PRIVACY POLICY
What does this policy cover?
Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information that applies to our communication platform (the “Website”) and your choices about the collection and use of your information. If you do not want your information processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy in general or any part of it, you should not use our Website. This Privacy Policy applies to all users of the Website.
1. Information we collect
(a) Information you provide us directly
We may ask for certain information when you enter a competition or correspond with us such as a username, your first and last names, birthdate, phone number, profession, physical address and email address.
We may also collect any messages you send us through the Website, and may collect information you provide in the Entries of any Competition entered into through the Website. We use this information to operate, maintain, and provide the features and functionality of the Website, to correspond with you, and to address any issues you raise about the Website.
If you do not provide your personal information to us, you may not be able to access, enter or use our Website or your experience of using our Website may not be as enjoyable.
(b) Information we receive from third-party applications
We may receive information about you from third parties. This information could include, but is not limited to, the user ID associated with your account, an access token necessary to access that service, any information that you have permitted the third party to share with us and any information you have made public in connection with that service. You should always review, and if necessary, adjust your privacy settings on third-party websites and services before linking or connecting them to the Website. You may also unlink your third-party account from the Website by adjusting your settings in the third-party service. If you unlink your third-party account, we will no longer receive information collected about you in connection with that service. And if you choose to integrate with a third-party application to incorporate elements into your designs, enhance media, supercharge your workflow or share to social media, we could receive data from such apps (as well as disclose data to such apps). If you communicate with us via social media, including Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok and choose to share your user generated content with us, we may receive information such as videos you have created, your photo, your account name and your comments about the The Churchies, LLC.
(c) Information we receive from other third-parties
We may obtain information about you from third-party sources, such as public sources, social media platforms (like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and other platforms) and third-party data providers and information services. We may share your email address or other information in order to obtain and combine this information with information that you provide to us or other information that we collect when you use our Website. We do this to better understand your profile and interests so that we can deliver customized offers and other personalized services to you, such as to serve relevant offers to you via email, chatbots, phone or personalized advertising. You can opt out of The Churchies, LLC collecting more data about you from third-party providers to tailor your experience and messages we send you by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.
Some of these providers may combine data collected from our Website through cookies, pixels, tags and similar technologies, with email or mailing addresses to which they have access to help us serve relevant offers to you.
If you are not a The Churchies, LLC competitor, we may obtain your contact details from a social media platform, such as LinkedIn, or a third-party data provider, so that we can promote our product offerings and services to you if we think they would be helpful in your role.
We also may have obtained your details from another The Churchies, LLC user, for example when they have shared a design with you.
We may also receive information about you and your engagement with our advertisements from our ad servers, ad networks and social media platforms. This may include the websites you visited before coming to The Churchies, LLC so that we can determine advertising effectiveness and pay our referral partners.
If you prefer not to have your information used for this purpose, you can opt out at any time by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.
(d) Information we collect from you automatically
We will directly collect analytics data, or use third-party analytics tools, to help us measure traffic and usage trends for the Website. These tools collect information sent by your browser or mobile device, including the pages you visit and other information (please see the paragraph on log file information below) that assists us in improving the Website. For more information on the analytics cookies we use and how to opt out of third-party collection of this information, please see our Cookies Policy.
(e) Log file information
Log file information is automatically reported by your browser or mobile device each time you access the Website. When you use our Website, our servers automatically record certain log file information. These server logs may include anonymous information such as your web request, browser type, referring / exit pages and URLs, number of clicks and how you interact with links on the Website, domain names, landing pages, pages viewed, and other such information.
(f) Clear gifs/web beacons information
When you use the Website, we may employ clear GIFs (also known as web beacons) which are used to anonymously track the online usage patterns of our users. In addition, we may also use clear GIFs in HTML-based emails sent to our users to track which emails are opened and which links are clicked by recipients. This information allows for more accurate reporting and improvement of the Website.
