Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Thrively Media Pty Ltd trading as Ekko ("Ekko", "we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, holds, and discloses your personal information when you use the Ekko mobile and web application (the "App" or "Platform") and related services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the "Privacy Act") and the Australian Privacy Principles (the "APPs"). By using the App, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Policy.

This Policy should be read together with our Terms and Conditions (coming soon), into which it will be incorporated by reference.

In this Policy, a reference to a "church" includes a conference, ministry, or other faith-based organisation that uses Ekko, and a reference to a "leader" includes a pastor, conference leader, ministry leader, or group leader.

The kinds of personal information we collect depend on how you use the App. They may include:

Some of the information above, including your religious affiliation and your spiritual self-assessment, is sensitive information under the Privacy Act. We collect and use sensitive information only with your consent and for the purposes described in this Policy.

We collect personal information:

• Directly from you, when you register, complete your profile, use features, or contact us;
• Automatically, through cookies and similar technologies and through your use of the App; and
• From your church, conference, ministry, or group leader, where you join or participate through them, consistent with this Policy.

We use your personal information to:

• Provide, operate, and personalise your experience on the Platform;
• Facilitate group connections and community features;
• Generate Spiritual Health Check insights to support your growth;
• Enable pastoral oversight features, where you have opted in;
• Provide AI-generated discipleship materials to pastors and leaders;
• Process subscriptions and payments;
• Improve the Platform and develop new features;
• Communicate with you about the service and, where permitted, send you relevant updates; and
• Comply with our legal obligations.

Ekko provides AI features that allow pastors and leaders to generate study guides, summaries, reflection questions, and similar materials from sermon recordings and related content (the "AI Tools"). To provide the AI Tools:

• Sermon recordings and related content are transcribed and processed by third-party artificial intelligence service providers engaged by Ekko;
• Some of these providers may store or process content outside Australia (see Section 8: Overseas Disclosure); and
• AI-generated output is produced automatically and may contain errors; it is reviewed by the relevant leader before being shared.

Your content may also be subject to the terms and privacy practices of those third-party providers, which Ekko does not control. We encourage you to review those providers' terms where relevant.

Your individual spiritual health data, personal notes, and activity will only be shared with your pastor, conference or ministry leader, group leader, or your organisation's administration where you have explicitly opted in to that sharing. You may adjust your sharing preferences at any time within your account settings.

Pastors and leaders who access member data through the Leadership Hub are required to handle that data with care and confidentiality, use it only for pastoral and ministry purposes, and comply with applicable privacy laws.

We may disclose your personal information to:

• Service providers who perform functions on our behalf, such as cloud hosting, video hosting and streaming, transcription and AI processing, payment processing, analytics, and communications, who are bound to handle it consistently with this Policy;
• Your church, conference, ministry, or group leader, where you have opted in to sharing;
• Third parties where required or authorised by law; and
• Others with your consent.

We only share your personal information with these providers to the extent needed to deliver and operate Ekko, and we do not sell your personal information. Protecting your privacy is a priority in how we select and work with our service providers.

Some of our service providers may store or process your personal information outside Australia. Where we disclose personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient handles it consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

We may use de-identified and aggregated data to generate insights about spiritual growth trends across groups, churches, conferences, ministries, and the broader Ekko community. You agree that:

• Anonymised data may be used to generate aggregated trend reports and analytics;
• Group-level aggregated data will only be reported where the group has a minimum of seven (7) members, to prevent identification of individuals;
• Such aggregated data may be shared with church, conference, or ministry leadership, partnering organisations, or used for research and platform development; and
• Aggregated and de-identified data does not constitute personal information and does not identify you individually.

We may determine the macro-level categories at which aggregated data is analysed and reported, including at a group, church, conference, ministry, city, or national level, provided that individual anonymity is always maintained.

Where a live stream is broadcast through Ekko, it may be automatically recorded and stored as an on-demand video for later viewing. Recordings may capture the images and audio of people who appear or speak during the broadcast. Recordings are retained in accordance with Section 12 (Data Retention).

Your data is stored securely on servers located in Australia or in jurisdictions with equivalent privacy protections. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, or loss. However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period thereafter, or as required by law. You may request deletion of your account and associated data by contacting us using the details in Section 19.

The App may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve functionality and analyse usage. You can manage cookies through your device or browser settings. By using the App, you consent to the use of such technologies in accordance with this Policy.

We may send you communications relating to your account and the service. Where we send you promotional or marketing communications, we will only do so where permitted by law, and you may opt out at any time using the unsubscribe facility or by contacting us.

The App is intended for use by adults aged 18 years and over, or by minors with parental or guardian consent. The AI Tools may only be operated by users who are at least 18 years of age. We take care in handling the personal information of young people. A parent or guardian may contact us at any time regarding the personal information of a minor in their care.

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to ask us to correct it if it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading. You can update much of your information directly within your account settings, or contact us using the details in Section 19. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we will respond within a reasonable period.

The App may contain links to, or integrate with, external websites and services that we do not own or control, for example, a church, conference, or ministry's own website, or content hosted by a third party. This Section applies to those external services, and not to the service providers we engage to operate Ekko (which are covered in Section 7).

We are not responsible for the content, security, or privacy practices of external services. When you follow a link to, or interact with, an external service, your information is handled under that service's own terms and privacy policy, not this one. We encourage you to review those terms before providing any personal information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via the App or by email. The updated Policy takes effect when posted, and your continued use of the App constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to access or correct your information, or would like to make a privacy complaint, please contact us:

Ekko, Australia
Thrively Media Pty Ltd
E: hello@ekko.life

We will acknowledge and investigate any complaint and respond within a reasonable period. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.