people ask for prayer, pray for each other out loud, and share praise. If you create an account and post content, your prayers, your church membership, and church applications may reveal religious beliefs, which is treated as sensitive (special category) data under EU data protection law.

This policy explains what we collect, why, how long we keep it, and your rights.

2. How You Can Use Praize

2.1 Viewer Mode (no account required)

You can browse public prayers without creating an account. In viewer mode we process only basic technical data (IP address, device info) to operate and secure the service. We do not store personal content for viewers.

2.2 Account Mode

When you create an account, you can post prayers, give and receive intercessions, join groups, participate in vigils, and use voice features. Creating an account and posting prayer content involves processing data that may reveal religious beliefs.

2.3 Guest Accounts

You may initially use Praize with a guest profile for limited intercession features. A guest can respond to a prayer request but cannot post a prayer request. If you later sign in, Praize may link your guest responses and subscriptions to your account. Guest activity is pseudonymous, not fully anonymous, because it can still be linked to the same device or later account.

2.4 Signed-in web requests (ask.praize.live)

You can record an audio prayer request at ask.praize.live after you sign in with Apple or Google and give explicit consent for religious content. Audio is required. You can add optional written context. The request belongs to the same Praize account that you use in the mobile app. Other people receive a public request without a link to your profile, but Praize keeps the account link so that you can manage the request. This is quiet attribution, not anonymous posting.

3. What We Collect

3.1 Android beta instructions (praize.faith)

If you enter your email address and select the consent checkbox, we use that address to send you the Android beta instructions through Resend. The lawful basis is your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). This form does not create a Praize account, add you to a mailing list, or join the tester group for you. We do not save the address in a signup database or in your browser storage.

Resend processes the recipient address, message, and delivery information to send the email. Our sending domain uses Resend's Ireland region, but provider processing can take place outside the European Union. Provider records follow Resend's privacy policy and data processing terms. Contact privacy@praize.faith for data requests.

Cloudflare Turnstile checks browser and network signals to protect this form from bots. We also send your IP address to its verification service. If you choose to join the Google Group, Google handles that separate membership under its own terms. You can leave the group through Google Groups.

3.2 Account data

3.3 Prayer and community content

3.4 Audio and transcripts

When you post a prayer request or use another voice feature, we process:

3.5 Location (optional)

You can choose a country, and optionally a city, for your requests. We never read your location from GPS or from your IP address.

3.6 Groups, vigils, and invites

3.7 Safety and security data

3.8 Error monitoring

We use Sentry for crash and error reporting so that the app works reliably. This is not optional analytics: it runs whether or not you turn on app analytics. Sentry receives data at its EU ingest endpoint. Sentry receives:

3.9 App analytics (optional)

App analytics is off until you turn it on in Settings > Privacy & data. If you opt in:

3.10 In-app purchases (optional)

You can make in-app purchases through Apple or Google. RevenueCat processes them for us. If you make a purchase:

3.11 Contacts (optional)

If you give the app access to your address book, it reads your contacts on your device only, to help you find people you know. We never upload your address book.

4. Why We Use Your Data

PurposeWhat dataLegal basis
Provide the service (accounts, prayer posting, delivery)Account data, prayer contentContract (Art. 6(1)(b)) + Explicit consent for religious content (Art. 9(2)(a))
Voice prayers and transcriptionAudio, transcriptsContract (Art. 6(1)(b)) where needed to provide the feature + explicit consent for religious content (Art. 9(2)(a)); recording starts only after your action and browser microphone permission
Translation for cross-language deliveryTranscripts, translationsContract (Art. 6(1)(b)) where translation is enabled for delivery + explicit consent for religious content (Art. 9(2)(a))
"Near you" view and nearby prayer alertsCountry and optional city that you chooseSeparate optional consent (Art. 6(1)(a))
Finding people you knowContacts read on your device; one keyed hash of the email you choose to addContract (Art. 6(1)(b)), at your request
AnalyticsProduct events linked to your accountConsent (Art. 6(1)(a))
Website visit statistics (praize.faith only)Pages viewed, clicks on links and buttons, page load speed, referring page, browser window size, device type, approximate country derived from your IP address, and a random visitor ID kept in browser storage, as received by Metricool and PostHogConsent (Art. 6(1)(a)), given in the website consent banner
Crash and error diagnosticsError events, device and app version, internal user IDLegitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f))
Age protectionAge band and its source; OS age range where you allow itLegal obligation and legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(c), 6(1)(f))
Community safety and moderationContent metadata, flags, reports, transcripts (for moderation)Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) + explicit consent for religious content where special-category content is processed (Art. 9(2)(a)) — see our LIA: Safety & Abuse Prevention
Security, fraud prevention, rate limitingIP, device info, auth eventsLegitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) — see our LIA: Security Logging
Backups and disaster recoveryDatabase snapshots, including special-category content where presentLegitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f)) + explicit consent for religious content where special-category content remains in backups (Art. 9(2)(a)) — see our LIA: Backups & DR
In-app purchasesPurchase history (product, transaction IDs, dates)Contract (Art. 6(1)(b))
Legal/tax obligationsPurchase recordsLegal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c))

5. Religious Content (Special Category Data)

Prayers, church membership, and church applications may reveal religious beliefs. In account mode, we process this based on your explicit consent to operate the service you request. We keep a record of that consent.

