Telos Media Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 7, 2025

TelosMedia.org is a global platform operated by Telos Technologies, LLC (“Telos,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). We are committed to protecting your privacy and complying with applicable data protection laws worldwide, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the United States. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and safeguard your personal information, and describes your rights and choices regarding your information.

By using TelosMedia.org (our “Site”) and related services (collectively, the “Services”), you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information Collection

We collect various types of information from you and about you when you use our Services:

• Information You Provide: We collect personal information you provide directly to us. This includes information you submit when creating an account, using our platform, or contacting us via our live chat. For example, you may provide your name, username, password, email address, postal address, phone number, organization/church affiliation (if applicable), payment information (for subscriptions or purchases), and any content you upload or submit to the platform. We also collect any communications you send to us (such as customer support inquiries or feedback).

• Information Collected Automatically: When you use our Site, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage of the Services. This may include your IP address, device identifiers, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, links clicked, and the dates/times of access. We use cookies and similar tracking technologies (such as web beacons and pixels) to collect some of this information (see Cookies and Tracking Technologies below). This data helps us understand how users interact with our Services, enabling us to improve performance and user experience.

• Information from Third Parties: We may receive information about you from third parties. For example, if you choose to connect a third-party service to Telos Media (such as a social media account for login or sharing content), that service may send us information like your name and email as permitted by their privacy policy. We may also receive certain analytics or advertising information from partners (e.g., aggregate demographic data or preferences) to better tailor our Services. In all cases, we only collect and use such third-party information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws.

We consider all of the above to be “personal information” if it can identify you or is linked to you. You can choose not to provide certain personal information; however, this may limit your ability to use some features of our Services.

2. Use of Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

• To Provide and Maintain the Services: We use your information to create and manage your account, authenticate you when you log in, and deliver the features and content of our platform. For example, we process the content and data you input in order to display it on your blog or site hosted with Telos Media. We also use your information to operate, troubleshoot, and improve the functionality of our Services.

• To Communicate with You: We may use your contact information (email, phone number) to send you service-related communications and respond to your inquiries. This includes sending confirmations, invoices, technical notices, updates, security alerts, and administrative messages. We also use our on-site live chat support to assist you in real time with any issues or questions you have.

• For Marketing and Updates (with Consent): If you sign up for our newsletter or agree to receive marketing communications, we will use your information to send you news, updates, and special offers about Telos Media that we think may be of interest to you. You can opt out of marketing emails at any time (see User Rights and Choices below). We do not send you promotional communications unless you have given consent or it is otherwise permitted by law.

• To Personalize Your Experience: We may analyze your usage and preferences to personalize the content and features for you. For example, we might suggest relevant content or customize the way information is presented to better suit your interests and language preferences.

• For Analytics and Service Improvement: We use data (including automatically collected data and cookies) to understand user engagement and usage trends. This helps us improve our platform’s design, features, and performance. For instance, we analyze which pages or features are most used to inform our development decisions, and we monitor aggregate usage to ensure our servers and infrastructure can meet demand.

• For Security and Fraud Prevention: Your information is important for us to keep the Services secure. We use personal data to verify accounts and activity, detect and prevent malicious, fraudulent or unlawful activity, and enforce our Terms of Service. For example, we may use certain data to prevent spam or unauthorized access, and to investigate potential violations of our policies.

• To Comply with Legal Obligations: We may process and retain your information as required to fulfill our legal and regulatory obligations. This includes using data for tax and accounting purposes, verifying identity where laws require (such as anti-money laundering rules if applicable), or honoring your privacy rights and requests under applicable laws. We also may use or disclose information to respond to lawful requests by public authorities (e.g., to comply with court orders or subpoenas).

• Other Purposes with Notice and/or Consent: If we intend to use your personal information for a purpose not listed here, we will provide specific notice to you and, if required, obtain your consent. We will only use your data in a way that is compatible with the purposes for which it was collected or that you authorize.