(g) Device identifiers
When you access the Website on a device (including smart-phones or tablets), we may access, collect and/or monitor one or more “device identifiers,” such as a universally unique identifier (“UUID”). Device identifiers are small data files that uniquely identify your mobile device. A device identifier may convey information to us about how you use the Website. A device identifier may remain persistently on your device, to help you log in and navigate the Website better. Some features of the Website may not function properly if use of device identifiers is impaired.
(h) Location data
The Churchies, LLC collects information in order to understand where its users are located for a number of reasons. It helps The Churchies, LLC to localize and personalize content, comply with local laws, undertake aggregated analytics, understand if its users use The Churchies, LLC for domestic, business or educational use, improve advertising efficiency and estimate the tax liability of The Churchies, LLC.
The Churchies, LLC may collect your precise or approximate location:
- from you, when you provide, correct or confirm your location;
- by inferring your location from your IP address; and
- from our partners or your payment provider.
(i) Content within your account
We receive content that you create within your The Churchies, LLC account and media you upload for use within it, such as designs, images, documents, videos, and metadata about your content.
2. How we use your information
We use the information we collect about you for the purposes set out below:
Providing you with the Website: We use the information that you directly give us to provide the Website to you. This includes allowing you to enter Competitions, giving you access to your designs and billing you for transactions that you make via the Website. We also use information we collect about you automatically to remember information about you so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you visit the site.
For data analytics: We use information about you to help us improve the Website and our users’ experience, including by monitoring aggregate metrics such as total number of visitors, traffic, and demographic patterns.
For data and predictive analytics: We may analyze content, media uploads and activity in your account (such as designs, photos, videos, audio, and search terms) to provide and customize the Website and to train our algorithms and models using machine learning in order to improve our Website. This is carried out with strict access controls and policies in place to protect your privacy.
To communicate with you about the Website: We use your contact information to get in touch with you and to send communications about critical elements of the Website. For example, we may send you emails about technical issues, security alerts or administrative matters.
To promote and drive engagement with the Website: We may use your contact information to get in touch with you about taking part in our surveys or about features and offers relating to the Website that we think you would be interested in. We may also use information we collect about you to make sure that you get the most relevant offers and promotions based on your use of the Website, and your preferences. You can opt-out of these communications as described below.
To improve the Website: We analyze information about your use of the Website and your content to better understand how users are engaging with our Website and measure the effectiveness of the Website so we can make improvements and develop our services for users.
For advertising purposes: We may use information about you, including cookies information and other information we (and our third-party partners) collect from you automatically about your use of the Website, to serve, personalize and measure the effectiveness of advertising on the Website and third-party sites and platforms. This includes showing you advertising we think you might find interesting as well as displaying advertising to potential new users that have similar interests. For more details about how we use your information for advertising purposes, please see Section 4 “Advertising”.
For security measures: We use information about you and from within your account to monitor activity that we think is suspicious or potentially fraudulent, and to identify violations of this Privacy Policy or our Terms and Conditions.
For matters that you have specifically consented to: From time to time The Churchies, LLC may seek your consent to use your information for a particular purpose. Where you consent to our doing so, we will use it for that purpose. Where you no longer want us to use your information for that purpose you may withdraw your consent to this use by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.
For troubleshooting, error resolution and service improvement: We may need to review your designs and submissions to support your request for help, correct general errors with the Website or improve our services.
For matters that we are required to use your information by law: The Churchies, LLC will use or disclose your information where we reasonably believe that such action is necessary to (a) comply with the law and the reasonable requests of law enforcement; (b) to enforce our Terms and Conditions or to protect the security or integrity of our Website; and/or (c) to exercise or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of The Churchies, LLC, our users or others.
3. Sharing your information
(a) How we share your information
We may share your information with contest judges or third-party service providers for the purpose of providing the Website to you and to facilitate The Churchies, LLC’s legitimate interests. Those service providers will only be provided with access to your information as is reasonably necessary for the purpose that The Churchies, LLC has engaged the service provider, and we will require that such third parties comply with this Privacy Policy, appropriate data processing terms and any applicable laws.
