Ristara Terms of Service

Entity: Ristara Inc., a Delaware corporation operating in California Trade Name: Ristara Billing Descriptor: RISTARA INC

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§0. Plain English Summary

This summary helps you understand the contract. It is not the contract. If anything here conflicts with a numbered section below, the numbered section controls.

What Ristara is. A matchmaking platform that uses Vedic astrology calculations and the information you choose to share. We are not a marriage agency. We are not a background check service. We are not a fortune teller. The astrology is for reflection and entertainment, not prediction.

Who can use it. Adults 18 or older. No exceptions.

Money. If you subscribe, you are signing up for an auto-renewing subscription. You can cancel at any time, online, in two clicks or fewer, no phone call needed. You will keep paid access until the end of the period you already paid for.

Your photos and selfies. If you upload photos, you keep them. We have a limited license to show them on the app. If you choose to do selfie verification, we delete the selfie after we issue or deny the badge. We do not sell or share your biometric data.

Your private information. Religion, caste, sexual orientation, precise location, and selfie data are sensitive. We treat them that way. The Privacy Policy explains the details.

Disagreements. Most disputes will be handled in individual arbitration, not in court, and not as a class action. You can opt out of arbitration within 30 days of signing up by emailing [email protected].

Accessibility. We design for and commit to WCAG 2.1 AA conformance. If you have trouble using any feature because of a disability, email [email protected]. See Annex A for details and the alternative-access path.

Safety. We do not run background checks on users. You are responsible for your own safety when meeting anyone from the internet, and disputes between you and another user are between the two of you, not with us. We give you free safety tools: block, report, pause, and others described in the app.

Changes to these Terms. If we change anything that affects you adversely, we will notify you at least 30 days in advance and you can choose to leave.

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1. Important Notices

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY. SECTION 26 CONTAINS A MANDATORY INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AGREEMENT AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER. YOU MAY OPT OUT OF ARBITRATION WITHIN 30 DAYS OF FIRST ACCEPTING THESE TERMS BY FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURE IN SECTION 26.11.

YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL AUTOMATICALLY RENEW AT THE THEN-CURRENT PRICE UNTIL YOU CANCEL. SEE SECTIONS 6 AND 7.

SECTION 13 EXPLAINS THAT RISTARA DOES NOT CONDUCT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS ON USERS.

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2. Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a binding contract between you and Ristara Inc., a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in California ("Ristara," "we," "us," "our"). They govern your access to and use of ristara.com, the Ristara mobile applications for iOS and Android, the Ristara public tools and content, the Ristara application programming interfaces, and any related services we offer (collectively, the "Service").

By creating an account, by tapping or clicking a button indicating acceptance, or by otherwise accessing or using the Service, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. If you do not agree, do not access or use the Service.

These Terms incorporate the following additional policies, each of which is binding on you when you use the Service:

• The Ristara Privacy Policy
• The Ristara Community Guidelines, if and when published
• Any plan-specific, feature-specific, or jurisdiction-specific terms presented to you at the time you sign up for a particular feature, subscription, or offer
• Annex A (Accessibility Commitment) and Annex B (Biometric and Verification Data Notices)

If there is any conflict between these Terms and a supplemental policy, the supplemental policy controls for the specific subject matter it addresses.

Electronic communications and signatures. You consent to receive all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications relating to the Service electronically, by email to the address on your account, by in-app message, or by posting on the Service, and you agree that they satisfy any legal requirement that communications be in writing. You agree that clicking, tapping, or checking a box to indicate acceptance or consent constitutes your electronic signature under the U.S. E-SIGN Act (15 U.S.C. § 7001 et seq.), the California Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, and equivalent laws, with the same force as a handwritten signature. You may withdraw this consent by closing your account. You are responsible for keeping your email address current and for maintaining the hardware and software needed to receive electronic communications.

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3. Eligibility and 18+ Age Restriction

3.1 Adults only. You may use the Service only if you are at least 18 years of age. The Service is intended exclusively for adults. We do not knowingly permit any person under the age of 18 to register, create a profile, or use any feature of the Service.

3.2 Account termination on underage discovery. If we discover or reasonably suspect that an account has been created by or is being used by a person under 18, we will suspend the account immediately, attempt to verify age, and terminate the account and delete the associated personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy if the user is confirmed under 18 or fails verification.

3.3 Verification on suspicion. We may at any time, including in response to a credible report, require a user to verify age by means of government identification or another reasonable method. Refusal to verify or failure to verify is grounds for termination.

