Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy (the "Policy") describes how Bible Verse Time ("Bible Verse Time", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, shares, retains, and protects personal information when you visit, browse, or otherwise interact with bibleversetime.com, any of its subdomains, mobile-optimised versions, embedded widgets, RSS feeds, email newsletters and any related services we make available (together, the "Site" or the "Services"). It also explains the rights and choices available to you with respect to your personal information.

Bible Verse Time is committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, "EU GDPR"), the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation as retained in UK law ("UK GDPR"), the EU ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC) as implemented in each Member State, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act ("CCPA/CPRA"), Quebec's Law 25, Brazil's Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados ("LGPD") and other applicable data-protection laws. We strongly encourage you to read this Policy in full and to revisit it periodically.

1. Who we are and how to contact us

For the purposes of EU GDPR and UK GDPR, Bible Verse Time acts as the "data controller" for personal information processed through the Site. You may contact us about this Policy or to exercise any of the rights described below by writing to our contact page. We will respond to legitimate requests within the timeframes required by applicable law (generally one calendar month for GDPR-based requests, and forty-five days for CCPA/CPRA requests, in each case extendable where the law allows).

2. Summary at a glance

• We collect a limited amount of personal data, primarily to operate the Site, secure it, understand how it is used, and serve ads that help keep the Site free.
• We use cookies and similar technologies. Non-essential cookies are only set after you give consent through our cookie banner.
• We use Google AdSense and analytics providers, who may set their own cookies and process personal data as independent or joint controllers.
• We do not knowingly collect information from children under 16 (or the equivalent local age of digital consent).
• You have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, port, or object to the processing of your personal data, and to withdraw consent at any time.
• We do not sell personal information for money. To the extent sharing data with advertising partners qualifies as a "sale" or "share" under the CCPA/CPRA, you may opt out at any time.

3. Categories of personal information we collect

3.1 Information you provide directly

• Contact form data — name, email address, the content of your message, and any additional information you choose to include.
• Newsletter / verse-of-the-week subscriptions — email address, language preference, and engagement events (opens, clicks) generated by the email service.
• Feedback, surveys and correspondence — any information you voluntarily share when communicating with us.

3.2 Information collected automatically

• Device and connection information — IP address (typically truncated for analytics), browser user-agent, operating system, screen size, language, time zone, and approximate location derived from IP address (typically at city level).
• Usage information — pages viewed, referring/exit URLs, links clicked, search terms entered into the Bible search, reading-plan and topical-study selections, session duration, error events, and timestamps.
• Cookies and similar technologies — see Section 6.

3.3 Information received from third parties

• Bible passage providers — when you look up a verse, your request is sent to a third-party Bible API in order to return the requested passage. The provider may log the reference and your IP address as described in its own privacy policy.
• Advertising and measurement partners — Google and other partners may share aggregated metrics, fraud signals, or audience inferences derived from your interaction with their services.

4. Purposes and lawful bases for processing (GDPR / UK GDPR)

We only process personal data where we have a valid lawful basis under Article 6 of the GDPR. The table below summarises the main processing activities and the lawful basis we rely on for each.

• To operate, maintain and secure the Site — our legitimate interest in running a reliable, safe service (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
• To respond to enquiries submitted through the contact form — our legitimate interest in answering messages directed to us, or where pre-contractual steps are involved, Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR.
• To send optional newsletters or devotional emails — your explicit consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR), which you may withdraw at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email.
• To set non-essential cookies (analytics, advertising, personalisation) — your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive).
• To serve advertising — your consent for personalised ads, or our legitimate interest in showing non-personalised, contextual advertising to keep the Site free (Art. 6(1)(a) or 6(1)(f) GDPR, as applicable).
• To detect, prevent and respond to fraud, abuse, denial-of-service attacks or violations of our Terms — our legitimate interest in protecting the Site, our users, and the public (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR).
• To comply with legal obligations — Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR, for example when responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have carried out a balancing test to ensure that our interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. You may request more information on this assessment by contacting us.

5. How we share personal information

We share personal information only as described below. We do not rent or sell personal data for monetary consideration.

• Service providers and processors — hosting, content delivery, email delivery, analytics, anti-abuse, and customer-support providers acting on our documented instructions under data-processing agreements compliant with Article 28 GDPR.
• Advertising partners — Google LLC (AdSense) and any additional ad networks we may engage. Where these partners act as independent controllers, their own privacy notices apply.
• Bible content providers — to fulfil verse look-ups initiated by you.
• Professional advisers — lawyers, accountants, auditors and insurers, bound by confidentiality obligations.
• Legal, regulatory and law-enforcement authorities — when we are legally required to do so, or when we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights or the safety of others.
• Successors — in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganisation, bankruptcy, or sale of all or part of our assets, subject to standard confidentiality protections.

6. Cookies and similar technologies

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device. We also use related technologies such as web beacons, pixels, local storage, session storage, and similar identifiers (collectively, "Cookies"). Cookies fall into the categories described below.