You can withdraw consent at any time in Settings > Privacy & Data. Withdrawing consent:

Consent withdrawal is not a punishment. Viewer mode provides meaningful access to the service.

6. Automated Processing

6.1 Transcription and translation

If you use audio features, we may auto-transcribe your voice prayers. Transcription runs through OpenRouter on a Microsoft MAI model. Translation uses OpenAI. Translation is used only where enabled for cross-language delivery or otherwise selected in the product.

6.2 Privacy filter

We apply automated checks to detect high-risk personal information in posts (e.g., phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, identifying details about minors). If detected:

6.3 Moderation

Automated moderation from OpenAI checks text and images before they are shared. If someone reports audio, Google Gemini, through OpenRouter, may review the recording to help a human reviewer. Moderation results support human decisions.

6.4 Prayer classifier

An AI classifier, through OpenRouter, may add topic and date details to a prayer. We use these details to organize prayers in the community. The classifier does not decide anything about you.

6.5 New user safety period

During the first 14 days after account creation, we may apply additional safety checks to protect the community (e.g., enhanced moderation review of audio content). You are informed about this during onboarding.

7. Third-Party Data in Prayers

Prayers naturally mention other people. Please:

If you believe someone has posted your personal information without consent, you can report the content for review.

8. Who We Share Data With

8.1 Other users

Based on your visibility settings, your content may be visible to:

8.2 Service providers (processors)

We use the following categories of service providers to operate Praize:

For the Android beta instructions on the website, we also use Resend for email delivery and Cloudflare Turnstile for bot checks, as described in Section 3.1. Turnstile is used only on the website. These services receive only the data needed for those steps, not prayer recordings or account content.

ProviderServiceLocationSafeguard
CloudflareMedia storage for audio and photos (R2) and upload workers (Workers); website hosting, CDN, and edge security; on the website only: Turnstile bot checks, Web Analytics, and beta link counts (Analytics Engine)EU region for core storage; global edge network for hosting, CDN, and securityDPA/SCC or equivalent contractual safeguards
OpenRouterRoutes AI requests with zero-data-retention routing: transcription (Microsoft MAI), audio review of reported content (Google Gemini), and the prayer classifierMay process outside the EU depending on the model providerDPA/SCC or equivalent contractual safeguards
OpenAIText and image moderation; translationMay process outside the EU depending on service configurationDPA/SCC or equivalent contractual safeguards
AppleOAuth authentication; in-app purchases; age range (Declared Age Range) where you allow itUSPlatform DPF/SCCs
GoogleOAuth authentication; in-app purchases; age signals (Play Age Signals) where you allow itUSPlatform DPF/SCCs
FacebookOAuth authenticationUSPlatform DPF/SCCs
RevenueCatIn-app purchase processing and purchase historyUSDPA/SCC or equivalent contractual safeguards
SentryCrash and error monitoringEU ingestDPA/SCC or equivalent contractual safeguards
MetricoolWebsite visit statistics on praize.faith, only after you select Allow in the consent bannerEU (Spain)DPA or equivalent contractual safeguards
PostHogWebsite visit statistics on praize.faith (page views and clicks, no session recording), only after you select Allow in the consent bannerEU (Germany, EU Cloud)DPA; Standard Contractual Clauses for any access by PostHog Inc. (US)
ExpoPush notification delivery and app updatesMay process outside the EU depending on platform routingPlatform terms and contractual safeguards
Apple, GooglePush notification delivery where enabledMay process outside the EU depending on platform routingPlatform terms and contractual safeguards
ResendEmail: confirmation, application, QR follow-up, and beta instructionsMay process outside the EU depending on service configurationDPA/SCC or equivalent contractual safeguards
Google PlacesChurch searchUSPlatform DPF/SCCs
TelegramOperational alerts to the operator. Alerts contain no content and no identifiersMay process outside the EUNo personal data is sent
Proton MailEmail hosting for support and privacy requestsSwitzerland / EU-region infrastructure depending on service routingAdequacy/SCC or equivalent contractual safeguards

We configure providers to minimize retention and require appropriate contractual protections before production use. Provider retention, region, DPA, SCC/DPF, and transfer-impact status is tracked in our vendor register.

