Privacy policy

1. Who we are and what this policy covers

The Northern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in South Africa ("Northern Conference", "we", "us") provides these event apps and the associated NCSA Studio administration portal. Our address is Advent Centre, 131 Oxford Road, Bedford Gardens, Gauteng, 2007, South Africa.

This policy applies to the Android and iOS versions of NCSA Events (previously NCSA Business), NCSA Camp Meeting (also branded NCSA Camps), and NCSA Kampvergadering (also branded NKSA Kampvergadering or NKSA Kampe), and to their supporting website, API and administration portal. Event titles and colours may change; this policy continues to apply.

2. Information we collect and store

App installation and usage

The app creates a random installation identifier and an authentication token. Our server stores the identifier, a hash of that token, the platform (such as Android or iOS), app version and registration/last-active timestamps. This identifies an installation rather than asking for your name, email address or phone number.

We record event-related activity: opening the app or preparation screen, viewing programme sessions or pages, opening documents and opening notifications. Records can include the installation and session identifiers, event and published-programme identifiers, the relevant content identifier, and time of the action. Organisers use these records to count distinct installations, sessions and content interactions. These are pseudonymous records, not a guarantee of anonymity.

Optional notifications

If you enable event notifications, we process a push delivery token, your device platform, the selected event and whether notifications are enabled. Firebase and the platform notification service also process installation/device identifiers and delivery information to route messages. Enabling notifications does not give us access to other notifications on your phone.

Information kept on your device

The app stores your selected language, saved programme items, read-notification status and event notification preferences locally. Installation credentials are kept using the device's secure storage facilities. Saved schedule selections and read-status lists are not uploaded as personal lists, although opening related content can generate a usage record. Images, documents and video components may create temporary caches.

Information supplied to us

If you contact us, we receive the contact details and message you choose to provide. Event organisers may upload speaker, presenter, staff or vendor names, photographs, biographies, roles and professional contact details for publication in event content. This is organiser-provided directory information, not a profile automatically collected from attendees.

Authorised portal administrators have separate accounts. We process their names, email addresses, password hashes, access roles, invitations, sign-in sessions and records of administrative changes. Uploaded event content and files are also stored. Administrator account details are not published as attendee information.

Technical information and permissions

Our hosting and delivery services process network requests, including IP addresses, request times, device/browser information and diagnostic or security logs. The apps do not request your GPS location, address book, camera or microphone. Venue maps display event locations; they do not track your position. We do not collect payment card details, advertising identifiers or your private files through the attendee apps.

3. How and why we use information

• Deliver the correct event programme, documents, media and preparation screens.
• Remember app preferences and deliver notifications you have enabled.
• Understand event usage and improve programme content, reliability and accessibility.
• Authenticate installations and administrators, prevent misuse and investigate faults.
• Respond to support and privacy requests and meet applicable legal obligations.

We handle information for these stated purposes under applicable data-protection law, including South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Depending on the activity, the basis is your consent, providing a requested service, our legitimate interests in running and securing the service, or a legal obligation. We do not sell or rent personal information, show targeted advertising, or use app activity to build advertising profiles.

Programmes may contain religious content. An interaction can indicate interest in that content, but we do not ask attendees to declare their religious beliefs or use these records to make decisions about an individual's beliefs or membership.

4. Who receives information

Access is limited to authorised Northern Conference organisers and technical support providers where needed for their work. We use Microsoft Azure for hosting, databases, file storage and notification delivery, and Google Firebase Cloud Messaging for push messaging. On Apple devices, delivery also uses Apple Push Notification service. These providers process the technical information required to operate their services.

For details of their own processing, see Microsoft's privacy statement, Firebase's privacy information and Apple's privacy policy. We may disclose information when required by law or where necessary to protect the service and people's rights or safety.

Videos, external links and sharing

Live-stream pages can embed YouTube. Loading a player or other externally hosted media sends requests to that provider, which may receive your IP address, device information, identifiers and cookies under its own policy. See Google's privacy policy. Social-media, website, email and telephone links open external services. If you use Share, you choose the receiving app or person; that service's privacy rules apply.

Our providers may process information in countries outside South Africa. When personal information is transferred internationally, we use applicable contractual and other safeguards required by law. Their processing locations and retention practices may differ from ours.

5. Security and website storage

We use HTTPS for app and website connections, restricted administrative access, hashed administrator passwords and installation authentication tokens, and access controls on stored data. No network or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

The administration portal uses essential authentication and request-security cookies. A portal sign-in session expires after eight hours. This public privacy page does not require sign-in and does not set advertising or analytics cookies. Our own apps do not include advertising, Firebase Analytics or Crashlytics SDKs; the app-usage reporting described above is provided by our own backend. Third-party media may have its own cookies and storage.

6. How long information is kept

Installation and activity records are retained with event reporting history while needed to operate the apps, support event reporting and investigate issues. They are not automatically deleted when an event ends or when you uninstall an app. Retention depends on the record's purpose, ongoing support needs, legal requirements and any deletion request; we do not apply a single fixed expiry to all event records.

Turning off notifications in the app clears the stored push token and event subscription from our backend once the change successfully synchronises. Other installation and usage records are not removed by that switch. Notification providers maintain their own identifiers and retention rules.

Published directory information and event files remain while the relevant content is retained, unless removed or corrected by organisers. Administrative and support records are kept for account management, security, resolving requests and applicable obligations. Where information is no longer needed, it should be deleted or anonymised. Backup copies and provider logs may remain until their normal expiry, and records required for legal or security purposes may be retained longer.

7. Your choices, access and deletion

• Notifications: open More → Settings → Event notifications in the app. You can also manage notification permission in your device settings. Changing device permission alone does not delete server-side records.
• Local preferences: remove saved items within the app or clear its local data. Uninstalling or clearing app data may remove local preferences; secure storage and device backups can follow different operating-system rules.
• Access, correction or deletion: email info@ncadventist.org with the subject “NCSA app privacy request”. You may also object to processing or withdraw consent where it is the basis for processing.

Tell us which app and event your request concerns. If your app provides an Installation reference under Settings → Privacy, include that reference so we can locate pseudonymous records. Otherwise, contact us for help; we may be unable to identify an installation from your name or email alone. Never send passwords, authentication tokens or unnecessary identity documents.

We may ask for proportionate information to verify a request and prevent another person's records from being disclosed or deleted. We will explain any lawful reason that limits a request. Attendees do not create accounts in these apps, so there is no attendee-account deletion step. Portal administrators and people featured in the directory can use the same contact address to request account or content correction/removal. Deleting local app data does not itself request deletion of server records.

You may raise a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa, or the relevant supervisory authority where you live.

8. Children and family programmes

Events may include activities for children, teenagers and families. The apps do not ask attendees for dates of birth, create child profiles, or provide attendee chat or public posting. The limited technical and usage processing described above still occurs when the apps are used. Parents or guardians should supervise children's use of external links and media and may contact us about access or deletion of information relating to a child. Organisers are responsible for appropriate permission before publishing a child's photograph or other identifying content.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this page as app features, service providers or legal requirements change. The date at the top identifies the current version. Where a change requires additional notice or consent, we will provide it through the relevant app or service.