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We understand the importance of keeping your personal information private. We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We only share your information in the following circumstances:

• Service Providers and Partners: We may share personal information with trusted third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf to help us operate and support the Services. For example, this includes hosting providers, cloud storage services, payment processors, analytics providers, email service providers, customer support tools (such as the live chat platform), and other IT or security vendors. These third parties can access personal information only to perform these tasks for us and are contractually obligated to protect it and comply with applicable privacy laws.

• Business Transfers: If Telos Technologies, LLC is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing due diligence, reorganization, bankruptcy, receivership, sale of TelosMedia assets, or transition of service to another provider, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. In such cases, we will ensure the successor entity is bound by terms similar to this Privacy Policy and that you are notified of any change of ownership or use of your personal information.

• Legal Compliance and Protection: We may disclose personal information to courts, law enforcement, government authorities, or other third parties when we believe it is legally required or necessary to do so. Examples include: responding to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process; enforcing our Terms of Service; responding to claims that any content violates the rights of others; or protecting the rights, property, or safety of Telos, our users, or the public. We will only disclose the minimum amount of information necessary and only when we have a good-faith belief that such disclosure is required by law or is reasonably necessary to prevent harm or illegal activity.

• With Your Consent or At Your Direction: We may share your information with third parties if you request or consent to such sharing. For instance, if you integrate Telos Media with a third-party service or use our platform to post content to another site, we will share data as needed to fulfill your request. Likewise, if we ever want to publicly post a user testimonial or success story that contains personal information, we would obtain your permission before doing so.

• Aggregated or De-Identified Information: We may also share information that has been aggregated or anonymized in such a way that it cannot reasonably be used to identify you. For example, we may publish trends or usage statistics or share broad audience insights with partners. This information will not include any personal details that can identify any individual user.

No Sale of Personal Data: TelosMedia does not sell personal information to third parties for monetary or other valuable consideration. If this policy changes in the future, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide any required notices or opt-out mechanisms as required by law (including the CCPA’s “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” provision).

4. International Data Transfers

Telos Media is a global service. By using our Services, you acknowledge that your personal information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. This includes transfers to the United States, where Telos Technologies, LLC is headquartered, and potentially to other countries where our servers or service providers are located.

Different countries may have data protection laws that are different from (and sometimes less protective than) the laws of your country. When we transfer personal data from the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or other regions with data transfer restrictions, we take steps to ensure that your information receives an adequate level of protection. These steps include relying on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, which contractually oblige recipients to protect your data, or transferring data to recipients in jurisdictions deemed “adequate” by the EU Commission. We may also rely on your explicit consent for certain cross-border transfers, where permitted by law.

If you would like to know more about or obtain a copy of the safeguards we use for international data transfers, you can contact us through our live chat (see Contact Information below). We will always handle your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable law wherever it is processed.

5. Children’s Privacy (COPPA Compliance)

Our Services are not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. In accordance with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), if you are under 13 years old, do not use TelosMedia.org or provide any information about yourself to us. This includes your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or username you may use.

If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13 without verified parental consent, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us immediately via the live chat on our Site so we can take appropriate action.

For teens and children above 13: If you are between 13 and 18 (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction), you should use our Services only with involvement of a parent or guardian. In certain jurisdictions (such as the European Union), stricter age thresholds may apply: for example, the GDPR requires parental consent for processing personal data of children under 16 in some countries (unless the country has set a lower age, which can be no lower than 13). We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the applicable minimum age. Parents or guardians should supervise their children’s online activities and educate them about safe practices.

6. Data Security

We take data security seriously and have implemented a variety of technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and destruction. These measures include encryption of data in transit (e.g., using SSL/TLS for our website), encryption of sensitive data at rest, firewalls and intrusion detection systems, and access controls limiting which of our employees and contractors can access personal information on a need-to-know basis. We also regularly review our information collection, storage, and processing practices to guard against unauthorized access and use.

