Effective October 3, 2026

Privacy Policy

This policy explains what information Holy Cow (“we,” “us”) collects through the Holy COW app and holycow.community, how we use it, who can see it, and the choices you have.

Information you give us

Your account

Your email address, a password, and your name. Passwords are handled by Google Firebase Authentication and stored in a form no one can read, including us.

Your birthdate

Required when you join. It is stored privately, visible only to you, and can’t be changed afterward. We use it to confirm you are at least 13 and to apply the protections for members under 18 described below.

Your profile

Whether you join as a neighbor, artist or business, and your home ZIP code. You can also add, at your choice: an about-me or artist statement, home church, favorite verse, gifts and talents, and interests; art forms and a portfolio link (artists); business name, category, hours and website (businesses); a profile photo and banner. We also keep the groups you join and the service opportunities you sign up for.

What you share

Posts, including any photos, videos or links you attach; prayer requests; Bible study, group and youth discussions and replies; bulletin board items; events; shop listings; the “Amens” you give; and reports you file about content.

Messages

Direct messages with neighbors you have connected with, connection requests, and people you block or report.

Live gatherings

When you host a live prayer or Bible study gathering, your camera and microphone are streamed live to the neighbors who join. Messages sent in a gathering’s live chat are saved with that gathering.

Recorded gatherings

A host can choose “Save a recording” before going live. We then record the host’s camera and microphone, and only the host’s: people who join a gathering are never on camera or microphone, and the live chat is not part of the recording. Everyone in the gathering sees a REC sign while it records. The recording is listed for neighbors in the host’s community area for 30 days, and any of them can save it to their own profile, where it stays until they remove it. The host can delete a recording at any time, which also removes every saved copy.

Information collected automatically

• Server logs. When the app or website contacts our server, it records the IP address, date and time, the feature requested, and the type of device or browser. We use these logs only for security and troubleshooting, and they are deleted within 14 days.
• Update checks. The app checks with Expo’s update service for new versions, sending basic technical details such as the app version and whether you use iPhone or Android.

We do not collect your precise location, your contacts, or advertising identifiers, and we do not use analytics, advertising or cross-app tracking tools.

Phone permissions

• Camera and microphone, only when you host a live gathering.
• Photo library, only when you choose a photo or video to share.

You can turn these off at any time in your phone’s settings; the rest of the app keeps working.

How we use information

• To run Holy COW: create your account, show what you share to your neighbors, deliver messages, and run live gatherings.
• To keep fellowship local: the first three digits of your ZIP code set your community area, and you only see, and are seen by, neighbors in that area.
• To protect young people: your birthdate decides whether the protections for members under 18 apply.
• To keep the community safe: reviewing reports, enforcing our Community Covenant, and removing abusive content or accounts. Verification badges and youth-leader roles are granted by our team after review.
• To communicate with you: for example password-reset emails and replies to your requests.
• To maintain and secure the service: fixing problems and preventing abuse.

We never sell your information, and we never use it for advertising.

Who can see your information

Neighbors in your community area

Your name, account type, ZIP code, photos, profile details, groups, and what you share in the app, including live gatherings you host and recordings of them you choose to save.

Only you

Your email address and your birthdate.

Only the people in the conversation

Your direct messages.

Verified youth leaders in your area

Youth board posts waiting for their approval.

People outside your community area can’t browse your profile or your posts.

Service providers

These companies process information on our behalf, only as needed to provide their service to us:

• Google Firebase (Google LLC): sign-in, database and file storage. Data is stored in the United States.
• LiveKit: real-time video and audio for live gatherings, and recording the ones hosts choose to save. Recordings are stored with Google Firebase.
• Hostinger: hosts our server and this website, in the United States.
• Expo (650 Industries, Inc.): delivers app updates.
• Apple and Google distribute the app through their stores, under their own privacy policies.

We may also disclose information when the law requires it, or when needed to protect someone’s safety. If Holy COW is ever transferred to a new owner, your information would transfer with it, and this policy would continue to apply.

How long we keep information

We keep your information while your account is open. Server logs are deleted within 14 days.

Recorded gatherings are listed for 30 days and then deleted, except where a neighbor saved one to their profile: that copy stays until they remove it, or until the host deletes the recording or their account.

When you delete your account, we immediately remove your profile, birthdate, posts, prayer requests, discussions and replies, bulletin items, events, shop listings, notifications, connections, live gatherings you hosted, recordings of them (including copies neighbors saved), the recordings you saved, the photos and videos you uploaded, and your sign-in.

A few things stay with other people: messages you sent remain in the other person’s conversation, as with any messaging service; notifications already delivered to other neighbors may still show your name; and an anonymous account ID may remain in lists such as who said “Amen” on someone else’s post.

Delete your account

• In the app: tap your profile photo in the top right corner, scroll to Account, tap Delete account, and confirm.
• Without the app: email privacypolicy@holycow.community from the email address on your account, with the subject “Delete my account.” We will delete your account within 30 days and confirm by email.

More detail: holycow.community/delete-account.

Your choices and rights

• Edit or remove your profile details at any time with the pencil on your profile. To change your ZIP code, email us; communities are fixed so they stay local and safe.
• Email us to ask for a copy of your information or to correct it. We respond within 30 days.

Depending on where you live, for example California, the European Union or the United Kingdom, you may have legal rights to access, correct, delete or port your information, and to object to or restrict how it is used. We honor these requests from everyone, wherever you live, and you won’t be treated differently for making one. We do not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.

Children and teens

Holy COW is not for children under 13. Joining requires a birthdate, and anyone under 13 is turned away. If we learn that a child under 13 has an account, we delete it. Parents or guardians can email us about this at any time.

Members from 13 to 17 are protected: they can’t connect with or message adults, their youth board posts are reviewed by verified adult leaders before anyone else sees them, and they can’t host live gatherings or create events.

Security

Information travels encrypted (HTTPS) and is encrypted at rest by Google Cloud. Security rules limit what each member can read to their own community area, and keep email addresses and birthdates private to their owner. No system is perfectly secure, so please contact us if you have a concern.

Where information is processed

Holy COW is operated from the United States, and your information is stored there. Some service providers, such as LiveKit and Expo, may process information in other countries, under protections consistent with this policy.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we will post the new version here and update the effective date. If a change is significant, we will also tell you in the app.