Do Users have any expectation of privacy?/ Can any Logos employee check out our account at will?

DMM · 2025-08-06T00:14:58+00:00

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I received an e-mail today from a Logos employee that really makes me question what, if any, privacy do I as a Logos user have?

So Logos is running a sale starting today on the collector's editions. Some of them do not show any price and make you add it to your cart to see your price.

So I did. It was a very very high price, which I expected, and I didn't buy it and went on my way.

Then a couple hours later, instead of the dreaded "your cart is calling you" e-mail, I get a personal e-mail from a Logos employee.

No, I didn't have an order that "did not go through". That implies that I tried to checkout and could not. I simply added it to my cart to see the price and then decided not to buy it. I have things in my cart almost at all times, and never once have I ever got such an e-mail. I assume it was simply because of the dollar amount and the rep would get a commission on it if I had told him yes.

This gives me several concerns.

Why was he looking at my account? I hadn't asked anyone to.
Do Logos employees just look at our account any time they want?
Do Logos employees monitor what people put in their carts in the webstore?
Can any Logos employee look at my purchase history, wish list, credit card info, personal details, any time they want, even if I haven't said I've been having an issue with something?
What about my personal documents and notes? Can any Logos employee read those? What about things I highlight?
What about my Logos usage? Can employees monitor what books I read, when I read them, if I highlight them, how long it takes me to read it?
Along those same lines, for the forum, can Logos employees read our posts while we write them? Or read our unposted drafts? I do know that if you contact customer service via the online chat, they can read whatever you type as you type it, as a few months ago I asked a rep a question and he answered the question before I even clicked enter (and I never actually ended up submitting it since he answered it). Does that apply to the forum too?
Can our searches in Logos be seen by Logos employees? Both searches in the Logos program as well as searches on in the webstore. The smart searches are saved, so can Logos employees look at what I search for? Can they see how many times I search?
Can employees see what courses we watch on FaithlifeTV?

What level of privacy do Logos users actually have?

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Jonathan Bradley

Check here for an answer: https://www.logos.com/terms

Jonathan Bradley

Deleted. Copied wrong part.

Jonathan Bradley

I got a summary of the Logos ToS using Chat GPT:

Here’s what the Logos Bible Software Terms of Service (ToS) and accompanying Privacy Policy indicate regarding users’ expectation of privacy:

🔐 1. Limited Privacy Rights under the Terms of Service

The Terms of Service focus primarily on acceptable use. They include rules prohibiting misuse (e.g. privacy violations, spam, impersonation), and also clarify that Logos:

Reserves the right to monitor usage to enforce compliance—e.g. detecting excessive simultaneous logins or misuse of services.(Logos)
May suspend or cancel accounts at its sole discretion if Terms (including the Privacy Policy) are violated.(Logos)

This means users should expect that Logos may review account activities and content as part of enforcement.

📄 2. Privacy Policy: Transparency and Data Sharing

The Privacy Policy emphasizes Logos’s commitment to responsible data handling, but outlines clear limits:

a) Data Collection & Usage

They collect both personal data (e.g. name, email, billing, profile details) and usage data (e.g. IP address, device info, actions taken in the app).(Logos)
Data is used for legitimate business purposes—account administration, service improvement, personalization, analytics, security, and marketing.(Logos)

b) Sharing of Information

Logos may share your data with subsidiaries, strategic partners, support vendors, analytics providers, and church/community administrators based on your privacy settings.(Logos)
If you join groups via Faithlife or church-managed services, administrators may access portions of your profile or content depending on your privacy settings.(Logos)
They may also disclose data in response to legal requests, and during corporate mergers or asset transfers.(Logos)

c) Public Content Disclosure

Content you choose to make public—such as profile photo, group posts, shared notes, comments—is visible to others and possibly indexed by search engines.(Logos)

d) Data Retention and Control

Personal data tied to your account may be retained indefinitely, though some usage logs may only be kept between ~30 to ~450 days.(Logos)
You have choices: adjust privacy settings, opt out of promotional communications, reject cookies, or delete your account (though Logos may still retain certain data as legally required).(Logos)

🧭 Summary: What Privacy Can You Expect?

Aspect	What to Expect
Personal Data Collected	Email, name, usage logs, device info, location (approximately via IP, precise if app access)
Visibility of Your Content	Private unless you explicitly publish or configure otherwise
Usage Monitoring	Logos may review your usage to enforce licensing and Terms
Sharing of Data	With subsidiaries, vendors, group admins, legal requests, or corporate transactions
Retention Duration	Some data stored long‑term; logs are shorter term
Controls & Rights	Manage privacy settings, opt‑out, request deletion or correction of data

✅ Final Insight

Users should expect that Logos collects and may use/apply your data for service delivery, analytics, security, and legal compliance, and that some content and profile data may be visible to third‑party group or church admins based on settings. While logos gives you control over many settings and respects transparency, it's not a service that guarantees full confidentiality—particularly for public or group-shared materials.

