Choi Hansol, a sole proprietor registered in the Republic of Korea under the trade name Lodestar and operating the Duckgu Studio brand, operates Lodestar for launch in the United States, Republic of Korea, and Japan. Lodestar is an iOS service for astrology-inspired reflection. This policy explains what Lodestar processes, why it is used, and the choices available to you.
This policy also covers the Lodestar website community and inquiry forms where available. These website features are separate from the current iOS release, in which community sharing is not enabled.
Information we process
| Area | Information | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Account and sign-in | Firebase UID and the name and email supplied through Sign in with Apple | Authenticate you, maintain your account, and provide support |
| AI reflections | Your reflection input and generated result, with sun-sign and solar-season context, locale, and local date | Generate responses, show history, and retry interrupted requests |
| Website public copies | The title and text you choose to submit, optional sun sign, account link, consent version and time, copy revision, and publication or moderation status | Review a separate copy for publication, record your consent, and manage revisions and withdrawal |
| Website inquiries | Account-linked subject, category, original messages and replies, message language, status history, and timestamps | Allow you and authorized support staff to follow and resolve your inquiry |
| Website reports and blocks | Reported public-copy identifier and revision, reason, staff decision and note, status and timestamps; viewer-specific opaque block identifiers | Review reports, record moderation decisions, and hide blocked authors from your signed-in view |
| Website audit records | Action, target identifier, staff or member role, a hashed actor reference, and timestamp; no journal or inquiry message text | Check moderation and support actions and protect the service |
| Subscription access | StoreKit entitlement or transaction identifiers, plan/status, and previously recorded trial timing retained for compatibility, where present | Verify Plus access, reconcile purchases and restorations, and prevent duplicate processing; historical trial data does not grant access |
| Security and operation | App-integrity signals, essential configuration requests, limited operational logs, per-account counts of AI and safety requests, and rate-limit window timestamps | Used only to protect the service, apply rate limits, and troubleshoot; never used for advertising or location-related purposes |
| Legacy on-device records | If an earlier app version saved a place or lucky-item record, it may remain in protected account-scoped storage on that device. The current version does not create new records of this type or send them to Duckgu Studio servers, Google, or OpenAI. | Show the previously saved record read-only until you delete Lodestar’s local account data or the app |
Information kept only on your device
Exact date of birth, gender, the local guardian-consent confirmation used for eligible teen access, non-AI notes, and keepsakes are stored only on your device and excluded from device backup. Duckgu Studio does not receive these fields through the normal service flow, and they are not sent to OpenAI.
The current release does not provide map search or nearby-place recommendations, request iOS location permission, collect device coordinates or place categories, send them to Google Maps/Places, use the Google Maps/Places SDK or provider, or create new place records. The location-independent daily lucky item and number remain available and are calculated on your device.
If an earlier app version saved a place or lucky-item record, it may remain on that device. The current version displays previous records in read-only form, does not collect new location data or create place records, and does not send them to Duckgu Studio servers, Google, OpenAI, or another external provider. Those records are deleted when you delete Lodestar’s local account data or the app.
If you voluntarily include any of this information in an AI-reflection prompt, it becomes part of the reflection input described above.
The current release does not include an advertising SDK and does not request or display ads. Lodestar does not sell personal information or share it for cross-context behavioral advertising. If advertising is considered later, Duckgu Studio will update the applicable policy and terms, provide advance notice, and obtain consent or provide opt-out controls where required by law before activation. Any future ads must remain non-personalized; must not target minors; must not use journal or AI content, birth information, or sensitive information for targeting; and may appear only to eligible free users on neutral screens, never on AI or journal input and result screens, crisis, account, purchase, or legal screens.
Firebase Analytics and Performance SDKs are not included in the current release. Analytics and optional marketing email or push notifications are currently inactive. They may be enabled only after the policy, consent and opt-out controls, age protections, international-transfer disclosures, and store disclosures are updated to match the implemented configuration. Marketing messages will use a separate opt-in where required, and every marketing email will provide an unsubscribe method and the operator’s postal address.
AI and third-party processing
The Firebase backend sends AI-reflection input and necessary context to OpenAI. OpenAI requests set `store:false`, so generated responses are not stored as API application state; this setting does not by itself disable abuse-monitoring logs. OpenAI API inputs and outputs are not used to train or improve OpenAI models unless Duckgu Studio explicitly opts in. Duckgu Studio has not confirmed that Zero Data Retention or Modified Abuse Monitoring is enabled for the production project. Under the default setting, OpenAI may retain content in abuse-monitoring logs for up to 30 days; longer retention may occur where required by law or reasonably necessary to protect the services or third parties from harm.
Service providers and overseas processing
Apple processes App Store payments and sign-in data when you use Sign in with Apple. Google Firebase provides authentication, database, functions, app attestation, and remote configuration. Firebase Analytics and Performance SDKs are not included in the current release. The Crashlytics SDK is linked, but automatic crash-report collection and symbol upload are disabled. Crash information may be kept locally on the device, but this release does not send it to Firebase. Remote Config is fetched only after the combined Privacy Policy and Terms agreement gate.
Firebase and OpenAI may process information outside your country, including in the United States. The primary Firestore database is currently in the United States. We will provide the information and safeguards required by applicable law before relying on consent or another lawful transfer mechanism.
Analytics, marketing email, and push notifications are currently inactive. Their data categories, receiving legal entities, countries, transfer timing and method, retention, safeguards, age restrictions, consent, and opt-out controls will be confirmed and this policy and the available choices will be updated before activation.
