Account and sessions
Accounts use email, password-based sessions, and recovery receipts so a user can return to goals, guidance history, and account-backed diary entries when signed in and online.
Privacy and private sacred space
Faith Companion is built around a simple boundary: sources are governed, private notes belong to the user, and the app must keep those worlds separate.
Private sacred space
Diary notes, goals, and private reflections are user space. They are not reviewed doctrine, source approval evidence, clergy advice, or emergency monitoring.
Local device protection
Guest diary entries stay local to the current browser or device. The mobile app stores local diary bodies as AES-GCM encrypted payloads, keeps the diary key in OS secure storage when available, supports device-lock behavior, and keeps offline source packs separate from private notes.
Questions and source research
Library-only mode keeps the question inside Faith Companion's own source system. If a user explicitly selects a research mode, the question and retrieved evidence needed for the answer may be sent through Vercel AI Gateway and configured AI or web-search providers. Gateway requests ask providers not to store the generated response, but provider processing and retention remain subject to the configured provider's terms.
Saved studies
Device studies are stored in the current browser for offline use. Signed-in account studies are encrypted at rest in private account rows and are not automatically copied into browser storage. Users can rename, export, delete, and resume their saved work.
Analytics and feedback
Operational analytics and feedback should measure product health without storing diary contents or sensitive free-text spiritual struggle as analytics payloads.
Export and deletion
Private diary entries can be exported or deleted, and the hosted deletion page uses the signed-in browser session for immediate deletion or an email verification request otherwise.
Offline source packs
Downloaded packs contain source text, search data, checksums, and rights metadata. They do not contain account identity, diary notes, or private user reflections.