3.4 Capacity. You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract under the laws of your jurisdiction of residence and under California law.

3.5 Not barred. You are not barred from using the Service under the laws of the United States, your country of residence, or any other applicable jurisdiction, including laws relating to sanctions, export control, or registration as a sex offender. You represent that you are not on any United States, United Nations, European Union, or United Kingdom denied-party, sanctions, or sex-offender list.

3.6 No prior removal. You have not been previously suspended or removed from the Service for cause.

3.7 Accurate information. You will provide accurate information about yourself, including your legal name, date of birth, and contact information, and you will keep that information current.

3.8 MODPA and similar state-specific minors' protections. We do not sell or share personal information of any user under 18. We do not knowingly retain or use any information from minors except as required to remove an account. See the Privacy Policy.

3.9 UK Age Appropriate Design. For users we identify or reasonably suspect as being in the United Kingdom, additional protections derived from the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code apply, including the protections set out in the Privacy Policy.

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4. The Service

4.1 What Ristara is. Ristara is a Vedic-astrology-informed matchmaking and connection platform offered to adults seeking long-term partnership. The Service includes profile creation, curated introductions, Ashtakoota and related compatibility scoring, chat between mutually connected users, Muhurta and timing insights, optional public tools (such as nakshatra and compatibility calculators), and paid subscription features.

4.2 What Ristara is not. Ristara is not a matchmaking agency, marriage broker, dating concierge, background-check service, identity-verification service, immigration adviser, or licensed astrologer, counselor, therapist, physician, attorney, accountant, financial adviser, or relationship adviser. Ristara does not arrange marriages, vouch for any user's character, screen users beyond the limited measures described in Section 12 and Annex B, or guarantee any outcome of any kind. Astrological content is provided for entertainment and reflection only. See Section 17.

4.3 No guarantees. We do not promise that you will find a partner, receive any particular number of introductions, receive introductions of any particular quality, marry, become engaged, or experience any other outcome. Any marketing language to the contrary is hereby disclaimed as opinion or aspiration and does not form part of this contract.

4.4 No professional advice. Nothing made available through the Service constitutes medical, mental-health, legal, financial, tax, psychological, spiritual, religious, immigration, or relationship advice. You are solely responsible for any decision you make based on the Service and should consult an appropriately licensed professional before acting on any such decision.

4.5 Changes to the Service. We may add, modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature of the Service at any time, with or without notice, subject to Section 28 for material changes that adversely affect you. We are not liable to you or any third party for any change, suspension, or discontinuance.

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5. Account Registration and Security

5.1 One account per person. You may create only one account. The account must be in your own legal name. You may not impersonate any person, use another person's identity, or operate the account on behalf of any third party.

5.2 Accurate information. You must provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and keep it accurate, current, and complete thereafter. This includes your birth date and, if you choose to enter them, your birth time and birth location, which are used for astrological calculations.

5.3 Credentials. You are solely responsible for safeguarding your login credentials, including any third-party authentication credentials (for example, Google or Apple Sign-In). You must notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your account by emailing [email protected].

5.4 Authority to bind. Any activity occurring under your authenticated session is your responsibility, and we are entitled to rely on instructions given through your authenticated session.

5.5 Suspension or termination of authentication providers. If a third-party authentication provider terminates or limits your ability to authenticate, your access to the Service may be affected. We are not responsible for such third-party actions.

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6. Subscriptions, Automatic Renewal, and Billing

6.1 Subscription plans. We offer free, Premium, and Elite plans, along with founding-member offers, promotional offers, and one-time a-la-carte purchases. The features, prices, billing intervals, and limits for each plan are described at checkout and on our pricing pages, and are subject to change as described in Section 28.

6.2 Authorization to charge. When you purchase a subscription, you authorize Ristara and our payment processor (currently Stripe, Inc. for web payments, and Apple Inc. or Google LLC for in-app purchases) to charge the payment method you provide for the price of the subscription, any applicable taxes, and any other charges you authorize, including charges for one-time products and any future renewals at the then-current price.

6.3 Automatic renewal. Your subscription is a continuous service that automatically renews at the end of each billing period at the then-current rate, in the same currency, using the same payment method, until you cancel. Each renewal charge will be made on or about the date that corresponds to the original purchase date. We may attempt to charge again for a reasonable period if a renewal charge fails.

6.4 Free-to-pay conversion. Where a free trial or introductory offer converts into a paid subscription, you authorize the conversion charge in the same affirmative consent you provided at signup. See Section 7.

