Information collected
To light a candle, we ask for a name or pseudonym, the chosen chapel, the type of candle (small votive or small wax candle) and, optionally, a thought. We do not ask for an email address. We record the date, moderation status, consent receipt and technical identifiers necessary for the session and abuse prevention. Do not enter surnames, contact details, diagnoses or other personal information of third parties. The candle and any thought may reveal religious beliefs: for this reason, we ask for explicit consent.
Purposes and choices
We use the data to keep the candle, allow you to manage it from the browser used to light it and display it in the chapel. Public posting is subject to human verification. Consent is the basis for the required processing and, where the data reveals religious beliefs, explicit consent under Article 9(2)(a) UK GDPR and, where applicable, EU GDPR. Technical checks against abuse and automation are also based on the legitimate interest in the security of the service.
Who sees the candle and thought
The candle appears immediately in the browser in which it is lit. Other visitors see it only when moderation makes it visible to the community. If it is not approved, it may continue to appear only in the browser that created it. The administrator may remove content that contravenes the service rules. Publicly available content can be read by anyone and indexed by search engines; copies already stored by third parties may not disappear immediately after a subsequent removal.
Access from the browser
The browser receives the technical cookie pater_candles, with a random identifier, HttpOnly, SameSite=Lax and Secure over HTTPS. The database stores the session secret fingerprint. The session may last up to 400 days, within the limits applied by the browser. If you delete browser data or change devices, you may no longer be able to directly modify or delete candles already lit. Recovery via email is not part of the current public service.
Persistence and anti-abuse controls
Candles do not have an automatic expiry: they remain in the service until deleted by the user via the available session or by the administrator. Anti-spam checks expire quickly. To limit abuse, we retain counters and pseudonymised fingerprints derived from the session and technical request data for short periods; they do not contain the thought or an email address. This data is used exclusively to limit repeated submissions and protect the service.
Control, withdrawal and rights
As long as the browser retains the session, you can modify or delete your candles. A modification requires a new verification before community visibility. If you lose the session, you can contact us to request assistance or removal, but without a personal identifier we may not be able to verify ownership of a candle with certainty. The rights provided by the legislation remain applicable, including access, rectification, erasure and complaint to the competent authority.
A service for adults
The creation of candles is reserved for adults. An adult may pray for a minor without publishing their identifying data. The chapels remain freely readable by all.