6.1 Strictly necessary Cookies

Required to operate the Site, remember your cookie preferences, and protect against security threats. These Cookies cannot be switched off in our systems and do not require consent under the ePrivacy Directive.

6.2 Functional Cookies

Used to remember choices you make, such as your selected Bible translation, font size, theme, or language. They make your experience more personalised but are not strictly necessary.

6.3 Analytics Cookies

Used to understand how visitors interact with the Site (for example, which pages are visited most often) so we can improve content and performance.

6.4 Advertising Cookies

Set by us or by our advertising partners to deliver relevant advertisements, limit the number of times you see an ad, measure ad effectiveness, and report on advertising campaigns. See Section 7 for further detail.

6.5 Managing Cookies

When you first visit the Site you are presented with a cookie banner allowing you to accept all, reject all non-essential, or customise your preferences. You can revisit your choices at any time using the cookie settings link in our footer. You can also control Cookies through your browser settings; however, blocking Cookies may impact your experience of the Site.

7. Google AdSense and advertising

The Site is supported in part by advertising delivered through Google AdSense, operated by Google LLC and (where applicable) Google Ireland Limited. Google is an independent controller of the data it collects through advertising tags placed on the Site.

• Google may use Cookies and similar identifiers to serve ads based on prior visits to this and other websites.
• If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, Google AdSense participates in the IAB Europe Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF), and our Consent Management Platform will request your consent on Google's behalf for vendors disclosed in the cookie banner.
• Personalised advertising is only enabled if you have given consent. If you decline, you will still see ads, but they will be non-personalised (contextual).
• You can opt out of personalised advertising by Google at any time via Google Ads Settings, and you can opt out of third-party vendor use of Cookies for personalised ads via aboutads.info and Your Online Choices.
• For more information on how Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps, see Google's policy.

8. Children's privacy

The Site is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children under 16 (or the equivalent age of digital consent in your jurisdiction; 13 in the United States under COPPA). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us and we will take steps to delete the information promptly.

9. International transfers

Bible Verse Time operates globally. Personal data may be transferred to, stored at, or processed in countries outside the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or your country of residence. Where required by law, we put in place appropriate safeguards, including the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses (Decision (EU) 2021/914), the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, and reliance on adequacy decisions. You may request a copy of the safeguards in place by contacting us.

10. Data retention

• Contact form messages — retained for up to 24 months after the matter is closed, unless a longer period is required by law.
• Newsletter subscribers — retained until you unsubscribe or your address bounces repeatedly, after which records are deleted within 90 days.
• Server and security logs — typically retained for 30 to 90 days, then deleted or aggregated.
• Analytics data — retained in aggregated form; raw identifiers expire after the period configured with our analytics provider (generally 14 months).

11. Your rights under EU and UK GDPR

You have the following rights, subject to the conditions and exceptions in the law:

• Right of access to a copy of your personal data and the supplementary information described in Articles 13–14 GDPR.
• Right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction of processing.
• Right to data portability for data you provided to us and that is processed by automated means on the basis of consent or contract.
• Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling for direct-marketing purposes.
• Right to withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
• Right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority in your EU Member State, with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), or with another competent regulator.

To exercise any of these rights, please use the contact details in Section 1. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding. Exercising your rights is free of charge except where requests are manifestly unfounded or excessive.

12. Notice to California residents (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what categories of personal information we have collected about you in the preceding 12 months, the categories of sources, the business or commercial purpose for collection, and the categories of third parties with whom we share information. You also have the right to request deletion of personal information, the right to correct inaccurate personal information, the right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information, and the right to opt-out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising.

Bible Verse Time does not sell personal information for monetary consideration. However, our use of advertising Cookies may constitute "sharing" under California law. You can exercise your right to opt out by adjusting your cookie preferences or by sending us a verifiable consumer request. We honour Global Privacy Control (GPC) browser signals where they are sent. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your rights under California law.

13. Notice to Brazil residents (LGPD)

If you are located in Brazil, you have rights under the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados, including the right to confirm the existence of processing, access, correction, anonymisation, portability, deletion, and information about public and private entities with which we have shared your data. You may exercise these rights by contacting us.

14. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include TLS encryption in transit, access controls, principle-of-least-privilege for staff, periodic security reviews, dependency-vulnerability scanning, and audit logging. No method of transmission over the Internet is, however, 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

15. Automated decision-making and profiling

We do not use automated decision-making, including profiling, that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR. Advertising partners may engage in profiling to deliver personalised ads, subject to your consent as described above.

16. Third-party links

The Site contains links to third-party websites, plug-ins, and applications. Clicking on those links may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party sites and are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to read the privacy statement of every website you visit.

17. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect operational, legal, or regulatory changes. When we make material changes, we will notify you by posting a prominent notice on the Site or by other appropriate means. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when this Policy was last revised.

18. How to contact us

Questions, comments, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data-protection practices are welcome. Please write to us through the contact page. Where required by law, we will respond within statutory timeframes.