Despite our efforts, please note that no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Thus, while we strive to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You should also take steps to protect your information by keeping your account credentials secure and logging out of the platform after use on shared devices. If you suspect any unauthorized access to or use of your account or information, please notify us immediately via our live chat support.

In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will act promptly to mitigate the impact and will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

7. User Rights and Choices

You have important privacy rights regarding your personal information. These rights may vary depending on your location and applicable laws, but we are committed to honoring them. Below is a summary of the rights that you may exercise:

• Access and Transparency: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to receive information about how we use and share it. This includes the right to ask us for a copy of your data in a commonly used electronic format. (For California residents, this includes the right to request that we disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you in the past 12 months, as well as the categories of sources, our business purposes for collecting the information, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.)

• Correction (Rectification): You have the right to request that we correct or update any inaccurate or incomplete personal information about you. You can also review and update certain information directly by logging into your account settings. We encourage you to keep your information up to date so we can serve you better.

• Deletion (Erasure): You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information. If you no longer want us to have your information, you may request that we delete it. We will honor deletion requests to the extent required by applicable law. Please note that we may need to retain certain information for legitimate business or legal purposes (for example, to comply with a legal obligation, complete a transaction you requested, or for internal operations like security and fraud prevention). If we must retain some data, we will inform you of what we must keep and why. Otherwise, we will make good faith efforts to delete or anonymize your personal data upon request.

• Objection to Processing: You have the right to object to our processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. For example, if we are processing your data based on our legitimate interests (see Legal Basis below), you can object to that processing if you feel it impacts your rights. You also have the right to object at any time to the processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes. If you object, we will reconsider our processing and either cease the processing or provide compelling legitimate grounds for continuation (where applicable under law).

• Restriction of Processing: You have the right to request that we limit the processing of your personal information in certain cases – for instance, if you contest the accuracy of the data, or if you have objected to processing and we are evaluating your request. When processing is restricted, we will still store your information but will not use it for the restricted purpose until the issue is resolved.

• Data Portability: For data you have provided to us and that we process by automated means on the basis of consent or contract, you have the right to obtain a portable copy of your data to transfer it to another service. We can, upon request, provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.

• Withdraw Consent: If we rely on your consent to process any of your personal information (for example, for sending marketing emails or for certain types of cookies), you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing we conducted prior to your withdrawal, and it will not affect processing of your personal data under other legal bases (such as processing necessary for providing the service).

• Opt-Out of Sale of Personal Information (California): As noted above, we do not sell your personal information. However, if you are a California resident, you have the right to direct us not to sell your personal information should we ever consider doing so. We will honor any “Do Not Sell” request. Additionally, if in the future Telos engages in any practice deemed a “sale” or certain types of “sharing” under California law (such as sharing for cross-context behavioral advertising), we will provide a clear method for you to opt out (such as a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link on our website) in compliance with the CCPA/CPRA. Rest assured that, at present, we do not sell or share personal data in this way.

• Non-Discrimination: If you exercise any of your rights under privacy laws (such as CCPA rights to access or deletion), we will not discriminate against you. This means we will not deny you our Services, charge you a different price, or provide a lesser quality of service just because you exercised your privacy rights. California law requires this assurance, and we firmly uphold it for all users.

To exercise any of these rights or choices, please contact us through the live chat feature on our Site. For certain requests, we may need to verify your identity to ensure we do not disclose or delete data to the wrong person. Verification may involve confirming information we already have on file or asking for additional information as needed. In some cases, you may designate an authorized agent to make requests on your behalf (California residents, for example, can use an authorized agent if the agent provides proof of authorization). We will respond to your request within the timeframe required by law (for example, within 30 days for GDPR requests, and for CCPA requests, usually within 45 days with the possibility of a 45-day extension).

In addition to contacting us, you may also manage certain aspects of your information through our Services. For example, you can unsubscribe from marketing emails by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in those emails. You can adjust cookie preferences through your browser settings or any cookie consent tools we provide.