6.5 Price changes. We may change the price of a subscription. Any new price will apply only to subsequent billing periods after we provide you with the notice required by applicable law, including the 7-to-30-day notice required by California for material price increases. Continued use after the effective date of the price change is your acceptance; if you do not accept it, you must cancel before the change takes effect.

6.6 Taxes. Prices do not include sales, use, value-added, or similar taxes unless stated. You are responsible for all such taxes assessed on your purchase.

6.7 Billing inquiries. Direct all billing questions to [email protected]. You must notify us of any billing dispute within 60 days of the charge or you waive the right to dispute it, except as required by applicable law.

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7. California Automatic Renewal Law Disclosures (AB 2863 Compliant)

The following disclosures are provided pursuant to California Business and Professions Code §§ 17600 through 17606, as amended by AB 2863 (effective July 1, 2025). They apply to all subscribers regardless of state of residence with respect to web purchases. Native mobile in-app subscriptions are also governed by the applicable app store; see Section 8.

7.1 Clear and conspicuous offer terms. Before you submit your offer acceptance, we present, in a clear and conspicuous manner that is distinguishable from surrounding text and in a type size no smaller than the surrounding text:

• The price you will be charged
• The fact that the subscription continues until you cancel
• The length of the automatic renewal term
• The minimum purchase obligation, if any
• The cancellation method
• The date or frequency of future charges

7.2 Affirmative consent, separate from purchase consent. You must affirmatively check or tap a separate consent checkbox or button confirming you understand and agree to the automatic renewal terms. Consent to automatic renewal is captured separately from any consent to the underlying transaction. You cannot subscribe without this separate consent.

7.3 Same-medium cancellation; one-click-style cancel. You may cancel at any time, online, in the same medium in which you signed up:

• If you subscribed on the web, you may cancel on the web at https://ristara.com/settings/subscription. We provide a prominent cancel button. You do not need to telephone us, write a letter, log into a separate portal, speak to a representative, complete a survey, or perform any other step that is more burdensome than your original signup.
• If you subscribed through Apple or Google, see Section 8.

We do not present terms, prompts, or screens between you and the cancel button that interfere with, detract from, contradict, or otherwise undermine your ability to cancel.

7.4 Confirmation acknowledgment. Immediately after you subscribe, we send a confirmation email or in-app acknowledgment that contains: (a) the offer terms, (b) the recurring charge amount and frequency, (c) the cancellation method, and (d) a direct link to cancel.

7.5 Annual reminder. For all auto-renewing subscriptions of any length, we send you an annual reminder notice at least once every twelve months disclosing: (a) the product description, (b) the recurring charge amount and frequency, (c) the cancellation method, and (d) a direct link to cancel. For subscriptions of 12 months or longer, we additionally send a renewal reminder between 15 and 45 days before each renewal.

7.6 Free trial reminder. For free trials of more than 31 days that automatically convert to paid subscriptions, we send a reminder 3 to 21 days before conversion.

7.7 Material changes. If we materially change a renewal term to your detriment, we provide clear and conspicuous notice and an easy way to cancel before the change takes effect.

7.8 Consent recordkeeping. We retain a record of your affirmative consent under Section 7.2 for three (3) years after consent, or one (1) year after termination of the subscription, whichever is longer. The record includes the consent timestamp, the version of these Terms in effect at consent, a snapshot of the screen presenting the offer, and the cancellation method then disclosed.

7.9 No undermining. We do not enforce any provision of these Terms or any contract that interferes with, detracts from, contradicts, or otherwise undermines your right to give or withhold affirmative consent, or your right to cancel under Section 7.3.

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8. In-App Purchases (Apple and Google)

8.1 If you purchase a subscription or any other digital product through the Apple App Store or Google Play, your purchase, billing, automatic renewal, and cancellation are also governed by the terms of the applicable app store, including Apple Media Services Terms and the Google Play Terms of Service. Refund and cancellation requests for app store purchases must be submitted to the applicable app store, not to Ristara, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

8.2 For Apple, cancel under Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. For Google, cancel under Google Play → Account → Payments and subscriptions → Subscriptions.

8.3 You may have purchased the same subscription tier through more than one channel (web, Apple, Google). You are responsible for ensuring you are not double-billed. We will not refund duplicate purchases made through different channels.

8.4 Alternative payment options. Where required by law or by app-store rules following the Epic v. Apple injunction or similar mandates, we may direct you to alternative web-based payment options. The applicable price, refund policy, and consent flow will be presented at the time you select the option.

