Privacy Policy | HoraJnana

1. Introduction & Scope

HoraJnana (referred to as "we", "us", or "our") develops and operates the HoraJnana Web Application (https://skanda-p-r.github.io/HoraJnana-Web-App/), the HoraJnana Android Mobile Application (Package: com.hora.jnana), and the open-source backend calculation service.

We are firmly dedicated to safeguarding your personal privacy. Unlike conventional commercial astrology services, HoraJnana is engineered from the ground up to minimize data collection. We do not sell user data, we do not employ commercial advertising SDKs, and we do not track your activity across third-party websites or services.

This Privacy Policy explains how information is collected, processed, and safeguarded across all HoraJnana platforms.

2. Location Data Policy (Fine & Coarse GPS)

Vedic astrological calculations — including Sunrise, Sunset, the 24 daily/nightly planetary Hora durations, Ascendant (Lagna), and Rahu Kalam / Yamaganda / Gulika Muhurta windows — are fundamentally geographic. They depend directly upon the observer's exact latitude and longitude on the Earth's surface.

Core Principle: On-Device Mathematical Computation

Your GPS coordinates are used exclusively for computing astronomical positions. Real-time GPS location data is never logged, never stored permanently, and never transmitted to any third-party tracking server.

Location Data Principles:

Local Ephemeral Processing: When GPS permission is granted, your device coordinates (latitude, longitude, elevation) are used locally to calculate celestial event timings.
Zero Location History: We do not log, record, or track your movements or travel history over time.
Manual Override: You are never forced to grant location permissions. You can deny GPS access and select any city or region from our pre-configured registry or enter arbitrary coordinates manually.

3. Google OAuth & Account Information

HoraJnana provides optional sign-in capabilities via Google OAuth to allow users to securely authenticate and preserve their personal preferences and encrypted astrological profiles across devices without requiring complex password management.

Data Accessed via Google OAuth:

When you authenticate using Google OAuth, HoraJnana requests only the minimum necessary non-sensitive profile information:

Scope / Data Element	Purpose	Storage & Retention
Google User ID	Unique anonymous identifier to associate your encrypted Kundali profiles	Stored in your local device storage & ephemeral session tokens
Email Address	Verification of account ownership, account recovery, and security alerts	Stored in secure hashed database; never shared or used for marketing
Profile Display Name	Personalized greeting within the app interface (optional)	Cached in local browser / app storage

We do not access your Google Drive files, Gmail messages, Contacts, Calendar, Google Photos, or any other private Google service data.

4. Google API Services User Data Policy Compliance (Limited Use)

Google API Limited Use Disclosure

HoraJnana's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Specifically:

We only use Google user data to provide or improve user-facing features that are prominent in HoraJnana's interface.
We do not transfer or disclose Google user data to third parties unless necessary to comply with applicable law or as part of a merger/acquisition with explicit notice.
We do not use or transfer Google user data for serving advertisements, including personalized, re-targeted, or interest-based advertising.
We do not allow humans to read Google user data, unless we have obtained your affirmative agreement for specific messages, it is necessary for security purposes (such as investigating abuse), or to comply with applicable law.
We do not use Google user data to train, fine-tune, or improve generalized Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Learning (ML) models.

5. Data Storage, Security & Client-Side Encryption

HoraJnana employs defense-in-depth security standards to protect your astrological charts and profile data:

Client-Side AES-GCM 256-Bit Encryption: Saved Birth Kundali profiles (names, birth dates, times, and coordinates) are encrypted directly on your device before being exported or saved. The cryptographic key is generated and managed within your device's browser Web Crypto API or Android secure key storage.
End-to-End Transport Security (TLS/HTTPS): All communications between the application, the backend calculations microservice, and OAuth providers are strictly encrypted using TLS 1.3/HTTPS. Plaintext HTTP is completely disabled.
Device Identifier (UUID): To manage session tokens without requiring personal credentials, the application utilizes a randomly generated UUID that carries no link to your real-world identity.

6. Third-Party Sharing, Sales & Telemetry

We adhere to an absolute prohibition on data monetization:

No Sale of Personal Data: We do not sell, rent, license, or trade your personal information, location coordinates, or birth profiles to data brokers, marketers, or any third parties under any circumstances.
No Advertising Trackers: HoraJnana does not bundle Google AdMob, Facebook Pixel, Unity Ads, or any third-party behavioral analytics SDKs.
Astronomical Computation Libraries: Astrological positions are calculated using the Swiss Ephemeris engine (Astrodienst AG), licensed under GNU AGPL v3. No personal profile data is shared with Astrodienst AG.

7. User Rights & Data Deletion Instructions

You maintain full ownership and control over your astrological and profile information at all times.

Immediate Self-Service Deletion:

You can permanently erase all locally stored data, cached ephemerides, saved Kundali profiles, and session tokens directly from within the application:

Open the Settings screen in HoraJnana (gear icon in the top app bar).
Tap "Reset Cache" to clear all temporarily downloaded planetary data.
Tap "Reset Settings" to restore all defaults and wipe preferences.
Tap "Logout" to immediately invalidate your session token and remove credentials from your device.

Server Account Deletion Request:

If you authenticated via Google OAuth and wish to have all associated server records and tokens permanently deleted from our database, you may submit a request by contacting the developer at skanda.p.r@gmail.com or filing an issue at our GitHub repository. We will process and confirm complete deletion within 7 business days.

8. Children's Privacy

HoraJnana is an educational, cultural, and astrological utility suitable for general audiences. We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 13 (or under 16 in the European Union). If we become aware that personal data from a child has been collected without verifiable parental consent, we take immediate steps to delete that information.