Your Privacy Rights in the EU: If you are located in the European Union or a similar jurisdiction, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with a Data Protection Authority (DPA) or supervisory authority in your country if you believe we have infringed your data protection rights. We would, however, appreciate the chance to address your concerns first and will respond promptly to any issues you raise via our contact methods.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We and our third-party partners use cookies and similar tracking technologies to provide, customize, and improve our Services:

• Cookies: Cookies are small text files placed on your device that help us recognize you on subsequent visits, understand usage patterns, and remember preferences. We use essential cookies to enable core site functionality (for example, keeping you logged in, or remembering your language preferences). We also use analytics cookies to collect information about how users interact with our Site, which helps us improve the user experience. For instance, we may use Google Analytics or similar tools to gather aggregate information on site usage (such as number of visitors, pages visited, time spent on pages, and overall traffic patterns). These analytics cookies work by transmitting anonymized data to the analytics provider; they do not identify you personally. In some cases, we may use functional cookies to remember choices you make (like your preferences) and advertising cookies or pixels to deliver relevant content or promotions, but as of the latest update, Telos Media does not host third-party ads on the platform. If we introduce advertising or additional tracking, we will update this policy and obtain any necessary consents.

• Web Beacons and Pixels: Our emails or site pages may contain small electronic files known as web beacons (also called clear gifs, pixel tags, or single-pixel gifs). These are used to count users who have visited those pages or opened an email and for other related website statistics (e.g., recording the popularity of certain content and verifying system integrity). For example, if you subscribe to our newsletter, we may use a pixel in the email to know if you opened it, helping us gauge engagement with our communications.

• Your Choices for Cookies: When you first visit our Site, you may be presented with a cookie notice or preferences tool (depending on your region) that allows you to accept or reject certain non-essential cookies. Regardless, most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies or alert you when a cookie is being placed on your device. Please be aware that if you disable or reject cookies, some features of our Services may not function properly (for example, you might not be able to stay logged in or certain preferences might not be saved).

• Do Not Track Signals: Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature that lets you signal a preference not to have your online activities tracked. The industry has not yet developed a uniform standard for DNT signals, and as such, our Site does not currently respond to these signals. We instead adhere to the privacy standards outlined in this Policy and provide you the choice to opt out of certain activities as described. If a universal standard for recognizing and honoring DNT is established in the future, we will adjust our practices accordingly.

• Analytics Opt-Out: To opt out of Google Analytics tracking, for example, you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or use our cookie settings to disable analytics cookies. Additionally, if we use any cookies for advertising, we will provide opt-out mechanisms such as industry opt-out pages (like the NAI or DAA opt-out sites) or our own “Do Not Sell/Share” preferences if applicable.

For more detailed information about the cookies and tracking technologies we use, you can review our cookies notice (if available) or contact us via live chat. By using our Services, you consent to our use of cookies and similar technologies as described in this Privacy Policy. You have the right to withdraw or modify your cookie consent at any time by adjusting your browser settings or cookie preferences.

9. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data (GDPR Compliance)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with similar requirements, the GDPR requires us to explain the legal bases we rely on to process your personal data. We only process personal data when we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the context of the interaction with our Services, one or more of the following legal bases may apply:

• Consent: We process certain personal data based on your consent. For example, we will seek your consent to send you marketing emails or newsletters, to use non-essential cookies (in jurisdictions that require consent), or to collect sensitive personal data (if ever applicable). Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time (see User Rights above) without affecting the legality of processing based on consent before withdrawal.

• Contractual Necessity: We process personal data as necessary to perform a contract with you, or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. In practice, this means we process data that is necessary for providing the Services you have signed up for. For instance, when you register and agree to our Terms of Service, a contract is formed and we must process your username, email, and any content you post in order to provide the Telos Media platform to you. Similarly, if you make a purchase or subscription, we process payment information and contact details to fulfill that transaction. Without this information, we cannot provide the requested service.