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9. Free Trials, Promotional Offers, and Founding Member Programs

9.1 We may offer free trials, discounts, promotional pricing, referral credits, and one-time founding-member or lifetime offers. Each such offer is subject to additional terms presented at the time of the offer, including duration, eligibility, and conversion behavior.

9.2 Free trials. Unless we state otherwise, a free trial automatically converts to a paid subscription at the end of the trial period at the then-current price. You can cancel at any time before the end of the trial to avoid charges. See Sections 7.6 and 6.4.

9.3 Founding member offers. Founding-member and similar offers may include limited inventory, locked-in pricing, lifetime entitlement to a stated tier, and a non-transferable badge. Seat counts and any countdown timers shown on our marketing surfaces reflect actual remaining availability at the time displayed. We may discontinue, modify, or cap the offering of any founding tier at any time, but doing so does not reduce the entitlements of a pass you have already purchased. "Lifetime" means the operating life of the Service: a founding pass grants access to the stated tier, including successor tiers of substantially equivalent value if tier names or structures change, for as long as Ristara operates the Service. Founding passes are one-time purchases, not subscriptions, and never renew or re-bill.

9.4 Eligibility. Promotional offers are limited to one per customer unless we state otherwise. Abuse of promotional offers, including creating multiple accounts or fraudulent payment methods to obtain offers, is a material breach of these Terms.

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10. Refunds and Cancellation

10.1 General rule. Subject to Section 7.3 and applicable consumer-protection law, subscription fees and one-time-product fees are non-refundable. All purchases are final except as required by applicable law or as expressly stated below.

10.2 California subscribers. Where Cal. Civ. Code § 1789.5 et seq. or other California consumer-protection law applies, the rights granted by such law are preserved. To exercise statutory cancellation rights, contact [email protected] within the statutory window.

10.3 EU and UK consumers. Where you are a consumer resident in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you may have a 14-day cooling-off right of withdrawal under applicable consumer-protection law. You expressly request that the Service begin during the withdrawal period and acknowledge that you may lose your right of withdrawal once you have fully used the Service. Where you have only partially used the Service, we may charge a pro-rated amount.

10.4 Quebec consumers. Quebec consumers have rights under the Consumer Protection Act (Quebec) that may not be waived by contract. To exercise statutory rights, contact [email protected].

10.5 App store purchases. Refunds for purchases made through Apple or Google must be requested directly from the applicable app store unless applicable law provides otherwise.

10.6 Discretionary refunds. We may, in our sole discretion, provide refunds or credits as a goodwill gesture. Doing so does not obligate us to provide any future refund or credit.

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11. User Content and License Grant

11.1 What is User Content. "User Content" means everything you submit, upload, transmit, or otherwise make available through the Service, including photos, videos, text in your profile, prompts, chat messages, voice notes, location data, birth data you elect to share, and any feedback, suggestions, or other communications.

11.2 You own your content. You retain all ownership and intellectual property rights in your User Content.

11.3 Limited license you grant to Ristara. You grant Ristara a worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable (only to our service providers acting on our behalf), non-exclusive license to host, store, reproduce, modify (only to crop, resize, format, transcode, and create derivative works strictly necessary for technical operation, moderation, or display), display, and distribute your User Content solely to operate, provide, secure, moderate, and support the Service to the extent you have made that User Content available to such surfaces. This license is granted only to the minimum extent necessary for the foregoing purposes.

11.4 Termination of license. The license terminates when you delete the User Content or close your account, except: (a) to the extent your User Content has been shared with another user (for example, in chat), which the recipient may retain consistent with our policies and the Privacy Policy; (b) for our retention of backup copies for a commercially reasonable period; and (c) to the extent we are required by law or for legitimate safety, fraud-prevention, or dispute-resolution purposes to retain it.

11.5 No AI/ML training without separate consent. We will not use your User Content to train, fine-tune, or evaluate any artificial-intelligence or machine-learning model that is not strictly necessary to operate the Service, except where you have given us a separate, specific, and revocable opt-in consent. Internal de-identification and aggregation for product analytics is not "training" within this Section.

11.6 No promotional use without consent. We will not use your User Content (including your profile photo, name, voice, or likeness) in marketing or promotional materials, including testimonials or case studies, without your separate, specific, and revocable consent. The grant in Section 11.3 does not authorize promotional use.

11.7 Right of publicity. This Section is not an assignment or waiver of any right of publicity under California Civil Code § 3344, New York Civil Rights Law §§ 50-51, or analogous law. We respect those rights.

11.8 No obligation to display. We may decline to publish, remove, or restrict the visibility of any User Content at any time, with or without notice and with or without reason, subject to applicable law.