Some of the third parties with whom The Churchies, LLC may share your personal information are service providers who assist The Churchies, LLC with functions such as:
Competition judges;
Billing;
Customer support and customer management;
Email services;
Hosting and storage;
Data analytics and predictive analytics;
Data labelling and machine learning;
Security;
Advertising and marketing services;
Domain name registration;
Delivery of physical products; and
Other service providers.
(b) How you can share your User Content
(i) Public Posts
Any information or content that you voluntarily disclose for posting to the Website, such as public User Content, becomes available to be read, collected and used by the public. When you set your profile to public, or make User Content public, your information becomes publicly available globally, searchable by other users and can be indexed by search engines. If you or The Churchies, LLC remove information that you posted to the Website, copies remain viewable in cached and archived pages of the Website, or if other users have copied or saved that information.
You may share your The Churchies, LLC competition designs to your social media accounts, including, but not limited to, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr. You should ensure that you familiarize yourself with the privacy policies of each of these services and any privacy settings that may apply to the designs you choose to share on those accounts.
(ii) Design Collaboration
If you accept an invitation to view or edit a The Churchies, LLC design:
your name and any avatar will be visible to anyone else in the design at the same time as you, whether or not they are logged in to The Churchies, LLC or anonymous;
your name and time of login will become available to any other person that also has edit access to that design, whether or not they are within your Team.
If you do not wish for this to occur, simply opt out by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.
The Churchies, LLC collects your links and they may be shared with service providers where required to provide the Website. Once you share a link, it may be shared by recipients.
(c) Sharing in connection with a merger, acquisition or reorganization
The Churchies, LLC may also share, sell or transfer your information to third parties in connection with or contemplation of (including as part of the due diligence process) any merger, acquisition, reorganization, financing, sale of assets, bankruptcy or insolvency event involving The Churchies, LLC or any portion of our assets, services or businesses. Information such as customer names and email addresses, User Content and other user information related to the Website may be among the items shared, sold or otherwise transferred in these types of transactions. You will be notified via email and/or a notice on the Website if such a transaction takes place and be given notice of any material changes to the way we handle your data under this policy.
(d) Your employer
If you access The Churchies, LLC with an email address issued to you by your employer (either a business, non-profit or educational institution), and your employer has established an account with The Churchies, LLC (or is considering doing so), you acknowledge that The Churchies, LLC may share your name, email, and the existence of your The Churchies, LLC account with your employer. If you do not use The Churchies, LLC in connection with your employment and do not wish for this information to be shared with your employer you can opt out at any time by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.
(e) Sharing with other third parties
The Churchies, LLC will also share your information with third parties, other than those listed in Section 3(a), in certain circumstances, including when you consent to our sharing it with a third party for a particular purpose.
(f) Sharing aggregate data
We may also aggregate or otherwise strip data of all personally identifying characteristics and may share that aggregated, anonymized data with third parties.
(g) Sharing with authorities
We access, preserve and share your information with regulators, law enforcement, police, intelligence sharing and take down services and others where we have a good-faith belief that it is necessary to detect, prevent or address fraud, breaches of our Terms and Conditions, or harmful or illegal activity, to protect The Churchies, LLC (our rights, property or intellectual property), you or others, including as part of investigations or regulatory enquiries or to prevent death or imminent bodily harm.
4. Advertising
We may partner with third party ad servers, ad networks and social media platforms to deliver personalized advertisements (“ads”) on our Website and other sites that may be of interest to you and/or to measure their effectiveness, and/or to identify potential new users of our Website.
The Churchies, LLC may share certain information with our third party advertising partners, such as your email address, location, cookie information and information relating to your use of our Website and allow partners to perform a match of your information against information from other third party networks or sites to serve ads either on the Website or on third party sites and to measure the effectiveness of these ads. We may also share certain information with social media platforms to display advertising to potential new users whose demographics and behavior look like those of our existing users.