• Legitimate Interests: We process personal data as needed for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party), provided such processing is not overridden by your data protection rights. Our legitimate interests include: improving and personalizing our Services; securing our platform and preventing fraud; analyzing usage of our Site to inform our business strategy; communicating with you about product updates or offers (subject to appropriate controls or consents for marketing); and ensuring the continuity of our business (e.g., in the event of business transactions or mergers as described above). When we rely on legitimate interests, we carefully consider and balance any potential impact on your rights. You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests (see User Rights).

• Legal Obligation: In some cases, we need to process personal data to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject. For example, we may keep records of transactions to meet financial reporting laws, or we might need to disclose information if required by law enforcement or regulatory authorities under specific statutes. Another example is compliance with data protection laws themselves – we process opt-out requests or data subject requests as a legal requirement under laws like GDPR or CCPA.

• Vital Interests or Public Interest: These bases are less commonly applicable but in theory, we could process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests (e.g., life or safety) or for tasks in the public interest. For instance, if we became aware of an imminent threat to someone’s life communicated via our platform, we might share data with authorities to prevent harm. Processing under public interest is typically only relevant if we had official authority, which we do not; thus, this basis is rarely, if ever, used by Telos Media.

If you have questions about the legal basis of how we process your personal data, please contact us via live chat. We will explain how the law applies to our processing of your information.

10. Data Retention

We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, or for legitimate business purposes as described in this Policy.

• If you have a Telos Media account, we retain your personal information for as long as your account is active. This allows us to provide you with the Services. If you choose to delete your account or if your account becomes inactive for an extended period, we will initiate the process of deleting or anonymizing your personal data. We may retain a limited record that you had an account (for example, your email address and account creation date) to maintain records of our service history, unless you request full erasure and no legal exemption applies.

• If you request deletion of your data, we will remove or anonymize your personal information in accordance with Section 7 (User Rights) and applicable law. Note that it may take a short period to fully delete your data from our systems and that we may retain backup copies for a limited time (for disaster recovery) before those are also deleted.

• Certain information may be retained for longer periods if necessary for legal obligations or legitimate interests. For example:

  • Legal obligations: We might keep transaction records, payment records, and correspondence for a number of years as required by financial laws, tax laws, or statutes of limitations for legal claims. If a law requires us to keep data for a certain period (e.g., bookkeeping regulations requiring retention for 7 years), we will keep that data for the required period.
  • Dispute resolution and enforcement: We may retain information necessary to resolve any disputes, enforce our agreements (such as Terms of Service), or to defend or pursue legal claims. For instance, if we ban an account for fraud or abuse, we may keep certain information to prevent that user from re-registering, or if there's litigation, we preserve relevant data until the issue is resolved.
  • Security and fraud prevention: Log data and security records may be kept longer to investigate security incidents or breaches and to improve our defenses against future attacks.

After the applicable retention period, we will securely delete or anonymize your personal information. We will also periodically review the data we hold and erase or anonymize data that is no longer needed. If we anonymize data (so that it can no longer be associated with any individual), we may use that information indefinitely without further notice.

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update or revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technologies, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this Policy. If changes are material, we will provide a more prominent notice of the update — for example, by posting a notice on our website’s homepage or alerting you via email or within your account dashboard.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of the Services after any updates become effective will signify acceptance of those changes. If you do not agree with any changes to the Privacy Policy, you should discontinue use of our Services and consider deleting your account. Remember, you can always contact us if you have questions or concerns about the changes.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, we are here to help. Please contact us through the live chat feature on our website. Our live chat support is available to assist you with privacy inquiries, data access/deletion requests, or any other issues related to your personal information. This method allows us to respond to you promptly and securely.

Additionally, you may find other contact options on our Contact Us page (such as a web contact form or support center). While our primary support for privacy matters is through live chat, if you require an alternative means of contact due to accessibility needs, we will accommodate you.

Telos Technologies, LLC is the entity responsible for the processing of your personal information. We value your privacy and will address your inquiries as quickly as possible. Thank you for trusting Telos Media with your personal information.