11.9 Representations regarding your content. You represent and warrant that: (a) you own or have all necessary rights, licenses, and consents to your User Content; (b) your User Content does not infringe any third-party right, including intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or contractual rights; (c) photos depict you and were not taken or used in violation of any law; (d) you have not been deceptive about your identity, age, marital status, or other material attributes; (e) your User Content was not generated by artificial intelligence and presented as a photograph of you (see Section 14.12); and (f) your User Content otherwise complies with these Terms and our Content Standards in Section 15.

11.10 Feedback. Any suggestions, ideas, or feedback you provide are non-confidential and we may use them without restriction or attribution.

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12. Photo and Identity Verification (see also Annex B)

12.1 Verification offered. We may offer photo verification, selfie liveness checks, phone verification, and other measures to reduce impersonation. Selfie verification is voluntary.

12.2 What verification means and does not mean. A "verified" badge confirms only that, at the time of verification, the automated system was satisfied that the selfie depicted a live person reasonably matching the primary profile photo. It is not a guarantee that the user is who they claim to be, that the user is trustworthy, that the user is single, that the user's stated attributes are truthful, or that the user is safe to meet, communicate with, or transact with. Do not rely on any badge as a substitute for your own judgment.

12.3 Biometric and biometric-adjacent data. Selfie verification involves the collection of an image of your face and the use of automated systems that may compute facial geometry or equivalent biometric identifiers. By electing to verify, you give the separate, written, electronic-signature consent required under Annex B (Biometric and Verification Data Notices). You may decline verification at any time.

12.4 Retention and destruction. Selfie video, reference frames, and any derived biometric identifiers are deleted no later than thirty (30) days after the verification decision, or earlier as set out in Annex B. Confidence scores and pass/fail outcomes may be retained in an audit log for a reasonable period for fraud prevention and audit purposes.

12.5 No biometric profiling, no biometric advertising. We do not use biometric or biometric-adjacent data for any purpose other than verification, fraud prevention, and required audit logging. We do not sell or share biometric data. We do not use biometric data to infer protected characteristics for advertising.

12.6 Right to revoke. We may revoke verification at any time, including when the underlying profile photo changes, when we receive credible reports, or when we have other reason to suspect misuse.

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13. No Background Checks (Required Dating Safety Notice)

DATING SAFETY NOTICE — Required by N.J.S.A. 56:8-169 et seq., N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 394-ccc, 815 ILCS 615/1 et seq., and Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 106.001 et seq., where applicable.

Ristara does not conduct criminal background screenings on users. We do not check users against sex-offender registries before you connect with them. We do not verify any user's marital status, criminal history, financial status, immigration status, communicable-disease status, or any other matter beyond the limited identity-confirmation steps described in Section 12 and Annex B.

If a user appears on a publicly accessible sex-offender registry, or is otherwise identified through publicly available information as ineligible to use the Service, please report them to [email protected] and to the appropriate authorities.

You are solely responsible for using caution and conducting your own due diligence with respect to anyone you meet on or through the Service. Recommended practices include: (a) meeting in a public place; (b) telling a friend or family member where you will be; (c) not sending money to anyone you have not met in person and verified independently; (d) being cautious about sharing personally identifying or financial information; (e) running a name through publicly available state and federal sex-offender registries; (f) verifying identity through video call before meeting in person; and (g) reporting concerning behavior to us and to law enforcement.

This Section 13 is provided to comply with state online-dating-safety statutes. Specific state-required language is also set out in Section 36.

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14. User Conduct and Prohibited Activities

You agree not to, and not to attempt to:

14.1 Identity and honesty. Misrepresent your identity, age, marital status, location, or other material facts. Use photos that are not of you. Create profiles for fictional persons. Create multiple accounts. Operate an account on behalf of another person.

14.2 Illegal activity. Use the Service for any unlawful purpose, including human trafficking, prostitution, escort services, commercial sexual activity, drug distribution, money laundering, fraud, financial scams, romance scams, advance-fee fraud, or any activity prohibited by FOSTA-SESTA (18 U.S.C. §§ 1591, 1595, 2421A; 47 U.S.C. § 230(e)(5)).

14.3 Harassment and abuse. Harass, threaten, stalk, intimidate, defame, doxx, sexually harass, or otherwise harm any person.

14.4 Hate and unlawful discrimination. Promote, encourage, or organize hatred, discrimination, or violence against any person or group on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, caste (including in the City of Seattle (Feb. 2023 ordinance), City of Fresno (2023 ordinance), and other jurisdictions), religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other protected characteristic.