8.3 We do not sell your data

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal data to third parties for advertising or marketing.

9. International Data Transfers

We process and store core user data (database, audio, backups) in the European Union as our baseline for all users, regardless of your location.

Some service providers (OAuth, AI processing, in-app purchases, push notifications, email) may process limited data outside the EU under their own infrastructure. Where Praize initiates transfers via processors, we use appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or rely on adequacy decisions.

10. How Long We Keep Data

Data typeRetentionNotes
Account data and contentUntil you delete it or request account deletionYou control your data lifecycle
Audio filesUntil you delete them or request account deletionDeleted from storage within 24 hours of request
Deleted content in backupsUp to 30 days after deletionBackups expire automatically; deletion re-applied after any restore
Sign-in sessions (IP address and user agent)For the life of the session (30 days)Deleted with the session
Rate limitingTransientIP addresses are held in memory or hashed
Security logs7-30 days (detailed); up to 90 days (aggregated/pseudonymized)Authentication events
Location on requestsUntil you clear it or delete the requestCountry and optional city only
Crash reports held by SentrySentry's retention periodAccount deletion does not reach these copies
Moderation artifacts`transcript_raw`: 24h (7d if flagged); flags: with content lifecycleRaw transcripts are ephemeral
Purchase records7 yearsLegal/tax requirement; anonymized on account deletion where possible
Security audit logsUp to 1 yearUsing pseudonymized identifiers
Church application and reviewer decisionKept to defend legal claims (Art. 17(3)(e))Contact details and correspondence are erased with the account; the application and decision remain without them
Church QR request content90 days, then automatic erasureThe requester can delete sooner through the check-back link; a content-free attempt record is kept as safety evidence

11. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights including:

RightHow to exerciseResponse time
Access (Art. 15)Settings > Privacy & Data > Export, or email usUp to 30 days
Rectification (Art. 16)Edit your profile or content directly in the appImmediate
Erasure (Art. 17)Settings > Privacy & data > Full Account deletion, or the steps on our account deletion page if you do not have the app7-day grace period, then deletion + 30-day backup expiry
Restriction (Art. 18)Withdraw consent > revert to viewer modeImmediate
Portability (Art. 20)Data export in machine-readable format (JSON/ZIP), including audioUp to 30 days
Object (Art. 21)App analytics is off unless you turn it on; turn it off in Settings at any time. Email us for other objectionsImmediate for analytics
Withdraw consentSettings > Privacy & DataImmediate; does not affect prior lawful processing
ComplainEstonian Data Protection Inspectorate (https://www.aki.ee) or your local authorityN/A

Account deletion details

You can request deletion in the app or, without the app, by email. Our account deletion page explains both. When you request account deletion: 1. 7-day grace period: You can cancel the deletion during this time 2. Day 7: Hard delete from live database; audio files deleted from storage within 24 hours 3. Day 37: Oldest backup containing your data expires (30-day backup retention)

Public content options at deletion:

What deletion does not reach: Copies held by our service providers, such as crash reports at Sentry, remain until their own retention period ends. A scrubbed profile placeholder, with no name, email, or content, may remain to keep conversations and safety records consistent.

> Important: "Detach" removes your account link but is pseudonymization, not true anonymization. If your prayer text includes identifying information (your name, location, etc.), it may still be identifiable. We recommend reviewing and editing content before detaching.

12. Security

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data, including:

13. Age and Young Users

You must be 16 or older to use Praize, in every country. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. If we learn a user is under 16, we will delete the account and related data.

14. Cookies and Local Storage

The Praize mobile app uses:

The Praize marketing website (praize.faith) may use:

The signed-in request website (ask.praize.live) uses:

15. If You Are a Church

This section applies when you apply to bring a church to Praize, when your church publishes prayer requests, and when someone submits a request through your church's QR link. The rest of this policy still applies.

15.1 Applying for a church

To apply, you create a Praize account and confirm your email address. We process:

We use this data to review your application and to confirm your authority to act for the church. Applying to a church reveals religious belief, so we process it on your explicit consent (Art. 9(2)(a)), which you give by ticking the consent box on the application page, and to take steps at your request before a contract with Praize (Art. 6(1)(b)). A human reviewer decides every application. We do not treat a matching listing, a church-domain email, or a confirmed email as proof of authority.

We keep the application and the reviewer's decision to defend legal claims (Art. 17(3)(e)). If your account is erased, your contact details and correspondence are erased, and the application and decision remain without them.

We use Resend to send confirmation and application emails, and Google Places to resolve the church you select.