- Google Firebase: authentication, database, server functions, app integrity, and remote configuration
- OpenAI: AI-reflection generation
- Apple: Sign in with Apple
- Apple StoreKit: subscription and transaction processing
- No advertising provider is active in the current release. Any future provider, data flow, transfer location, and retention period will be disclosed before activation.
- Google Workspace: support and privacy email handling
Retention
| Information | Retention |
|---|---|
| Account and AI-reflection history | Until the account is deleted |
| Website public copies, consent, and moderation status | Until the account is deleted. Public display ends when you withdraw the copy, it is hidden or removed through moderation, or your account is deleted. |
| Website inquiry conversations and status history | 3 years after the inquiry is closed, or earlier if the account is deleted |
| Website reports and staff decision records | Until the reporting account is deleted |
| Website author blocks | Until you unblock the author or delete your account |
| Website moderation and support audit records | 3 years after creation, or earlier if the account to which the record belongs is deleted |
| Interrupted-request retry cache | No longer than 2 hours |
| Subscription, payment, supply, and transaction evidence | 5 years, or longer where required for an active dispute or by law |
| Customer inquiries | 3 years after the inquiry is closed |
| Routine operational logs | Normally 90 days |
| Security-incident and audit records | 3 years after creation, or longer where needed for an active incident or legal claim |
| OpenAI abuse-monitoring logs | Up to 30 days by default; potentially longer where required by law or reasonably necessary to prevent harm |
| On-device notes and legacy records | Until you delete Lodestar’s local account data or the app |
Website sharing, support, and browser storage
Private journals in the iOS app are never automatically made public. Website sharing requires a separate copy that you choose and explicitly consent to publish. Authorized staff review the current copy before publication; a revised submission requires renewed consent and review. The public view contains only the approved title and text, optional sun sign, public-copy identifier, revision, and publication time. It does not expose your authentication UID. Withdrawal stops further public access through the service, but cannot recall copies or screenshots that someone else already saved.
Website inquiries are stored in Firebase and linked to your account. The conversation is available to you and authorized support staff, not to other members or the public. We preserve the original messages, replies, their language, and the status history. If staff write a translated response, it is a separate language-tagged reply and does not replace the original. The website does not automatically send inquiry text to a third-party translation service or AI provider.
A report records the public copy and revision reported, your reason, and the staff decision, note, status, and timestamps. These records are available to authorized moderation staff, not the public. Blocking uses an opaque identifier specific to the signed-in viewer; the block list does not expose the blocked author’s authentication UID. Audit records contain action and identifier metadata, not private journal or inquiry message text.
The website uses Firebase Authentication with browser-tab session persistence to maintain your sign-in and apply your blocks as you navigate within that tab. Live journal and inquiry contents are not persisted by the website in localStorage or sessionStorage. Website requests also use Firebase App Check with Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise for abuse protection.
Your choices and rights
Where applicable, you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction, or withdrawal of consent through privacy@duckgustudio.com. We may need to verify your identity before acting.
From Profile, you can permanently delete your Lodestar account and the account-scoped data on that device, including legacy records.
Deleting your Lodestar account does not cancel an Apple App Store subscription. Cancel it separately in your Apple account settings. Minimal records may remain where retention is required by law.
United States state privacy notice
For United States residents, the categories processed are the identifiers, account information, commercial or subscription records, Internet or device activity, user-provided reflection content, and inferences described above. Sources are you, your device, Sign in with Apple, StoreKit, and the service providers listed in this policy. We use and disclose these categories for the stated service, safety, security, support, transaction, and legal purposes.
During the preceding 12 months, Lodestar has not sold personal information or shared it for cross-context behavioral advertising, and the current release does not show ads. We do not offer a financial incentive for personal information and do not knowingly sell or share personal information of users under 16. If advertising is considered later, it will not use sensitive information, birth information, or AI and journal content for targeting, and the required notice, consent, and opt-out controls will be provided before activation.
Depending on your state and whether the relevant law applies, you may have rights to confirm processing, access, correct, delete, or obtain a portable copy of personal information; to opt out of sale, targeted advertising, or certain profiling; to limit certain sensitive-data uses; to use an authorized agent; to appeal a denied request; and to receive service without unlawful discrimination. Submit a request or appeal to privacy@duckgustudio.com. We will verify requests as appropriate and explain any denial and available appeal route. If an opt-out practice is introduced, Lodestar will provide the required control and honor applicable recognized universal opt-out signals before activating it.
Age, security, and changes
The minimum age is 14. If you have not reached the age of majority where you live, you may use Lodestar only with permission from a parent or legal guardian. Users under 14 may not create an account or use the service because no child-account or verified-parental-consent program is offered at launch. If we learn that an under-14 user provided information, we will restrict the account and take reasonable steps to delete the information as required.
We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards, but no online service can guarantee absolute security. Material changes will be announced in the app or on the service website before they take effect.
Contact
Operator: Choi Hansol, sole proprietor registered under the trade name Lodestar and operating the Duckgu Studio brand (Republic of Korea; Business Registration No. 522-36-01755)
Representative: Choi Hansol
Business address: Unit B02, 373-8 Bongcheon-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08750, Republic of Korea
Public telephone: +82-10-5594-0555
Privacy: privacy@duckgustudio.com
Support: support@duckgustudio.com