Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data Gathered Word collects, how it is used, and your rights regarding that data. Please read it carefully before using our website or subscribing to our content.

1. Who We Are (Data Controller)

Gathered Word is operated by Michel Fofana, a micro-entrepreneur registered in France.

Note: Our legal entity is transitioning to a Spanish autonomo. This policy will be updated accordingly. The data controller contact email remains unchanged.

2. Data We Collect

2.1 Data you provide directly

• First name and email address — when you subscribe to receive our free Scripture guide or newsletter via the opt-in form.
• Order information — if you purchase a digital product or physical product through our store: name, email, billing address, and shipping address. Payment card data is processed entirely by our payment provider and is never stored by us.

2.2 Data collected automatically

• Usage data — pages visited, time on page, referral source, browser type, and approximate geographic location (country/region level), collected via Google Analytics 4 through Google Site Kit.
• Cookies — see our Cookie Policy for full details.

3. How We Use Your Data

Purpose	Legal basis (GDPR)
Send your free Scripture guide and weekly devotional emails	Consent (Art. 6(1)(a))
Process and fulfill your orders (digital & physical products)	Contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b))
Analyze site traffic and improve content	Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f))
Comply with legal obligations (accounting, tax)	Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c))
Sending promotional emails (future affiliate content, new products)	Consent — you may opt out at any time

4. Third-Party Service Providers

We share your data only with the processors necessary to operate our services. Each is bound by data processing agreements and GDPR-compliant privacy policies.

Provider	Purpose	Privacy Policy
Brevo (Sendinblue SAS)	Email marketing & subscriber management	brevo.com/privacy
Google LLC (Site Kit)	Analytics (GA4), Search Console	policies.google.com/privacy
Automattic Inc. (WordPress / WooCommerce)	Website platform & e-commerce	automattic.com/privacy
Printify Inc.	Print-on-demand fulfillment (physical products)	printify.com/privacy-policy
Google LLC (Fonts)	Typography (loads fonts from Google CDN)	policies.google.com/privacy

When you purchase a physical product, your shipping name and address are transmitted to Printify for fulfillment. Printify may further share this data with their production and shipping partners.

5. Data Retention

• Email subscribers: For as long as your subscription is active. Inactive subscribers (no opens in 36 months) are automatically purged.
• Order data: Retained for 7 years in accordance with French and European accounting obligations.
• Analytics data: Retained for 14 months in Google Analytics (our configured retention period).
• Upon receiving a valid deletion request, we will erase your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

6. Your Rights (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, you have the following rights:

• Right of access — request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure — request deletion of your personal data (“right to be forgotten”).
• Right to restriction — ask us to limit how we process your data.
• Right to portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to withdraw consent — you may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at community@gatheredword.com. We will respond within 30 days. If you are unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority (for France: CNIL — cnil.fr).

7. California Residents (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to delete your personal information, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. We do not sell personal information. To exercise your rights, contact us at community@gatheredword.com.

8. CAN-SPAM Compliance

Every marketing email we send includes our physical mailing address, a clear identification as a commercial message where applicable, and an easy one-click unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email. Unsubscribe requests are processed immediately and take effect within 10 business days at most.

9. Children’s Privacy

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

10. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers (including Google LLC and Automattic Inc.) are based in the United States. Data transfers are carried out under Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, ensuring adequate protection under GDPR.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via email to subscribers or by a prominent notice on our website. The “last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

12. Contact