Jonathan Bradley

Also,

Here’s a clear summary of what the Logos/Terms of Service and associated Privacy Policy reveal about how Faithlife employees can access your personal information (Logos):

🛡️ Access by Faithlife Employees

✅ Authorized Access, Only as Needed

Employees and contractors may access your data, but only those who need it to deliver services like account support, billing, fraud prevention, and system maintenance. They are required to follow the Privacy Policy (Logos).
There is no indication of unrestricted access—employees cannot browse accounts arbitrarily.

🔄 Type of Data Collected and Potentially Accessible

Profile Information (name, email, optional details like age and interests): Stored and used per your settings; shared only with administrators or groups you join if permitted (Logos).
Usage Data (books accessed, features used, searches, course participation): Collected via logs and analytics, which may be accessible by support or analytics staff for troubleshooting or product improvement (Logos).
Content You Create (notes, highlights, documents): Stored on Logos servers if syncing is enabled. Technically accessible but not routinely viewed—though may be accessed if needed for moderation or support.
Purchase History & Personal Details: Available to authorized staff like billing or support agents. Full credit card numbers are not accessible due to PCI compliance standards, though transactional metadata may be viewable (Logos Community).

🔗 Visibility and Sharing Controls

Data may be shared with subsidiaries, vendors, and independent contractors, but only under strict agreements requiring compliance with the Privacy Policy (Logos).
Faithlife Groups or Communities you belong to may have access to your profile and content, based on your privacy settings.

📌 Key Takeaways

Data Category	Can Faithlife Employees Access it?	Notes
Account/Profile info	✅ Yes (authorized and limited)	Access tied to service needs
Purchase history / wishlist	✅ Yes (to support staff, billing, fraud team)	Credit card data encrypted; full card numbers not shown
Notes, documents, highlights	⚠ Technically yes (rarely viewed)	May be accessed for support or moderation if necessary
Usage logs (searches, reads)	✅ Yes	Aggregated for analytics; possibly used during support
Course usage (FaithlifeTV)	✅ Yes	Logged to enable troubleshooting and improve service
Forum drafts/posts	❓ Possibly (if autosaved), but not routine	No explicit policy; only accessed in specific circumstances

🔐 Final Insight

Faithlife employees do not have unfettered access to your account or content. Access is restricted, logged, and purpose-driven—you remain in control through privacy settings and can request account data removal or correction as the policy allows.

Jonathan Bradley

Here’s a detailed answer to those two important questions based on the Logos Bible Software Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and common practices of cloud-based digital platforms like Logos:

📄 What about my personal documents and notes? Can any Logos employee read those? What about things I highlight?

✅ Technically, yes — but only under certain conditions.

Synced content like your notes, highlights, clippings, reading plans, and personal books is stored on Faithlife’s servers if syncing is enabled.
According to their Privacy Policy, this data is part of the information you provide through your use of the services, which Faithlife has access to and may process.

🔒 However:

Faithlife does not routinely review or read your notes or highlights. They are considered your personal content.
Logos employees may access this data if needed, for example:
- If you request support and they need to troubleshoot a problem related to your notes or documents.
- If content is shared in public groups or Faithlife communities, it becomes viewable to others (and potentially staff moderators).

So while the technical ability exists, access is restricted and not casual or arbitrary.

📚 What about my Logos usage? Can employees monitor what books I read, when I read them, if I highlight them, how long it takes me to read it?

✅ Yes — usage is tracked.

Logos collects detailed usage analytics, which may include:

What books or resources you open
When you access them
Which features you use (e.g., highlighting, note-taking, searches)
How long resources are viewed
Reading plans and completion progress

🧠 Why they collect it:

To improve product performance and user experience
For support and troubleshooting
For recommendation engines (e.g., “based on what you read…”)
To analyze trends and develop new features

🔍 Employee access:

This usage data is likely aggregated and anonymized in many cases.
However, authorized support or technical employees may review individual data when you're getting help or when investigating potential abuse or technical errors.

🔐 Summary

Category	Can Logos Employees Access?	Notes
Notes, Highlights, Documents	✔️ Technically possible	Accessed only if needed (e.g. support, moderation, group sharing)
Reading Behavior / Usage	✔️ Yes	Logged for analytics, support, and product development

If you want to limit Logos’ ability to access these items, you can:
Disable cloud syncing (you’ll lose cloud backup & multi-device sync)
Avoid sharing notes in Faithlife groups
Contact Logos and request data access logs or deletion under privacy laws (like CCPA/GDPR)

Jonathan Bradley

If I put too many questions in it from your list above, it gives an error that it cannot reach the page. I hope what I've provided helps.

John

Look on the bright side … at least it wasn’t an AI generated email …

GaoLu

Just cave in and let anyone do whatever they are going to do with your data anyway. I mean it's business, so… and already they know far more about you than you know. And Logos is Christian and all; but in the great up-sweep, would you want them to be left behind?

Alternatively, resist! Go live in a cave. That won't buy you long, but it might make you feel better for a while.

As for me, I shall post publicly, right here where everyone can see and drool: I am having blueberry waffles with maple syrup for breakfast. Bacon on the side. A small glass of orange juice. Thanks to the Good Lord and my wife.

DMB

Cave, it is for me. I have an online Verbum and a private Logos (PC's been offline now for many years). I do like my quiet study.

And to give credit, offline works fine, and app is stable over those unupdated years. Ignoring the UI, great coding at FL.