In addition, these third-party ad servers or ad networks may use technology to send, directly to your browser or mobile device, these personalized ads and ad links directly to your browser or mobile device, and will automatically receive your IP address when they do so. They may also use other technologies (such as cookies, JavaScript, device identifiers, location data, and clear gifs) to compile information about your browser’s or device’s visits and usage patterns on the Service, and to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize the advertising content. Please see our Cookies Policy for more information about how we and our third party partners use cookies and other technologies to deliver ads to you.
The Churchies, LLC does not sell or rent the information we collect directly from you or about you from third parties with these third-party ad servers or ad networks for such parties’ own marketing purposes.
Please note that an advertiser may ask The Churchies, LLC to show an ad on the Website to a certain audience of users (e.g., based on demographics or other interests). In that situation, The Churchies, LLC determines the target audience and The Churchies, LLC serves the advertising to that audience and only provides anonymous aggregated data to the advertiser. If you respond to such an ad, the advertiser or ad server may conclude that you fit the description of the audience they are trying to reach.
The Churchies, LLC Privacy Policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, third-party advertisers. Please consult the respective privacy policies of such advertisers or contact such advertisers for more information.
5. How we transfer, store and protect your data
Your information collected through the Website will be stored and processed in the United States and any other country in which The Churchies, LLC or its subsidiaries, affiliates or service providers maintain facilities or employ staff or contractors. The Churchies, LLC may expand this data storage and locations according to its needs to maintain its purpose. The Churchies, LLC transfers information that we collect about you, including personal information, to affiliated entities, and to other third parties across borders and from your country or jurisdiction to other countries or jurisdictions around the world. As a result, we may transfer information, including personal information, to a country and jurisdiction that does not have the same data protection laws as your jurisdiction. However, we always take steps to ensure that your information remains protected wherever it is stored and processed in accordance with applicable laws. Where required under applicable laws, you consent to the transfer of information to the U.S. or any other country in which The Churchies, LLC or its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates or service providers maintain facilities and the use and disclosure of information about you as described in this Privacy Policy.
6. Keeping your information safe
The Churchies, LLC cares about the security of your information, and uses appropriate safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of all information collected through the Website. To protect your privacy and security, we take reasonable steps (such as requesting a unique password) to verify your identity before granting you access to your account. You are responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your unique password and account information, and for controlling access to your email communications from The Churchies, LLC, at all times. However, The Churchies, LLC cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to The Churchies, LLC or guarantee that information on the Website may not be accessed, disclosed, altered, or destroyed. Your privacy settings may also be affected by changes to the functionality of third party sites and services that you add to the The Churchies, LLC, such as social networks. The Churchies, LLC is not responsible for the functionality or security measures of any third party.
7. Your choices about your information
(a) You control your account information and settings
We provide choices about how we process your account information:
You can correct, download or delete the data in your account in Your Account settings;
You can request access, correction or deletion of the data The Churchies, LLC holds on you by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.; and
You can opt out of receiving marketing messages by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com. However, you may not opt out of Website-related communications (e.g., account verification, purchase and billing confirmations and reminders, changes/updates to features of the Website, technical and security notices).
(b) Opting out of collection of your information through tracking technologies
Please refer to your mobile device or browser’s technical information for instructions on how to delete and disable cookies, and other tracking/recording tools. Depending on your type of device, it may not be possible to delete or disable tracking mechanisms on your mobile device. Note that disabling cookies and/or other tracking tools prevents The Churchies, LLC or its business partners from tracking your browser’s activities in relation to the Website, and for use in targeted advertising activities by The Churchies, LLC, including via third-party websites. However, doing so may disable some of the features available through the Website. If you have any questions about opting out of the collection of cookies and other tracking/recording tools, please read our Cookies Policy or email us at info@thechurchies.com.
