Effective Date: January 1, 2020.

Welcome to gospeladvocate.com (the “Website”).  This website is operated by The Gospel Advocate Company and its licensees. (“we” or “us”).  We are committed to maintaining the privacy of the information you provide to us in using the Website. 

The following Privacy Policy (the “Privacy Policy”) applies to the information we collect from or about you from:

• Your use of the Website;
• Your purchase of products from our online shop (each referred to as a “Product”);
• Your signing up to receive our newsletter or be a part of our email list (the “Email List”); and/or
• Your creation of an account through the Website if/when we make that feature available (an “Account”).

The Privacy Policy also applies to how we use and protect your information, and how you can request to see your data. 

This Privacy Policy applies only to this Website and does not apply to any third-party websites linked to this Website.  We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the contents of any third-party linked website.

Please, read this Privacy Policy carefully because when you submit information to or through the Website, you are consenting to the collection, processing, and retention of your information as described in this Privacy Policy. If you have questions about the Privacy Policy, you can contact us at [webinfo@gospeladvocate.com].

I. Categories of Information We Collect:

A. Personal Information You Provide to Us.

When you interact with the Website, we, or our service providers (acting on our behalf) collect “Personal Information,” which is information that relates to you as an identifiable individual, such as your first and last name, email address, billing and/or shipping address, or credit card or bank information. You provide us with information that we collect when you:

• Make a purchase of any Products;

• Sign up for the Email List;

• Create an Account;

• Make arrangements to return any Products; or

• Communicate with us about the Website or our Products either on social media, by sending a direct message on another platform, or sending us an email.

Depending on which of the above activities you engage in, information you provide to us may include your first name, last name, physical address, email address, phone number, credit card or bank information, purchase history, and story, question, or other content you submit to us in message form.

B. Other Information We Receive and Store.

We also receive information from you as a result of your visiting our Website that is sent automatically from your computer or mobile device (each a “Device”) or browser, including your IP address, your browser type and version, your operating system and platform, your purchase history, products you view, products or articles you search for, length of visits to pages and other browser interaction information (your “Usage Information”). We incorporate tools such as Facebook pixels and Google Analytics in collecting such information.

II. What are cookies, how do we use them, and how can you reduce the number of cookies you receive?

A. Cookies in General.

A cookie is a small piece of information that we place in your computer browser to collect information regarding your preferences. We use cookies to identify you when you visit us and to keep track of where you go so we can provide you with a personalized version of our Website. Cookies do not contain any personally identifiable information.  When you visit the Website, you will see a request to place a cookie on your computer, which you can accept or deny. You can also use your browser settings to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies.  If you turn off cookies, or deny our request to place a cookie on your computer, you will not have access to some of the features that make your experience on our Website smoother, and some of our services may not function properly. To learn how to reduce the number of cookies you receive, or delete cookies that have already been installed in your browser’s cookie folder, please refer to your browser’s help menu or other instructions related to your browser.  You can also learn more about cookies by visiting https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/online/cookies, which includes additional useful information on cookies and how to block cookies using different types of browsers.

B. Google Analytics.

A tool called “Google Analytics” collects information about use of this Website. Google Analytics plants a permanent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this site. Google Analytics collects information such as what users search in order to find this Website, and what pages a user visits within this Website. We use the information we get from Google Analytics to improve the content, products, and service we offer on this Website. Google Analytics’ cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google. To opt-out of Google Analytics, please use Google’s opt-out tool: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

C. Web Beacons.

Similar to cookies, this Website also contains “web beacons” or clear GIFs, or similar technologies, which are small pieces of code placed on a web page or in an email, to monitor the behavior and collect data about the visitors viewing a web page or email. For example, web beacons may be used to count the users who visit a web page. Web beacons may also be used to provide information on the effectiveness of our email campaigns (e.g., open rates, clicks, forwards, etc.).

D. Social Media Buttons.

The Website will also feature social buttons from networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To do so we embed code that they provide, and we do not control ourselves. To function their buttons generally know if you are logged in. We do not have any access to that information, nor can we control how those networks use it.

III. How We Use and Disclose Information We Collect

A. Use and Disclosure of Information.

We will use and disclose your information only as follows:

• To develop and optimize Products and services offered through the Website;

• To develop, optimize, operate, and improve the Website;

• To confirm your purchase(s) of Products and process your order(s);

• To follow up to make sure such purchases are fulfilled;

• To communicate with you;

• To advertise and market our new offerings to you via email, social media, targeted ads, offers, and other content made available to you based on your interests and usage on the Website;

• To monitor and analyze the performance of advertisements and offers;

• To send you emails;

• To protect the rights and safety of us, our shareholders, members, officers, employees and customers;

• At our option, to notify you of any changes to this Privacy Policy or our other terms and conditions of this Website;

• To perform our obligations under and/or enforce this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use;

• To prevent fraud and protect the security of the Website;

• To send you emails if you elect or consent to the receipt of email communications;

• and

• As otherwise required by applicable law.

