Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 3, 2026

ShieldCounsel is a ministry of My Shield Foundation. This policy covers the ShieldCounsel website and the ShieldCounsel iPhone app. Your trust matters to us — especially because people come here with heavy hearts. We keep data collection to the minimum needed to run this ministry.

What we collect

• Account information — when you register: your name and email address.
• What you write — diary entries, private messages with your Guide, counsel conversations, prayer requests, and contact messages. These are stored securely so the ministry can serve you.
• App preferences — stored on your device only: your daily-verse notification time and whether you enabled the app lock.

What we never collect

• Biometrics. If you enable Face ID / device lock, your face or fingerprint never leaves your iPhone. Apple handles it entirely on-device; we never see, store, or transmit it.
• Location, contacts, photos, or microphone. The app does not request these.
• Advertising or tracking data. We run no ads, use no ad trackers, and do not sell or share your personal information with anyone for marketing.

How we use your information

Only to operate this ministry: keeping your account, delivering your diary, messages, prayer requests and counsel replies, and sending the daily verse notification you asked for. Your diary and counsel conversations are private to you — even your Guide cannot read them.

Where your data lives

Account data is stored with our secure database provider (Supabase) with access controls so only you — and, where needed for the ministry, your Guide — can see your information. Notification scheduling happens on your device.

Children's privacy

ShieldCounsel welcomes young people seeking counsel. If you are under 13, please use ShieldCounsel only with a parent or guardian's permission. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 without parental consent. If you believe a child has provided information without consent, contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Your choices

• Turn the daily verse notification on or off, or change its time, in the app's settings.
• Turn the Face ID / app lock on or off at any time in the app's settings.
• Delete your account and all your data yourself at any time from the Account section on your member page — or ask us to export or delete it through the Contact Us page.

Data security

We use industry-standard safeguards — encrypted connections and strict database access rules — to protect your information. No method is perfect, but we treat your data with the care a ministry should.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy in a meaningful way, we will post the updated policy here with a new date.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Reach us through the Contact Us page.