14.5 Solicitation. Solicit money, gifts, financial information, contributions, signatures, votes, services, or anything of value from another user. Distribute spam, chain messages, MLM solicitations, "investment" pitches, cryptocurrency promotions, NFT promotions, or links to off-platform fundraising.

14.6 Off-platform commerce and recruitment. Promote competing services, recruit users to other platforms or services, or use the Service for any commercial purpose other than its intended purpose of personal matchmaking.

14.7 Privacy violations. Collect, scrape, copy, store, transmit, or post any information about other users, including names, faces, photos, location, birth data, or any data accessible through the Service, without consent. Use any data obtained from the Service to identify or contact a user outside of the Service without that user's clear consent.

14.8 Minors. Use the Service if you are under 18, or in any way that involves minors, including grooming, soliciting, depicting, or referencing minors.

14.9 Sexual content; intimate-image abuse. Post, transmit, or solicit pornographic, sexually explicit, or sexually suggestive content. Use the Service for sex work or to find sex work. Post or transmit intimate or sexual images of any person without that person's clear, contemporaneous consent, including images created or altered by artificial intelligence.

14.10 Technical interference. Reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive source code; access the Service by automated means (including bots, scrapers, crawlers) except through APIs we publish; circumvent any rate limit, paywall, or technical protection; introduce malware, viruses, or destructive code; interfere with the availability or integrity of the Service; perform unauthorized security testing; or probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of any system.

14.11 Account trading. Sell, transfer, lease, license, share, or pledge your account or account credentials to any third party.

14.12 AI and synthetic media. Submit AI-generated photos as depicting you, deepfaked images, or images that materially alter your appearance in a deceptive way. We may detect and reject such content.

14.13 Caste-based or community-based harassment. Use community, caste, jati, or ancestral fields, where available, to harass, exclude, demean, or discriminate against any user. These fields are presented for personal preference, not as instruments of discrimination, and are treated as sensitive personal information.

14.14 Other. Engage in any activity that, in our sole judgment, undermines the integrity of the Service, the safety of users, or the trust of the community.

Violations may result in immediate suspension or termination under Section 22, removal of content, loss of paid features without refund, reporting to law enforcement, and other remedies available at law or equity.

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15. Content Standards

Your User Content must not include:

• Nudity, partial nudity, sexually explicit imagery, or imagery of sexual acts
• Images of weapons used in a threatening manner, gore, graphic violence, or self-harm
• Images of identifiable third parties without consent
• Images of minors, including childhood photos of yourself in any context that could be misused
• Contact information (phone numbers, email addresses, social handles) on your photos or in your profile fields outside of designated chat surfaces
• Trademarks, copyrighted material, or images of celebrities or other public figures unless clearly captioned and used in a manner that does not suggest endorsement
• Hate symbols, extremist iconography, or material glorifying violence or genocide
• Watermarked stock imagery or commercial images
• QR codes or links that direct users off-platform for any commercial or recruiting purpose
• AI-generated or AI-altered images of you that misrepresent your appearance

We may use automated tools, including third-party photo-moderation services, to enforce these standards. We may remove content with or without prior notice. Decisions may be appealed by emailing [email protected].

Community, caste, jati, and ancestral fields, where offered, are off by default, are user-selected only, are treated as sensitive personal information, and are not displayed to other users until a mutual connection is formed.

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16. Interactions Between Users

16.1 You are responsible. Interactions with other users are between you and them. Ristara is not a party to any communication, meeting, relationship, transaction, marriage, engagement, or other interaction between users. We do not endorse any user, and we do not vouch for any user's character, intentions, accuracy of statements, lifestyle, marital status, or compatibility with you.

16.2 No agency or fiduciary duty. We do not act as your agent, fiduciary, matchmaker, broker, or counsel. Compatibility scores, introductions, and timing suggestions are informational tools, not recommendations to enter into any relationship.

16.3 Free safety tools. You may block another user, report another user, or pause your profile at any time using in-app controls. These safety tools are free, are accessible to all users including users on the free plan, and are not gated behind any paid feature. These tools are designed to meet the WCAG 2.1 AA conformance standard set out in Annex A.

16.4 No liability for user conduct. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Ristara is not liable for any act or omission of any user, including any unlawful act, injury, emotional distress, financial loss, or property damage caused by or arising from any other user's conduct on or off the Service. This is reinforced by Section 24.

