Privacy Policy

Last updated: January 2025

The Father's Mercy Foundation ("Foundation", "we", "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights. We take your privacy seriously because your trust is sacred to us.

1. Information We Collect

Type	What We Collect	Why
Account data	Name, email, username, password (encrypted)	To create and manage your account
Profile	Profile photo, bio (optional)	To personalise your experience
Content	Messages, prayer requests, comments	To deliver platform features
Usage	Pages visited, login times, IP address	Security and fraud prevention
Google (if used)	Name, email, Google ID, profile photo	Authentication via Google Sign-In

2. How We Use Your Information

To operate and improve the platform
To send prayer request notifications to our team
To send important account-related emails
To detect and prevent fraud or abuse
To fulfil our mission of supporting vulnerable people

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party, ever.

3. Prayer Requests

Prayer requests are treated with the highest level of confidentiality. They are only seen by designated members of our prayer team and admin staff. We will never share your prayer requests publicly or with anyone outside our team without your explicit written consent.

4. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored on secured servers. Passwords are encrypted using bcrypt (industry-standard). We use HTTPS and HttpOnly cookies. Login attempts are monitored and rate-limited to prevent brute-force attacks.

However, no internet transmission is 100% secure. While we take every reasonable precaution, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Cookies

We use only essential cookies:

Session cookie — keeps you logged in (expires when you close the browser, or after 30 days if "Remember me" is selected)
Theme preference — stored in localStorage to remember your dark/light mode choice

We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies.

6. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:

Google Sign-In — optional authentication. Google Privacy Policy
Google Gemini AI — used by editors/admins for writing assistance only. Your content may be processed by Google's API. Gemini Terms
Google Fonts — fonts loaded from Google servers. Google Fonts privacy

7. Children's Privacy

Our platform is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us immediately and we will delete it.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

Access — request a copy of your personal data
Correct — update your information via your Settings page
Delete — request deletion of your account and data
Withdraw consent — for optional data processing
Data portability — receive your data in a standard format

To exercise these rights, email us at admin@fathersmercyfundation.org. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Data Retention

We retain your account data as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete your personal data within 30 days, except where required by law to retain it longer (e.g. donation records).

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy. When we make significant changes, we will notify members via email or a notice on the platform. Your continued use constitutes acceptance.

11. Contact Us

For any privacy questions or concerns:
📧 admin@fathersmercyfundation.org
The Father's Mercy Foundation — Nigeria

"Treat others the same way you want them to treat you." — Luke 6:31