(c) Opting out of enrichment using third-party data
As described above, we may combine information about you with information obtained from third-party sources to better understand your profile and interests so that we can deliver customized offers and other personalized services. You can opt out of The Churchies, LLC collecting more data about you from third-party providers to tailor your experience and messages we send you by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.
(d) Rights in respect of your Information
The laws of some countries grant particular rights in respect of personal information. Individuals in certain countries, including the European Union, United Kingdom, and Brazil have the right to:
Request access to their information;
Request that we correct inaccuracies in their information;
Request that their information be deleted or that we restrict access to it;
Request a structured electronic version of their information; and
Object to our use of their information.
Should you wish to make a request in respect of your personal information please contact us at info@thechurchies.com.You also have the right to object to our processing of personal data about you in for marketing purposes and we will stop processing data for that purpose.
In some circumstances The Churchies, LLC will not be able to comply with your request regarding your personal data. If we are unable to remove any of your information, we will explain why. For example, we may not be able to provide a copy of your information where it infringes on the rights of another user. In some cases, you may have shared your information with third parties, such as by publishing a design on a third party’s website. In that case The Churchies, LLC will not be able to delete the information, and you will need to contact that third party directly.
If we are unable to resolve your request, or if you are concerned about a potential violation, you also have the option to report the issue or make a complaint to the data protection authority in your jurisdiction. Where you have provided your consent to certain processing and no longer want us to use your information for that purpose, you may withdraw your consent to this use, although this will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal. Please see paragraph “You control your account information and settings” for more options on how to opt-out of marketing communications.
8. How long we keep your information
Following termination or deactivation of your user account, The Churchies, LLC will retain your profile information and User Content for a commercially reasonable time, and for as long as we have a valid purpose to do so. In particular, The Churchies, LLC will retain your information for the purpose of complying with its legal and audit obligations, and for backup and archival purposes.
9. Links to other websites and services
We are not responsible for the practices employed by websites or services linked to or from the Website, including the information or content contained therein. Please remember that when you use a link to go from the Website to another website, our Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party websites or services. Your browsing and interaction on any third-party website or service, including those that have a link or advertisement on our website, are subject to that third party’s own rules and policies. In addition, you acknowledge that we are not responsible for and we do not exercise control over any third parties that you authorize to access your User Content. If you are using a third-party website or service (like Facebook) and you allow such a third-party access to your User Content you do so at your own risk. This Privacy Policy does not apply to information we collect by other means (including offline) or from other sources other than through the Website.
10. Additional information for users in Europe
This section of the policy applies to The Churchies, LLC users that are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland or United Kingdom (UK). The Churchies, LLC processes your personal data in accordance with European laws and regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
(a) Controller's details
For the purposes of the GDPR and UK GDPR, The Churchies, LLC is the controller of your personal data. The Churchies, LLC’s registered address is 29514 Whitebrush Trace Drive, Spring, Texas 77386 USA and can be contacted using the details provided in Section 13 below.
In certain circumstances, we process personal data as a processor on behalf of our customer. The Churchies, LLC’s Terms and Conditions set out the circumstances where The Churchies, LLC processes personal data as a processor. In these cases, it is the The Churchies, LLC customer that is responsible for the processing of your personal data and The Churchies, LLC processing will be governed by the terms of the Data Processing Addendum (INSERT LINK TO DATA PROCESSING ADDENDUM FOR EU AND UK CONTEST ENTRIES) it has entered with the customer. If you have questions or concerns about how your personal data is handled by one of our customers, you should contact the relevant customer that is using our Wesbite and refer to their separate privacy policies.
(b) Legal bases for processing
If you are located in the EEA, Switzerland or UK, we need a lawful basis to collect, use and disclose your personal data as a controller. Our lawful basis will depend on the information concerned and the context in which it is processed.