16.5 Assumption of risk. You understand that meeting or communicating with people you first encounter online carries inherent risks that no platform can eliminate, and you knowingly and voluntarily assume those risks when you interact with other users on or off the Service. Nothing in this Section limits our own obligations under these Terms.

16.6 Release. To the maximum extent permitted by law, you release the Ristara Parties (defined in Section 24) from all claims, demands, and damages of every kind, known and unknown, arising out of or in any way connected with a dispute between you and one or more other users, including conduct occurring off the Service after users connect through it. If you are a California resident, you expressly waive California Civil Code § 1542, which states: "A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party." Residents of other jurisdictions waive any comparable statute to the extent waivable.

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17. Astrology, Compatibility, and Predictive Content (Entertainment Only)

17.1 Entertainment only. Astrological content offered through the Service, including Ashtakoota compatibility scores, dosha analysis, dasha analysis, Muhurta and Panchanga timing, nakshatra and rashi readings, transit interpretations, remedies, and any other predictive or interpretive content (together, "Astrological Content"), is provided for entertainment, cultural exploration, personal reflection, and spiritual interest only.

17.2 Not predictions, not advice. Astrological Content is not a prediction of the future, a guarantee of relationship success, a measure of any individual's worth or character, or a substitute for professional advice of any kind (medical, mental health, legal, financial, religious, or otherwise). A high compatibility score does not predict a successful relationship. A low compatibility score does not predict an unsuccessful relationship. Muhurta windows are not guarantees that any event undertaken in them will succeed.

17.3 Plain language commitment. We commit to writing astrology disclaimers in plain English so that you understand what compatibility scores do and do not mean before you act on them.

17.4 Methodology. We use classical Vedic methodologies, including Lahiri Ayanamsa, sourced through the Swiss Ephemeris and equivalent libraries. We do not claim our methodology is the only correct one. Different traditions produce different results.

17.5 Birth data dependency. Calculations depend on the accuracy of the birth date, birth time, and birth location you provide. Inaccurate input produces inaccurate output. We are not responsible for any decision made on output derived from inaccurate input you provided.

17.6 Remedies are not medical or therapeutic advice. Suggested remedies, including gemstones, mantras, fasts, donations, and rituals, are cultural and spiritual suggestions only. They are not substitutes for medical, psychiatric, or any other professional intervention. If you are in crisis, contact a qualified professional, or, in the United States, dial or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline).

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18. Communications and Messaging Consent (TCPA, CAN-SPAM, CASL)

18.1 Transactional communications. By creating an account, you consent to receive transactional communications from us by email, push notification, SMS, and in-app message, including communications about your account, security, billing, subscription renewal, and material changes to the Service. You cannot opt out of essential transactional communications while you maintain an account, but you may close your account.

18.2 Marketing communications. Marketing email is sent only with the consent required by applicable law. You may unsubscribe at any time via the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or your account settings.

18.3 TCPA prior express written consent for SMS marketing. By providing your mobile number and separately, affirmatively opting in to marketing SMS through a clearly labeled checkbox or button distinct from the account-creation flow, you give your prior express written consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (47 U.S.C. § 227) and its implementing regulations (47 C.F.R. § 64.1200) to receive autodialed or prerecorded marketing text messages from Ristara at that number. Consent to marketing SMS is not a condition of purchase or of any other service. Message and data rates may apply. Frequency varies. Reply HELP for help. Reply STOP to opt out. We retain a record of your marketing-SMS consent (including timestamp, IP address, the language presented, and the consent capture screen) for at least four (4) years. SMS traffic is sent via carriers in compliance with CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices and A2P 10DLC registration.

18.4 Push notifications. You can disable push notifications in your device settings or in the Service settings.

18.5 Voice calls. We do not conduct outbound marketing by automated telephone call. Any verification call complies with applicable TCPA exemptions.

18.6 Canadian users (CASL). Marketing email to Canadian users complies with the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation, including identification of the sender and an unsubscribe mechanism in every commercial message.

18.7 Recording of communications between users. Ristara may, in compliance with applicable law, scan, store, and review communications between users for trust, safety, fraud-prevention, legal, and product-improvement purposes. See the Privacy Policy. By using chat features, you consent to such processing to the extent permitted by law, including California Penal Code §§ 631 to 632.

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19. Intellectual Property of Ristara

19.1 The Service, including its software, code, designs, logos (including the Ristara mark), product names, taglines, trade dress, content (other than User Content), documentation, and the selection, coordination, and arrangement of all of the foregoing, is owned by Ristara or its licensors and is protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, trade-secret, and other laws.

