Terms & Conditions

TERMS AND CONDITIONS: BY THE CROSSCHRISTIAN COMMUNITY NETWORK

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THE BY THE CROSSPLATFORM. BY ACCESSING, REGISTERING, OR USING THIS COMMUNITY NETWORK, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, YOU MAY NOT USE THE PLATFORM.

  1. INTRODUCTION AND APPLICATION

1.1. Welcome to By The Cross(“the Platform”, “Network”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), an online social network community designed to connect individuals within a faith-based environment.

1.2. These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of the By The Cross website, applications, and associated services.

1.3. In compliance with the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA), these Terms constitute a binding electronic agreement between you (“the User” or “Member”) and Grace Connect.

1.4. Age Restriction: You must be at least 18 years of age to register for, create an account on, or use Grace Connect. By registering, you warrant and represent that you are 18 years or older and possess full legal capacity to enter into a binding contract under South African law.

  1. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS

2.1. By clicking “Sign Up”, “Register”, “I Agree”, or by accessing the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

2.2. We reserve the right to amend these Terms at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and your continued use of the Platform after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

  1. COMMUNITY STANDARDS AND USER CONDUCT

Because By The Cross is a Christian community network, members are expected to interact with grace, mutual respect, and integrity. You agree not to use the Platform to post, upload, transmit, or share any content that:

3.1. Violates South African Law: Includes any illegal activity, promotes or facilitates unlawful acts, or breaches statutory regulations.

3.2. Constitutes Hate Speech or Harassment: Violates Section 16(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, by amounting to propaganda for war, incitement of imminent violence, or advocacy of hatred based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.

3.3. Is Offensive or Inappropriate: Contains profanity, obscenity, pornography, sexually explicit material, graphic violence, or material that is threatening, abusive, defamatory, or bullying toward other members.

3.4. Spam and Commercial Solicitation: Involves sending unsolicited bulk messages (spam), unauthorized commercial advertisements, multi-level marketing schemes, or fraudulent financial requests.

3.5. Infringes Intellectual Property: Violates copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or privacy rights of any third party.

  1. CONTENT MODERATION AND TAKE-DOWN PROCEDURES (ECTA CHAPTER XI)

4.1. By The Cross acts as a host of user-generated content in accordance with Chapter XI of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECTA).

4.2. We reserve the right—but have no absolute obligation—to monitor, review, edit, or remove any user-generated content that violates these Terms or that we deem harmful or inappropriate, at our sole discretion.

4.3. Notice and Take-Down Procedure: If you believe that any content hosted on By The Cross infringes your rights, is unlawful, or breaches these community standards, please notify us immediately via our designated abuse/legal contact channel with:

  • Full contact details of the complainant.
  • The specific identity and web address (URL) of the offensive content.
  • The legal basis or reason for the objection.

4.4. Upon receipt of a valid take-down notice conforming to ECTA requirements, By The Cross will act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the offending content and take appropriate action against the offending user’s account.

  1. PRIVACY AND PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION (POPIA)

5.1. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

5.2. By using the Platform, you consent to the collection, processing, storage, and sharing of your personal data as outlined in our separate Privacy Policy, strictly for the purpose of operating the community network and facilitating user connections.

  1. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

6.1. All Platform design, text, graphics, interfaces, code, and software underlying By The Cross are the intellectual property of By The Cross and are protected by South African and international copyright laws.

6.2. By posting or uploading content (such as text, images, or prayers) to Grace Connect, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, display, and distribute your content strictly within the operational scope of the Platform. You retain full ownership of your original content.

  1. DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

7.1. As-Is Basis: The Platform is provided on an “as-is” and “as-available” basis without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

7.2. Limitation of Liability: To the maximum extent permitted by South African law, Grace Connect, its founders, administrators, and affiliates shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with:

  • Your use or inability to use the Platform.
  • Conduct, statements, or content of any third party or member on the network.
  • Unauthorized access to or alteration of your transmissions or data.

7.3. Users interact with one another at their own risk. By The Cross does not vet the personal background of every individual user beyond standard registration checks.

  1. ACCOUNT SUSPENSION AND TERMINATION

8.1. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account and block your access to By The Cross immediately, without prior notice or liability, if you breach these Terms, engage in offensive behaviour, or act inconsistently with the ethos of the community.

8.2. You may terminate your account at any time by utilizing the account deletion tools provided within your profile settings.

  1. GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION

9.1. These Terms and any separate agreements whereby we provide you services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

9.2. You agree that any legal dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent South African courts.

  1. CONTACT INFORMATION

For any questions regarding these Terms, notices, or platform governance, please contact us at:

  • Platform Name: By The Cross Christian Community Network
  • Country: Republic of South Africa
  • Email: admin@bythecross.co.za