Privacy Policy
Last updated: March 2026
Golden Thread is a search tool for Catholic primary sources — Scripture, the Catechism, councils, Church Fathers, and spiritual writers. What you search for in these materials can be deeply personal. We take that seriously. We do not track you for profit, sell your data, or build behavioral profiles. We exist to help you find sources, not to monetize your faith.
Search without surveillance
Your searches are yours. Whether you are reading about annulment, confession, prayer, or anything else, Golden Thread treats your search activity as private by default. Here are the commitments that back that up:
No search history tied to accounts
Anonymous search is and will remain the default. No account is needed to search, filter, copy citations, or share links. If you create an account, any saved searches you choose to store are under your control and deletable at any time. We never log which user searched for what.
No analytics that identify individual search patterns
We do not run Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any third-party tracking scripts. We use only aggregate, anonymized data to understand which sources are most helpful to the community as a whole. We never build profiles of individual search behavior.
Search data is never shared with publishers or partners
Our publishing partners (including Ignatius Press and any future affiliates) do not receive user search data. Partners receive aggregate analytics about their own indexed content — how often their collection appears in results — but never who searched for what, or what any individual user looked for.
No ad tracking, ever
This is a permanent commitment, not just a current state. Golden Thread will never run display advertising, install ad-tracking cookies, or sell behavioral data to advertisers. The Catholic intellectual tradition deserves a search experience that respects the dignity of the person using it.
What we collect, by tier
Anonymous users (no account): Nothing tied to your identity. No search history, no behavioral tracking, no cookies. Each search is separate and leaves no trace.
Free accounts: Email address (for sign-in, account recovery, and account notices), saved pins (your bookmarks), and search history (visible only to you, deletable at any time).
Pro accounts: Everything in free, plus saved searches and export records. Billing is handled by Stripe, our PCI-compliant payment processor. We do not collect or store your full card number.
Partner / API access: API key, usage logs, and aggregate content analytics for your organization. No individual user data is included.
Cookies
If you do not sign in, no cookies are set. Period.
If you sign in, we use a single essential session cookie to keep you logged in. It is marked httponly, secure, and samesite to prevent misuse, and it is deleted when you sign out or close your browser. We set no tracking cookies, no analytics cookies, and no persistent cookies of any kind.
Data retention
- Server logs (IP address, request timestamps, pages accessed, browser type) are kept for 30 days for security and abuse detection, then permanently deleted. Logs are never used to build user profiles.
- Account data (email, pins, search history) remains until you delete it. You can delete your account and all associated data at any time.
- Billing records are retained for 7 years to comply with tax law, but are never shared or used for marketing.
- Anonymous sessions leave nothing behind. Each session ends cleanly.
Third-party services
We use a small number of external services to run Golden Thread. Here is exactly what they are and what data they receive:
| Service | Purpose | Data they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud hosting provider | Servers and infrastructure | Encrypted traffic. No access to search queries or user data at rest. |
| CDN (content delivery) | Fast page loads worldwide | IP address and request URL (standard for any website). No search queries. |
| Stripe | Subscription billing and payment processing | Billing name, billing email, and payment method details handled by Stripe. We never store your full card number. |
| Email service | Account verification and password reset | Your email address. No search data. |
We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, Mixpanel, or any third-party tracking or analytics scripts. We do not embed third-party ad scripts. We do not share, license, or sell your search history, pins, or profile to any third party.
Data deletion
To delete your account and all associated data, email [email protected] with the subject line "Account Deletion Request." We will respond within 10 business days. You can also delete individual saved searches, pins, and history from within your account at any time.
GDPR and international privacy rights
If you are in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or another region with similar privacy law, you may request access, correction, export, restriction, or deletion of your personal data, and you may object to certain processing. To exercise these rights, email [email protected]. If we deny a request, we will explain why and describe your appeal options where applicable.
Children
Golden Thread is not directed at children under 13. Our Kids Mode is designed for use with parental involvement and sets no cookies, creates no accounts, and stores no data. If we learn that a child under 13 has created an account, we will delete it and any associated data. Parents or guardians can contact [email protected].
Law enforcement
We will only share data with law enforcement if legally compelled to do so. If permitted by law, we will notify you before any disclosure. We do not voluntarily share data with any government entity.
Changes to this policy
If we make material changes to this policy — such as changes to data collection, use, or retention — we will post the updated policy here and notify account holders by email. Your continued use of Golden Thread after an update means you accept the revised policy.
Questions
If you have questions about how we handle your data, or want to request a copy of what we have collected about you, contact [email protected].
We take privacy seriously because we respect your trust. Thank you for using Golden Thread.