Kochupally

This Privacy Policy describes how St. George Orthodox Syrian Church, Thiruvanvandoor (Kochupally) ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information when you use the Kochupally Parish Portal website at https://kochupally.com, our member portal, online contribution services, and WhatsApp Business messaging services.

By using our website, portal, payment services, or WhatsApp communications, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

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SECTION 1 - INFORMATION WE COLLECT

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Identity and contact information: name, family name, postal address, email address, phone number, and date of birth, as provided by parish members or submitted through our contact forms.
• Account information: login credentials and profile details for registered portal users.
• Parish and membership records: family relationships, contribution history, receipts, dues, and other records maintained for church administration.
• Payment information: transaction details processed through our payment gateway. We do not store full credit or debit card numbers on our servers.
• WhatsApp and messaging data: your WhatsApp phone number, messages you send to our official WhatsApp Business account, menu selections, and delivery or read status needed to provide parish services.
• Technical information: IP address, browser type, device information, and cookies used to maintain secure sessions on our website.

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SECTION 2 - HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We use personal information only for legitimate parish and administrative purposes, including:

• Managing parish membership records and family information.
• Providing access to the Kochupally member portal and public contribution reports.
• Processing online contributions, issuing receipts, and maintaining financial records.
• Sending service-related communications by email or WhatsApp, such as receipts, dues reminders, portal links, birthday announcements, and office bearer contact details.
• Responding to enquiries submitted through our website contact form.
• Protecting the security and integrity of our website and services.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use WhatsApp or portal data for unrelated advertising or marketing without your consent.

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SECTION 3 - WHATSAPP BUSINESS MESSAGING

We use the WhatsApp Business Platform, provided by Meta Platforms, Inc., to communicate with registered parish members and visitors who contact our official church WhatsApp number.

How WhatsApp is used:

• Sending contribution receipts and payment confirmations.
• Providing access to personal portal links for viewing dues and contribution history.
• Sharing parish information such as weekly birthdays and office bearer contact details.
• Responding to messages you send to our WhatsApp Business account.

Data processed through WhatsApp: your phone number, message content, interaction data (such as button or menu selections), and message delivery metadata. This information is used only to provide the services described above.

Meta / WhatsApp: WhatsApp messaging is operated through Meta's WhatsApp Business API. Meta may process certain data in accordance with its own policies. You can review Meta's privacy information at https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy.

Opt-out: You may stop receiving WhatsApp messages from us at any time by sending a message requesting removal, or by contacting us at sgosct@gmail.com. You may also block our WhatsApp number through the WhatsApp application.

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SECTION 4 - CONSENT

When you provide personal information to register as a parish member, complete an online contribution, use our portal, or communicate with us through WhatsApp, you consent to our collecting and using that information for the specific purposes described in this policy.

If we need your information for a secondary purpose, we will ask for your express consent or give you the opportunity to decline.

You may withdraw consent for non-essential communications at any time by contacting us using the details below.

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SECTION 5 - DISCLOSURE

We may disclose personal information:

• When required by law, court order, or government authority.
• To trusted service providers who assist us in operating our website, payment processing, email delivery, or WhatsApp messaging, and only to the extent necessary for them to perform those services.
• If you violate our Terms of Service.

We require third-party providers to protect your information and use it only for the services they provide to us.

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SECTION 6 - PAYMENT PROCESSING

We use Razorpay for processing online contributions and payments. We and Razorpay do not store your full card data on our servers. Payment data is encrypted through the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) during processing.

Transaction data is retained only as long as necessary to complete the transaction and maintain parish financial records as required by law and church administration.

For more information, see Razorpay's terms at https://razorpay.com.

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SECTION 7 - THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Our services may involve third-party providers including:

• Razorpay — online payment processing.
• Meta / WhatsApp Business Platform — WhatsApp messaging services.
• Email service providers — transactional and service emails.

These providers have their own privacy policies governing how they handle information. Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party service, their policies apply in addition to or instead of this policy where relevant.

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SECTION 8 - DATA RETENTION AND DELETION

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to provide parish services, maintain records required for church administration and legal compliance, and resolve disputes.

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information by contacting us at sgosct@gmail.com or by using our Data Deletion Policy page. We will respond to verified requests within a reasonable period, and in any case within 7 days for deletion requests.

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SECTION 9 - SECURITY

We take reasonable technical and organizational precautions to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These include secure connections (HTTPS), access controls for portal accounts, and industry best practices for payment and messaging integrations.

No method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your data using appropriate safeguards.

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SECTION 10 - COOKIES

We use cookies and similar technologies to maintain secure user sessions on our website and portal. Session cookies are not used to personally identify you on other websites.

You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain portal features.

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SECTION 11 - CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

Our services are intended for parish members and their families. Where information about minors is stored, it is maintained as part of family membership records with appropriate parental or guardian involvement. By using this site, you represent that you are at least the age of majority in your jurisdiction, or that you have consent to provide information about any minor dependents.

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SECTION 12 - CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes take effect when posted on this page. The "Last updated" date at the top will be revised accordingly. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

If we make material changes affecting how we use personal information, we will provide additional notice where appropriate.

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QUESTIONS AND CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to access or correct your personal information, register a complaint, or request deletion of your data, please contact our Privacy Compliance Officer:

• Organization: St. George Orthodox Syrian Church, Thiruvanvandoor (Kochupally)
• Email: sgosct@gmail.com
• Phone: (+91) 80892 71815
• Address: St. George Orthodox Syrian Church, Thiruvanvandoor, Kerala - 689109, India
• Website: https://kochupally.com