Privacy Policy
Ishanya is a Vedic astrology app and marketplace that generates birth charts and panchanga (almanac) data, produces AI-assisted astrological readings, and connects people seeking guidance (“Jatakas”) with astrologers (“Jyotishis”) for consultations. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices you have.
We designed Ishanya to collect as little as possible. We do not track you across other apps or websites, we do not serve advertising, and we do not sell your personal information.
1. Who we are
Ishanya is operated by Orkids Group LLC, a United States limited liability company. For any privacy question, contact us at [email protected].
2. Information we collect
We collect only what the app needs to work.
2.1 Information you give us
| Category | What it is | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Email address, password (stored only as a salted hash — we never see your actual password), your first name, and your role (Jataka or Jyotishi). | To create and secure your account, sign you in, and send account emails. |
| Birth details | For each chart you create: a name/label, birth date and time, and birth place (place name plus latitude/longitude). | Astrological calculations require birth date, time, and location. This is the core function of the app. |
| Jyotishi profile (astrologers only) | Systems and languages you practice, years of experience, city, credentials, a public bio/tagline, sample work, references, links, certificates, consultation fee, and — if you choose to provide it — a phone number and profile photo. | To build your public astrologer profile and let Jatakas find and contact you. |
| Consultation content | Messages, requests, and questions you exchange in a consultation. | To deliver the consultation you requested. |
| Support correspondence | Anything you send us by email. | To answer you. |
2.2 Information created when you use Ishanya
- Charts and readings you generate (including AI-assisted readings).
- Purchase records — which item was bought, amount, currency, status, and a payment reference from the app store or payment processor. We never receive or store your full card number, bank details, or payment credentials (see §4).
- Basic technical logs — server logs such as timestamps, IP address, and error diagnostics, kept for security and to keep the service running. These are not used to build advertising or cross-app profiles.
2.3 What we do not collect
- We do not use third-party advertising or analytics SDKs.
- We do not track you across other companies' apps or websites (our iOS privacy manifest declares no tracking).
- We do not access your contacts, and we access your photo library only if you choose to set a profile picture (and only the image you pick).
- We do not collect precise device location in the background — location tied to a chart is the birth place you enter, and any “use my current location” convenience uses a location only at the moment you tap it, to fill in a chart's coordinates.
3. How we use your information
We use your information to:
- Provide the app's core features — generate charts, panchanga, and readings.
- Create and secure your account and authenticate you.
- Operate the marketplace — show Jyotishi profiles, enable consultation requests, and connect Jatakas with Jyotishis.
- Generate AI-assisted readings (see §5).
- Process purchases and, for Jyotishis, payouts (see §4).
- Send transactional email (verification codes, password resets, and consultation/account notices).
- Keep the service safe — prevent fraud and abuse, debug, and enforce our Terms.
- Comply with law.
We rely on these legal bases (where GDPR/UK GDPR applies): performance of a contract (to give you the service you signed up for), legitimate interests (security, preventing abuse, running and improving the service), consent (e.g., using your photo library), and legal obligation.
4. Payments
- AI readings are sold through Apple's In-App Purchase. Apple processes the payment and shares a transaction record with us; Apple does not share your card details with us. Apple's handling of your payment is governed by Apple's privacy policy.
- Consultations with a Jyotishi are processed through Stripe (including Stripe Connect for paying out Jyotishis). Stripe collects and processes payment and, for Jyotishis, payout/identity information directly. We receive only a payment reference and status. See Stripe's privacy policy for how Stripe handles that data.
- “Direct” consultations are arranged off-platform between you and the Jyotishi; any payment there is between the two of you and is not handled by Ishanya.
We store only payment references, amounts, currency, and status — never your card or bank credentials.
5. AI-assisted readings
When you request an AI reading, we send the relevant birth-chart data (such as computed planetary positions and the details needed for the reading) to our AI provider, Anthropic, to generate the text. We do this only to fulfill your request. Under our commercial arrangement, this data is processed to produce your reading and is not used to train the provider's models. We do not send your email, password, or payment details to the AI provider.
AI readings are generated for information, reflection, and entertainment. They are not professional advice — see §13.
6. How we share information
We share personal information only as described here:
- With other users, by your choice. A Jyotishi's public profile (bio, systems, languages, city, credentials, photo, etc.) is visible to Jatakas. When you request a consultation, the information needed to conduct it is shared with that Jyotishi. For Direct consultations, contact details are shared between the parties so they can arrange the session — only after a connection is made.
- With service providers (“subprocessors”) who run parts of the service on our behalf, listed in §7.
- For legal reasons — to comply with law, respond to lawful requests, or protect the rights, safety, and security of our users, the public, or Ishanya.
- In a business transfer — if Orkids Group LLC is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, information may transfer as part of that transaction; this policy will continue to govern it, and we will notify you of any change of control that affects it.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
7. Service providers (subprocessors)
We use a small set of trusted providers, each contractually bound to protect your data and use it only to provide their service to us:
| Provider | Role | Data involved |
|---|---|---|
| Google Cloud Platform | Hosting, database, secrets (primarily US regions) | All app data at rest and in transit |
| Cloudflare | DNS, edge/CDN, and object storage | Traffic and stored files (e.g., uploaded images) |
| Anthropic | AI reading generation | Birth-chart data for the requested reading (see §5) |
| Apple | In-App Purchases | Purchase transactions |
| Stripe | Consultation payments & Jyotishi payouts | Payment and payout/identity data (collected by Stripe) |
| Resend | Transactional email delivery | Your email address and message contents (e.g., verification codes) |
8. International transfers
We are based in the United States and our providers process data primarily in the United States. If you use Ishanya from outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to and processed in the U.S. and other countries where we or our providers operate, which may have different data-protection laws. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses) for these transfers.
9. Data retention
We keep your information for as long as your account is active and as needed to provide the service. When you delete your account, we delete or de-identify your personal information within a reasonable period, except where we must retain certain records to meet legal, tax, accounting, or fraud-prevention obligations (for example, transaction records). Backups are purged on a rolling schedule.
10. Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal information, to object to or restrict certain processing, and to withdraw consent. Ishanya honors these rights for all users regardless of location, to the extent practical.
- In-app: you can edit your profile and birth details, delete individual charts, and update account information at any time.
- Delete your account: use the in-app account-deletion option, or email [email protected]. Deleting your account removes your personal data as described in §9.
- Requests: email [email protected]. We will verify your request and respond within the time required by applicable law. You will not be discriminated against for exercising your rights.
California residents (CCPA/CPRA): we do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined, and we do not use sensitive personal information for purposes requiring a right to limit. You have the rights to know, delete, correct, and access described above. EEA/UK residents (GDPR): you may also lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority.
11. Children's privacy
Ishanya is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (or under the minimum age required in your country). If you believe a child has provided us information, contact [email protected] and we will delete it. Note that a chart you create about another person (including a child) is astrological birth data you enter — you are responsible for having the right to provide it.
12. Security
We protect your information with encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS), encryption at rest, hashed passwords, scoped secrets, and access controls. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your data and to promptly address any incident.
13. Astrological and AI disclaimer
Charts, panchanga, and readings — including AI-assisted readings — are provided for cultural, informational, and entertainment purposes. They are not medical, legal, financial, psychological, or other professional advice, and should not be relied on as such. Consultations reflect the views of the individual Jyotishi, not Ishanya.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date and, where appropriate, notify you in the app or by email. Your continued use after an update means you accept the revised policy.
15. Contact us
Orkids Group LLC
Attn: Privacy — Ishanya
1209 Blanket Flower Dr, Georgetown, TX 78628
Email: [email protected]