15.2 If you are a church owner

When an application is approved, the applicant becomes the owner of the church in Praize. The owner adds a prayer team and completes the readiness steps before the church can publish requests or use a QR link.

For prayer requests a church publishes, and for requests submitted through a church's QR link, the church chooses what is published and who receives it. Praize operates the platform, processes the data to provide it, and keeps its own safety, security, and legal obligations.

15.3 Church-published requests

A church owner can publish a prayer request to the church audience. If the owner names an intended recipient, the owner confirms that the recipient agreed before publishing. Members of the church can read and pray for published requests. A church can have more than three active requests; church requests do not use the personal three-request limit.

Church-published requests belong to the church. If the publishing person's account is erased, the request and its prayer thread stay with the church, and that person's account link is removed.

15.4 Requests through a church QR link

Anyone with a church's QR link can submit one prayer request without creating a Praize account. Before submitting, the requester must confirm that they are an adult submitting for themselves, or a parent or guardian submitting for a minor, and must accept the consent notice shown on the page.

We process the request text, an optional email address for follow-up, and technical data needed to operate and protect the link. The request text is moderated before it is stored. Moderation uses OpenAI and OpenRouter. Audio responses and playback data use Cloudflare R2 and Workers. If the requester gives an email address, Resend sends the follow-up message.

We keep a submitted request for 90 days, then erase it automatically. The requester can delete it sooner through the link in their check-back page. A content-free record of the attempt is kept as abuse and safety evidence.

To make a rights request for a QR submission, use the check-back link or contact privacy@praize.faith. You do not need a Praize account.

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy. If changes are material (new processing purposes, new processors, changes to your rights), we will notify you via the app or email before the changes take effect.

17. Contact

Change Log

2026-10-13: Added Metricool visit statistics on praize.faith. They load only after you select Allow in a consent banner, and you can change your answer in the website footer. Added Metricool to the processor table and the legal-basis table, and described the stored consent answer in Section 14. Added PostHog for the same visit statistics under the same consent, and asked every visitor again because earlier answers covered Metricool only.

2026-09-23: Aligned the policy with the app as built. Described in-app purchases through Apple, Google, and RevenueCat. Made clear that app analytics is opt-in and linked to your account, and that Sentry crash data is collected at its EU ingest. Removed Bible verse and Scripture caching descriptions. Removed Deepgram and named OpenRouter (transcription, reported-audio review, classifier), OpenAI (moderation, translation), RevenueCat, Expo, and Telegram. Scoped Turnstile and Cloudflare analytics to the website. Added contacts matching, the age band rules, user-chosen location, invitee names, church membership as religious data, session IP retention, and automated moderation and classification. Replaced the IP pseudonymization claim. Linked the new account deletion page and stated that deletion does not reach copies held by service providers.

2026-09-19: Added Section 15, describing church applications, church ownership, church-published requests, and requests through a church QR link. Added Resend and Google Places to the processor table and church retention rows to Section 10. Renumbered Changes and Contact to Sections 16 and 17.

2026-09-17: Described Cloudflare website visit and page-view metrics and anonymous beta link counts. Added the two click dimensions and three-month click retention.

2026-09-10: Replaced the retired website waitlist description with one-time Android beta instructions. Added Resend delivery, Turnstile bot checks, and separate Google Group membership. Removed the waitlist's EU-only storage and no-provider-sharing claims.

DateChangeWhyRemaining blocker
2026-08-14Added the signed-in audio web request flow, quiet attribution, microphone use, essential authentication cookies, and the guest intercession boundary.The new ask.praize.live surface accepts audio account-owned prayer requests with optional written context.—
2026-08-10Added §3.1 describing the website beta waitlist (email, consent basis, EU storage, deletion) and updated §14 to reflect the website's actual storage use (preference local storage; no cookies, no tracking).The waitlist existed on praize.faith without being described in this policy; §14's website wording predated the live site.—
2026-05-16Removed public draft placeholders, set the release effective date, updated controller/contact details, and replaced unresolved vendor placeholders with current beta-release posture.Makes the public policy suitable for TestFlight/App Store review links while preserving accurate external-state caveats.Final legal review and store-console App Privacy confirmation remain required before production submission.
2026-04-28Marked draft, replaced guest-account anonymity wording, added Article 6 + Article 9 pairings, corrected consent-withdrawal wording, and softened unverified processor retention/DPA claims.Aligns public policy with GDPR design and vendor register.Superseded by 2026-05-16 release update.

Related Documents (Internal)

DocumentPurpose
RoPAFull register of processing activities (Art. 30)
DPIAData Protection Impact Assessment (Art. 35)
LIA: Security LoggingLegitimate interests assessment
LIA: Backups & DRLegitimate interests assessment
LIA: Safety & Abuse PreventionLegitimate interests assessment
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