1. Introduction

pyastro Inc. ("pyastro", "we", "us", or "our") operates the pyastro platform. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you use our website, mobile applications, and services (collectively, the "Service").

By using the Service, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

Account information: name, email address, phone number, password
Birth data: date of birth, time of birth, place of birth (used for astrological calculations)
Compatibility data: birth details of other individuals you submit for compatibility analysis
Payment information: processed by Stripe; we do not store your full credit card number
Communication preferences: SMS opt-in status, notification settings, locale preference

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

Usage data: pages visited, features used, session duration, referring URLs
Device data: browser type, operating system, IP address, device identifiers
Cookies and local storage: authentication tokens, locale preferences, theme settings

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

Provide and operate the Service (chart generation, reports, analyses)
Process payments and manage subscriptions
Send transactional emails (password resets, purchase confirmations)
Send SMS alerts and notifications (only if you opted in during registration; you may opt out at any time)
Improve the Service through anonymized usage analytics
Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
Comply with legal obligations

4. Sensitive Data — Birth Information

Birth data (date, time, and place of birth) is central to the astrological services we provide. We treat this as sensitive personal information and apply the following protections:

Birth data is stored encrypted at rest in our database hosted on Neon (PostgreSQL) with TLS in transit
Birth data is used solely for astrological calculations and report generation
We do not sell, rent, or share birth data with third parties for marketing purposes
When you submit birth data for a third party (e.g., compatibility analysis), you represent that you have that person's consent to share their information
You can delete your birth profiles at any time through your account settings

5. Data Sharing

We share your information only in the following circumstances:

Astrologers: If you connect with an astrologer through our marketplace, your birth profile and relevant readings are shared with that astrologer to provide their services. Your email and phone are not shared unless you explicitly provide them.
Payment processor: Stripe processes your payments. See Stripe's Privacy Policy.
AI providers: We use Anthropic's Claude API to generate astrological interpretations. Birth data and koota scores are sent to the API for processing. See Anthropic's Privacy Policy.
Legal requirements: We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or governmental authority.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your data for behavioral advertising.

6. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law (e.g., tax records, payment transaction logs).

Generated reports and compatibility analyses are retained for the lifetime of your account so you can access them. Deleted birth profiles are soft-deleted and permanently purged after 90 days.

7. SMS Communications

If you opt in to SMS during registration, we may send you:

Weekly horoscope alerts
Transit and dasha-transition reminders
Account security notifications

Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. You can opt out at any time by updating your account settings or replying STOP to any message.

8. Cookies

We use the following cookies:

pyastro_access: HTTP-only authentication token (expires after 5 hours)
pyastro_refresh: HTTP-only refresh token (expires after 30 days)
pyastro_locale: Language preference (expires after 1 year)

We do not use tracking cookies or third-party advertising cookies.

9. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including: TLS encryption for all data in transit, encryption at rest for database storage, bcrypt password hashing, JWT-based session management with token rotation, and role-based access controls.

No system is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials confidential.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate data
Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
Export your data in a portable format
Withdraw consent for optional processing (e.g., SMS opt-in)
Object to certain types of processing

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@pyastro.com. We will respond within 30 days.

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the right to: know what personal information we collect and how it is used; request deletion of your personal information; opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information); and not be discriminated against for exercising your privacy rights.

12. International Users (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or Switzerland, our legal basis for processing your data is: consent (for optional features like SMS), contractual necessity (for providing the Service), and legitimate interests (for security and fraud prevention).

Data may be transferred to the United States where our servers and service providers are located. We rely on standard contractual clauses and equivalent safeguards for such transfers.

13. Children's Privacy

The Service is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we learn that we have collected data from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or through a notice on the Service. Your continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

15. Contact Us

For privacy-related inquiries, contact: privacy@pyastro.com

For general inquiries: hello@pyastro.com