Scripture Voyage is built to be private by design. This policy explains, in plain language, what we collect, why, who it's shared with, and the control you have. Scripture Voyage is run by an independent individual operator ("we", "us"), who is the data controller for your information. You can reach us any time at hello@scripturevoyage.com.
Your reading reveals your faith — we treat it that way. The chapters you read and the plans you follow can reveal religious beliefs, which is sensitive personal information. We collect it only to provide the app to you, never to profile or advertise to you, and we don't share it with anyone except as you direct or as plainly described below.
What we collect
- Account — your email address, display name, and the credentials used to sign you in (a password hash and/or a passkey). We never store passwords in plain text.
- Reading activity — the chapters and passages you log, when you read them, and your progress through reading plans ("voyages"). Together this is your coverage map.
- Preferences — settings such as your time zone and preferred Bible translation.
- Connections — friend and companion relationships you create, the invitations you send or accept, and the voyages you choose to share.
- Operational data — minimal server and error logs (including IP address) needed to run the service securely and diagnose problems.
What we don't do
- We don't sell or rent your information, ever.
- We don't run third-party advertising, and we don't profile you to target ads.
- We use no third-party analytics or tracking scripts. There are no Google Analytics, Facebook pixels, or similar tools. Display fonts are self-hosted, so simply loading a page doesn't quietly call out to other companies.
Cookies & local storage
We use only what's strictly necessary: a secure cookie to keep you signed in, and your browser's local storage to remember preferences like light/dark theme. We don't use advertising or analytics cookies, so there's no cookie-consent banner to click through.
Scripture text & a note on the Bible API
Bible text is provided by API.Bible, a service of the American Bible Society. To show you a chapter, our server (not your browser) requests that passage from API.Bible. For certain copyrighted translations, the providers require a usage-tracking beacon ("FUMS") to be recorded for each chapter shown — our server sends this on your behalf. That beacon conveys which passage and translation were displayed; it does not include your name, email, or account identity. Public-domain translations (such as KJV and WEB) carry no such tracking. We cache chapter text to minimize these requests.
Who else processes your data
We rely on a small number of service providers ("sub-processors") to run the app:
- Hosting — Amazon Web Services (AWS Lightsail), where the app and database run.
- Email delivery — our transactional email provider, used to send sign-in and account emails.
- Bible text — API.Bible (American Bible Society), as described above.
These providers process data only to deliver their service to us. The app and database are hosted in the United States; if you're outside the US, your information is processed there.
Sharing with friends and companions
Your reading data is private to you by default. It becomes visible to another person only when you choose to — by becoming companions on a shared voyage. You can decline or end those connections, and doing so stops future sharing.
Why we're allowed to process this (legal basis)
Where laws like the GDPR apply, we rely on: performance of our agreement with you (to provide the features you ask for), your consent for sensitive religious-belief data — given when you choose to use the app and log your reading, and withdrawable by deleting that data or your account — and our legitimate interest in keeping the service secure and working.
How long we keep it
We keep your data for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account, we remove your personal reading history and account details from active systems, with limited residual copies in encrypted backups that age out on a rolling basis.
Your rights
You can ask us to access, correct, export, or delete your data, and to restrict or object to certain processing. Because the data is sensitive, we'd rather honor these quickly than make you fight for them — email hello@scripturevoyage.com and we'll respond. Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to complain to a data protection authority.
Security
Connections are encrypted with HTTPS, credentials are hashed, and the database is not exposed to the public internet. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to keep your information safe and to limit what we hold in the first place.
Children
Scripture Voyage isn't directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has given us data, contact us and we'll delete it.
Changes
We may update this policy as the app evolves. Significant changes will be reflected in the "last updated" date above, and we'll make a reasonable effort to notify you of material changes.
Contact
Questions, requests, or concerns about privacy? Email hello@scripturevoyage.com.