Acceptable Use Policy

This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) sets out what you may and may not do when using StGatherly. It forms part of, and should be read alongside, our Terms of Service. It applies to every church and every authorised user of the Service.

The aim is simple: StGatherly should be used to serve and communicate with people who want to hear from your church, lawfully and respectfully.

You may not use StGatherly to:

• Send spam or unsolicited messages, or contact people who have not agreed to hear from your organisation or who have opted out.
• Upload or distribute unlawful, harmful, harassing, defamatory, or infringing content.
• Violate the privacy or rights of others, or misuse personal data.
• Impersonate any person or organisation, or misrepresent who a message is from.
• Attempt to breach, probe, or disrupt the security or integrity of the platform, or gain unauthorised access to any account or data.
• Reverse engineer, resell, or copy the Service except as permitted by law.
• Use the Service in a way that risks harm to others, to the platform, or to its reputation.

You are responsible for ensuring that every message you send through StGatherly is lawful. Depending on the channel and the recipient, this may require consent or another lawful basis under applicable law, including the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and UK GDPR.

• Keep records of the consent or lawful basis you rely on for contacting each recipient.
• Honour opt-out and unsubscribe requests promptly, and do not contact people who have withdrawn consent.
• Only use contact details for the purposes the person would reasonably expect.

Messaging channels. Messaging channels such as Microsoft Teams have their own opt-in and acceptable-use requirements set by the channel provider. Where you use a messaging channel, you are responsible for meeting those requirements in addition to this AUP.

You are responsible for the accuracy and lawfulness of the data you upload, and for having the right to use it. How we handle personal data is described in our Privacy Policy and, where we act as your processor, our Data Processing Addendum.

If we believe you are breaching this AUP, we may investigate and take appropriate action, including removing content, limiting sending, suspending, or terminating access, as set out in our Terms of Service. We will act proportionately and, where practical, let you know so the issue can be resolved.

If you believe someone is misusing StGatherly, or you have received an unwanted message sent through the Service, please contact us at hello@stgatherly.com.