Privacy Policy

Effective date: May 14, 2026 | Last updated: May 14, 2026

Zurich City Church operates the ZurichCityChurch mobile application, available on iOS and Android. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you use our App. We are committed to safeguarding your privacy in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP/nDSG) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable.

1. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for processing your data is:

Zurich City Church
Althardstrasse 158
8105 Regensdorf, Switzerland
Email: zurichcitychurch@gmail.com

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Account & Profile Information

When you register and manage your profile, we collect:

First name, last name
Email address
Phone number (optional)
Gender, marital status, occupation (optional)
Location / city (optional)
Profile photo / avatar
Short biography (optional)

2.2 User-Generated Content

Content you voluntarily create within the App:

Posts, comments, and likes
Prayer requests (which may be submitted anonymously)
Suggestions (which may be submitted anonymously)
Poll votes
Gallery photos and descriptions

2.3 Church Engagement Data

Ministry membership and roles
Cell group membership
Event registrations and attendance
Bible reading progress
Devotional reading activity

2.4 Device & Technical Data

Push notification token (used solely to deliver notifications to your device)
Device type and operating system (collected automatically by the platform)
App preferences (language, notification settings, privacy toggles)

2.5 Data We Do NOT Collect

Precise geolocation or GPS data
Contacts or address book
Financial or payment information
Health data
Browsing history outside the App

3. How We Use Your Data

Purpose	Legal Basis (GDPR/FADP)
Account creation and authentication	Performance of contract / consent
Enabling community features (posts, comments, prayer requests, polls)	Performance of contract / legitimate interest
Sending push notifications about church events, sermons, and announcements	Consent (you can opt out at any time)
Displaying your profile to other church members (subject to your privacy settings)	Consent / legitimate interest
Recording aggregated attendance statistics	Legitimate interest
Managing ministries, cell groups, and event participation	Performance of contract / legitimate interest
Storing and displaying gallery photos uploaded by members	Consent

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services to operate the App:

Service	Provider	Purpose	Privacy Policy
Firebase Authentication	Google LLC	User sign-up, login, and password management	Link
Cloud Firestore	Google LLC	Storing app data (profiles, posts, events, etc.)	Link
Firebase Cloud Storage	Google LLC	Storing uploaded images (profile photos, gallery, posts)	Link
Expo Push Notifications	Expo / 650 Industries	Delivering push notifications to your device	Link

The App also displays images from Unsplash and YouTube (thumbnail images). When you tap a sermon or social media link, the URL is opened in your device's default browser or the respective app — no data is shared with those services from within our App beyond the standard HTTP request your device makes.

5. Data Storage & International Transfers

Your data is stored on Google Firebase servers. Google may process data in data centres located in the EU/EEA, the United States, or other regions. Where data is transferred outside Switzerland or the EU/EEA, Google relies on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and other approved safeguards to ensure adequate protection of your data.

6. Data Retention

Account data: Retained for as long as your account is active. If you request deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days.
User-generated content: Posts, comments, and prayer requests remain until you delete them or request account deletion.
Push notification tokens: Removed when you uninstall the App or revoke notification permissions.
Anonymous submissions: Prayer requests and suggestions submitted anonymously are not linked to your account and are retained for church administrative purposes.

7. Your Privacy Controls

The App provides built-in privacy settings that let you control:

Whether your email address is visible to other members
Whether your location is visible to other members
Whether your occupation is visible to other members
Whether your contact information is visible to other members
Push notification preferences (enable, disable, or mute)
Language preference

8. Your Rights

Under the FADP and GDPR, you have the right to:

Access – Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification – Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure – Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
Restriction – Ask us to restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances.
Data portability – Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
Object – Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Withdraw consent – Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at zurichcitychurch@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

Swiss residents: You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) at www.edoeb.admin.ch.
EU/EEA residents: You may lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including:

Authentication via Firebase Auth with encrypted credential storage
Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS) for all communication between the App and our servers
Role-based access controls within the App (member, admin, super admin)
Firebase security rules restricting database and storage access

10. Children's Privacy

The App is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

11. Photo Library Access

The App requests access to your device's photo library solely to allow you to upload profile pictures, gallery photos, and post images. Photos are only accessed when you explicitly choose to upload one. We do not scan, analyse, or access your photo library in the background.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify you through the App or by other appropriate means. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Zurich City Church
Email: zurichcitychurch@gmail.com
Address: Althardstrasse 158, 8105 Regensdorf, Switzerland
Website: zurichcitychurch.org