Who this policy covers
Cupola Connect is operated by Mark Lautenschlager. Participating parishes publish information and manage their authorized staff through our software. Ordinary app participants join without creating a personal email/password account or requesting parish approval. Administrators and staff use separate authenticated accounts.
Parish participation can indicate religious affiliation. Each parish is responsible for its published content and its external donation and form providers. Directory, family-tree and personal contact-profile tools are archived and unavailable in the current release.
Information we handle
- Installation participation: a Firebase anonymous authentication identifier, joined parishes, selected parish and app preferences. The identifier represents an app installation; it is not a hardware device identifier or a verified personal identity.
- Notifications: push tokens, iOS/Android platform information, per-parish category choices, notification titles/body, sending and provider receipt records. All active categories default to enabled; delivery also requires device permission.
- Administrative accounts: verified email addresses, authentication identifiers, roles, tenant authorization, invitation records and activity timestamps. Registrants confirm they are authorized to represent their parish.
- Parish information: names, addresses, website links, clergy/staff biographies, contact details and photos, public calendars, form metadata and donation links. Information submitted to a form or donation provider is subject to that provider’s and the parish’s practices.
- Subscription information: planned tier, billing/exemption status, usage, registration-code redemption and audit records. Billing is deferred during open beta. If activated later, a hosted payment provider processes card details; Cupola Connect does not ask for card numbers in the app or parish configuration.
- Support and diagnostics: problem descriptions, selected parish, release/platform information and screenshots you choose to submit. Optional Firebase Crashlytics may process technical crash/device information when enabled. We do not deliberately attach private directory records to diagnostic reports.
- Website inquiries: the contact name, email, parish, location and notes you choose to submit through our setup or contact forms, including support, beta access and privacy requests, plus follow-up status and private owner notes. These requests are private to the platform owner and are used to respond to your request and arrange optional setup assistance. Submitting a request does not book a session or authorize a payment.
- Technical information: IP addresses, service/security logs and device/browser information processed by our infrastructure and providers to operate and protect the service.
The app and portal use local storage and authentication persistence to remember participation, administrative sessions, language and choices. Anonymous authentication still involves an identifier and is not a promise of anonymity from the service provider. We do not currently use advertising cookies.
How we use information
We use information to remember joined parishes, deliver selected notifications and resources, authenticate administrators, enforce parish permissions, maintain subscription/exemption records, handle support and guided setup inquiries, and prevent abuse. When optional email alerts are configured, the mail provider receives the owner’s destination email and a generic inbox alert; the alert excludes submitted contact details and message text. We do not sell personal information or use it for targeted advertising. We do not request device contacts or continuous device location for participation.
Children
The current release does not collect children’s directory profiles, birth dates or family relationships. Administrative registration and subscription management are intended for authorized adults. Families should supervise children’s use of parish resources and external forms. Do not include a child’s private information in support screenshots. Contact us if you believe personal information was provided without appropriate authority.
Your choices
Use Settings to switch or leave parishes and change notification categories, language and optional diagnostic choices. Phone notification permission is controlled through iOS/Android settings. Disabling a category applies to that parish and installation, not everyone in your household. Turning off diagnostics does not automatically delete already submitted reports.
You may have rights under applicable law to request access, correction, deletion, a copy of information, restriction or objection. We may verify identity or control of an installation/account before acting. Contact the parish for published parish information and its external records; contact us for platform information.
Deletion and retention
Use Leave parish to remove this installation’s participation and preferences for that parish and stop its push subscription. The installation reset/forget option removes all joined-parish registrations and push tokens associated with that installation. Reinstalling, clearing app data or changing phones may require joining again; uninstalling alone is not a reliable request to erase backend records.
Administrator account deletion is separate. Sign in and use its deletion controls where available; the last administrator must transfer parish administration first. Deleting an administrator account does not cancel a subscription or delete a parish’s public records automatically. The platform owner must transfer ownership before deletion.
Older directory and family records were retained during the archive transition and are not exposed through current directory APIs. Archiving does not erase records from the database. Contact us and the relevant parish about legacy information. Historical administrative, delivery, exemption and support records may remain for security, record integrity, legal obligations or dispute resolution. Backups follow provider retention cycles; we do not promise a fixed deletion period not enforced by our infrastructure.
Security
We use encrypted network connections, persistent authenticated installation sessions, verified administrative identities, server-enforced roles and tenant boundaries. Information may be processed in the United States or other locations where providers operate. No service can guarantee complete security. Keep administrative credentials, invitation links and free-registration codes private.
Contact and updates
For platform questions or privacy requests, use More → Settings → Help / Report a problem in the app. Reports go privately to the platform owner. You can also send a private website privacy inquiry. For guided setup assistance, use the private setup inquiry form. For parish content or external donations/forms, contact that parish.
We update this policy as the service changes, revise its effective date and provide notice where required. Read the participation and administrative guides.