Generally, The Churchies, LLC will collect and use your information as follows:
Contractual necessity: We need it to provide the Website to you and fulfill our obligations to you under our Terms and Conditions. For example, this includes creating and maintaining your account, resolving issues you may experience with the Website and providing you with access to your designs and entries.
Legitimate interests: Our legitimate interests include providing a useful and customized Website, obtaining payment for our Website (if applicable), sending you relevant marketing messages, displaying advertising and tracking its effectiveness, using information we collect about you, like your spending, platform usage, occupation and employer so that we can make more informed predictions, decisions and offers for our users, helping users connect with team members and their employer's subscription on The Churchies, LLC and enhancing our Website via research and development, data analytics, data labelling, machine learning and predictive analytics. We do not rely on this lawful basis where our legitimate interest is overridden by your interest in protecting your data.
Consent: You consent to us or have a reasonable expectation of us using your information in a certain way – for example, to hear about new features or offers.
Legal obligations: It is necessary for compliance with our legal obligations – for example, to disclose your information in response to law enforcement requests and to retain your information for our record keeping purposes.
If you consented to our use of your information, you can withdraw that consent at any time. Depending on the situation you can either withdraw your consent by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.
Where we use your information for our legitimate interest, you have the right to object to that use by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.. However, if you do, it may diminish the quality of the Website you receive or prevent you from using the Website.
(c) Cross-border transfers of information
By signing up, you understand and agree that The Churchies, LLC (an entity in North America) will receive and process your personal data. We may transfer your personal data to other countries where our affiliates and service providers are located. Please note that some of these countries may have data protection laws that are different from your country (and, in some cases, may not be as protective). For The Churchies, LLC users in the EEA, Switzerland or UK, where we transfer your information to a third-party provider that is not located in Europe, and is not in a country that benefits from an adequacy decision by the European Commission, we will require those third-party providers to enter into an agreement that provides appropriate safeguards for your information, including by using the EU Model Clauses and the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.
11. California and Virginia user requests
(a) California and Virginia Entrants
Californian entrants have additional rights afforded to them under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA, effective 1 January 2023).
Virginian entrants also have additional rights afforded to them under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA, effective 1 January 2023).
The CCPA, CPRA and VCDPA give resident users various rights with respect to the personal information we collect, including the right to (subject to certain limitations):
Request to access the personal information The Churchies, LLC has about you;
Request that The Churchies, LLC delete all of your personal information;
Request that The Churchies, LLC correct inaccurate personal information;
Opt out from the "sale" of your personal information;
Opt out of the "sharing" of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising.
(b) Categories of personal information collected by The Churchies, LLC
For more details about the personal information The Churchies, LLC has collected in the past year, please see Section 1 “Information we collect”. For details on how we use that information, who we share it with, and how long we keep it, please see Section 2 “How we use your information”, Section 3 “Sharing your information”, and Section 8 “How long we keep your information”.
(c) Exercising your rights
California and Virginia users may make a request by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com. We will authenticate your request using the email address associated with your The Churchies, LLC account and if necessary, proof of residency. Virginia users may appeal a refusal to take action on a request by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.
Californian and Virginian users may opt out of the “selling or sharing” of your personal information, which in this case would also include us providing your employer with information confirming whether or not you use The Churchies, LLC with their email domain, as described in Section 3 and the third party advertising as described in Section 4. You can opt out by following the instructions by emailing us at info@thechurchies.com.
12. Changes to this Policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect our current practice and ensure compliance with applicable laws. When we post changes to this policy, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy. If we make any material changes to the way we collect, use, store and/or share your personal information, we will notify you on our website or by sending an email to the email address associated with your The Churchies, LLC account. We recommend that you check this page from time to time to inform yourself of any changes.
13. How to contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the Website, or wish to make a complaint please contact us at:
Email: info@thechurchies.com.
Write: The Churchies, LLC
29514 Whitebrush Trace Drive
Spring, Texas 77386 USA