We disclose your information to third parties in the following situations:

• As reasonably required to fulfill your purchases and collect sums due to us (such as providing your information to credit card processors);

• Creation or facilitation of marketing and advertising campaigns;

• In receiving email resulting from your providing us with your information, such as in an opt-in form, purchasing a Product, or in signing up for our Email List;

• To service providers that support our business, website operation, customer service, order fulfillment, research and analytics, technical support, and marketing; and

• To protect the rights and safety of us, our shareholders, members, employees and customers (such as to legal representatives and law enforcement) as you expressly permit and as required by law (such as the result of a court subpoena).

We do not share your Personal Information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes without your consent. We may transfer your information in the event of the sale of substantially all of the assets of our business to a third-party or in the event of a merger, consolidation or acquisition. However, in such event, any acquirer of that information will be subject to the provisions of our commitments to you!

IV. How to Request Information Collected or Maintained About You

Upon request, we will provide you with access to all information that we have collected and maintain about you.  You can also request that information we have collected and maintained about you be deleted. You can access this information by emailing us at webinfo@gospeladvocate.com

V. Data Storage and Erasure

We store your data only for as long as it is necessary to provide services to you or until you delete your account, or ask to delete it. If you create an Account, we will maintain your data for as long as you have that Account, unless you deactivate, cancel, or delete that Account. You can request deletion of your Personal Information at any time by using the contact details listed below.

Note: If you request that data we maintain about you be deleted or erased, no one (neither us nor you) will be able to recover that information later.

VI. Linked Websites

Our Website may contain links to other websites, including those of sponsors and advertisers.  We have no control over, and are not responsible for, any of the content, products, services, or privacy practices of those other websites. The information practices on those sites may be different from ours and are not covered by our Privacy Policy.  We encourage you to consult the privacy notices on those sites. 

VII. We Cannot Guarantee The Security of the Website

We take seriously our obligation to safeguard the confidentiality, security and integrity of personal information collected from our users. As you can see, the Website uses an SSL (or “secure sockets layer”) certificate, which provides secure, encrypted communications between a website and internet browser.  You should be aware, however, that no system is completely secure from hackers and network failure and error, and we cannot guarantee the confidentiality, security and integrity of information maintained on our Website for that reason. Email is not a secure form of communication. Please do not send credit card or bank information via email.

In other words, although we will use all reasonable efforts to safeguard the confidentiality of your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee that your information will always be secure.

We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.

VIII. Residents of the European Economic Area (“EEA”)

If you are located in the EEA, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) affords you with certain rights regarding your Personal Information, including:

• The right to access Personal Information we hold about you (also known as the “right of access”);
• The right to request that any inaccurate or incomplete Personal Information we hold about you be corrected or completed (also known as the right to accuracy/rectification);
• The right to request that we delete any Personal Information that we have about you (also known as the right to deletion/erasure or the right to be forgotten);
• The right to request that we transmit your Personal Information to another company that processes Personal Information (also known as the right to portability); and
• The right to claim compensation for damages caused by our breach of any data protection laws that apply to you.

In addition, if you are in the EEA and you have any complaints about how we use your Personal Information, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your country.  A list of data protection authorities is available here.

For further information on each of the rights mentioned in this Section, including the circumstances in which they apply, see the Guidance from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on individual rights under the General Data Protection Regulation.

IX. Your California Privacy Rights

a. The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), In General.

The CCPA requires us to inform you of categories of Personal Information that we collect and how we use it, where and how we collect it, and any third parties with whom we share your Personal Information. See Sections I, II, and III for that information.

b. Rights of California Residents Under the CCPA.

California residents may exercise the following rights:

i. Right to Know and Access – In other words, the right to know what of your information we maintain, use, or share, and why and from where we collect that information;

ii. Right to Equal Service – In other words, we do not discriminate users that exercise their privacy rights;

iii. Right to Delete – In other words, the right to have us delete your Personal Information, subject to certain exceptions;

We do not sell users’ Personal Information to third parties without your permission.

c. Requests.

California residents are entitled once a year, free of charge, to request and obtain certain information regarding our disclosure, if any, of Personal Information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year (e.g., requests made in 2020 will receive information about 2019 sharing activities). We comply with this law by giving users the ability to tell us not to share Personal Information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To make such a request, send an email to [webinfo@gospeladvocate.com]. We may need additional information to process your request.

X. Notification of Changes

Any changes in our Privacy Policy will be posted to this Website and, if you have opted to receive emails from us, via email, and will become effective as of the date of posting with respect to information we then collect in the future but will not be changed with respect to information that we have then already collected. Please review our Privacy Policy from time to time to make sure you are aware of any changes.

XI. Children

We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 years of age.  If we learn that a child under the age of 13 has provided us with any Personal Information without first receiving their parent or guardian’s verified consent, we will use that information only to respond directly to that child (or his or her parent or legal guardian) to inform the child that he or she cannot use the Website.  We will then dispose of such Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.  If you believe we may have any information from or about a child under the age of 13, please contact us at [webinfo@gospeladvocate.com].

XII. Questions & Contact

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy, feel free to contact us by sending an email to: webinfo@gospeladvocate.com or write us at:

The Gospel Advocate Company
1006 Elm Hill Pike
Nashville, TN 37210