Effective 6 September 2026 · Beta release
Sitara is currently in beta: it is available to invited testers only, and it is not yet
published on Google Play. This policy describes what the beta does with your data. When
Sitara is published we will update it, and we will tell you in the app before the updated
version takes effect.
1. Who we are
Sitara is a Vedic astrology application built and operated by VishnuVaaku, an
astrological practice based in Hyderabad, India.
For the purposes of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, we are the Data
Fiduciary for the personal data described below. You are the Data Principal.
Questions, requests, or complaints: vishnupriyassoma@gmail.com.
2. The short version
- We collect the minimum needed to run the app: who you are, and the birth charts you
choose to save. - We do not sell your data, share it with advertisers, or run any advertising or
analytics SDK. There are no third-party trackers in Sitara. - Your data is stored on servers in India.
- Nothing is sold in the beta, so we hold no payment information of any kind.
- You can delete your account at any time. We remove your data within 30 days.
3. What we collect, and why
3.1 Account information
When you sign in with Google, we receive and store:
| Data | Why |
|---|---|
| Your email address | To identify your account and contact you about it |
| Your name, as set on your Google account | To address you in the app |
| A Google account identifier | The stable key that recognises you across devices and reinstalls |
We do not receive or store your Google password. Sign-in is handled entirely by Google.
3.2 Birth chart data
This is the substance of the app, and the most sensitive thing we hold. For each chart you
save, we store:
- the label or name you give it,
- the date and time of birth,
- the place of birth, including its coordinates and time zone.
If you are a practising astrologer, these charts may describe other people — your clients.
You are responsible for having their permission to record their details. We process this data
only to provide the service to you: we do not analyse it, aggregate it, sell it, or use it to
build profiles of anyone.
Charts are stored on your device and, once you are signed in, synchronised to your account so
they are available on your other devices.
3.3 Session and device information
- A device label (for example, the phone model), so you can recognise your own sessions
and sign out a device you no longer have. -
Session tokens, which authenticate the app to our server. These are stored encrypted on
your device using the Android Keystore. - Ordinary server logs — timestamps, request paths and error diagnostics — kept briefly
for security and debugging. They are not used to profile you.
3.4 What we do not collect
We would rather be specific than reassuring, because "we value your privacy" means nothing on
its own. Sitara contains:
- no advertising, and no advertising identifiers;
-
no analytics or telemetry SDK — we do not track which screens you visit, which features
you use, or how long you spend in the app; - no third-party trackers of any kind;
- no access to contacts, photos, microphone or camera;
- no location tracking. Birth places are places you type in, not places you have been.
4. Astronomical reference data on your device
Sitara does not compute planetary positions on your phone. Our servers pre-compute a large
set of astronomical reference data — planetary transits and related events spanning roughly
two centuries either side of the present day — which we regenerate on a rolling basis.
This data is downloaded to your device once, after you sign in and your trial begins, and
is then kept on the device so the app works offline. It contains no personal data
whatsoever: it is the same reference set for every user, in the same way an almanac or an
ephemeris is the same book for everyone who owns a copy.
It is removed from your device when you sign out.
5. Payments
There are none during the beta. Sitara is free while it is in testing, no payment method
is requested, and we hold no card, UPI, bank or billing information at all.
When Sitara is published, subscriptions will be sold through Google Play, which will be
the seller and merchant of record. Even then we will never receive or store your payment
details — only whether your subscription is active. We will update this policy before that
happens.
6. Where your data is stored
On servers located in India, on infrastructure we rent from a hosting provider and
operate ourselves. Data in transit is encrypted with TLS. Access to the database is
restricted to the minimum needed to run the service, and each account's data is isolated at
the database level, so one account cannot read another's.
We do not transfer your personal data outside India.
7. How long we keep it
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account information | For as long as your account exists |
| Birth charts | Until you delete them |
| Deleted charts | Kept briefly as deletion markers, so the deletion reaches your other devices, then permanently removed |
| Session tokens | Until the session is revoked or expires |
| Server logs | A short operational period, then discarded |
| Everything, after you delete your account | Permanently removed within 30 days |
Account deletion. When you ask us to delete your account, we remove your personal data —
your account record and every chart attached to it — from our servers within 30 days. The
30 days exist so that an accidental or disputed deletion can be reversed, and so that the
removal reaches every backup in rotation rather than only the live database. After that
window the data is gone, and cannot be recovered by us or by you.
Signing out is not deletion: it clears the app's local copy from that device and leaves your
account intact.
8. Your rights
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 you may:
- access the personal data we hold about you;
- correct anything inaccurate or incomplete;
- erase your data — see account deletion above;
-
nominate another person to exercise these rights on your behalf if you die or become
incapacitated; - complain to us, and, if you are not satisfied, to the Data Protection Board of India.
To exercise any of these, write to vishnupriyassoma@gmail.com from the email address on
your Sitara account. We will respond within 30 days.
You can also export your saved charts from within the app at any time, without asking us.
9. Children
Sitara is not intended for anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal data
from children. If you believe a child has given us personal data, write to
vishnupriyassoma@gmail.com and we will delete it.
10. Security
We protect your data with encryption in transit, database-level isolation between accounts,
encrypted storage of session tokens on your device, and access controls limiting who can
reach production systems.
No system is perfectly secure and we will not pretend otherwise. If a breach affects your
personal data, we will notify you, and the Data Protection Board of India, as the law
requires.
11. Changes to this policy
Sitara is in beta, so this policy will change — most substantially when the app is published
and subscriptions begin. We will update the date at the top, and for any change that
materially affects your rights or how we use your data, we will tell you in the app or by
email before it takes effect.
12. Contact
VishnuVaaku · Hyderabad, India
vishnupriyassoma@gmail.com
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Data Protection Board
of India.