19.2 License to you. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access and use the Service for your personal, non-commercial use. No other rights are granted. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

19.3 No removal of notices. You will not remove or obscure any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notice on the Service.

19.4 App-store distribution. The Ristara mobile applications are licensed, not sold, to you. Apple Inc. and Google LLC are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms to the extent required under their respective app-store terms and only with respect to those mobile applications distributed through their respective stores.

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20. Third-Party Services and Links

The Service may interoperate with or link to third-party services, including Google, Apple, Stripe, Amazon Web Services, Firebase, Twilio, app stores, and others (each a "Third-Party Service"). Each Third-Party Service is governed by its own terms and privacy policy. Ristara does not control any Third-Party Service and is not responsible for the content, accuracy, privacy practices, or availability of any Third-Party Service. Your dealings with any Third-Party Service are solely between you and the Third-Party Service.

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21. DMCA and Copyright Complaints

21.1 If you believe that material on the Service infringes your copyright, send a notice that complies with 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3) to our designated agent:

Copyright Agent Ristara Inc. 8409 Florence Ave. Suite 202, Downey, CA 90240 Email: [email protected]

A complete notice must include: (a) a physical or electronic signature; (b) identification of the work claimed to be infringed; (c) identification of the allegedly infringing material and information sufficient to locate it; (d) your contact information; (e) a statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorized; and (f) a statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information is accurate and that you are authorized to act on the owner's behalf.

21.2 Counter-notice. A user whose content has been removed may submit a counter-notice complying with 17 U.S.C. § 512(g)(3) to the same address.

21.3 Repeat infringers. We will terminate the accounts of repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.

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22. Termination and Suspension

22.1 By you. You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time. Account deletion is initiated in the Service settings and is subject to a grace period and to the retention rules in the Privacy Policy.

22.2 By us. We may suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, if: (a) we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms or any applicable law; (b) we reasonably believe you have engaged in fraud, abuse, or conduct harmful to other users; (c) we are required by law or by a third-party service provider to do so; (d) we discontinue any part of the Service; or (e) your account has been inactive for an extended period.

22.3 Effect of termination. Upon termination, your license to use the Service ends immediately. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including Sections 11, 16.5, 16.6, 17, 18.7, 19, 23 through 28, 32 through 35) will survive.

22.4 No refunds on termination for cause. If we terminate your account for breach of these Terms or violation of law, you are not entitled to any refund.

22.5 Pro-rata refund on termination without cause. If we terminate your paid subscription other than for cause, or permanently discontinue the paid Service, we will refund the pro-rata unused portion of any prepaid subscription fees for the then-current billing period. Founding passes are governed by Section 9.3 and are not subject to pro-rata refund, except where required by applicable law.

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23. Disclaimers of Warranties

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SERVICE AND ALL CONTENT AND FEATURES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITH ALL FAULTS, AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, OR ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

Ristara makes no warranty that: (a) any introduction will result in a connection, relationship, marriage, or other outcome; (b) any user is who they claim to be; (c) any compatibility score, prediction, timing window, or astrological output will be accurate or beneficial; (d) the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components; (e) data you submit will be preserved without loss; or (f) any communication will be private from us, our service providers, or, in the event of compromise, third parties.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties, so portions of this Section 23 may not apply to you, in which case the disclaimers apply to the fullest extent permitted by law.

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24. Limitation of Liability

24.1 No indirect damages. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, RISTARA AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AFFILIATES, LICENSORS, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS (THE "RISTARA PARTIES") WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, OR REPUTATION, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT THE RISTARA PARTIES HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

24.2 Aggregate cap. THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THE RISTARA PARTIES FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE IS LIMITED TO THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO RISTARA IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100.00). This cap is cumulative across all claims and does not reset with multiple claims or events.

24.3 Essential basis. You acknowledge that the disclaimers and limitations in Sections 23 and 24 are an essential basis of the bargain. These limits apply even if a remedy fails of its essential purpose.

24.4 Carve-outs required by law. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for: (a) fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; (b) death or personal injury caused by our negligence to the extent applicable law does not permit such exclusion; (c) any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under California Civil Code § 1668 or any other applicable consumer-protection statute; (d) violation of Quebec consumer-protection law that may not be limited by contract; (e) any breach of UK statutory consumer rights that may not be limited; or (f) any other liability the exclusion or limitation of which would be void or unenforceable.

24.5 State-specific variance. Some jurisdictions, including New Jersey, do not allow the exclusion of certain damages. To the extent applicable law in your jurisdiction prohibits the exclusion of incidental or consequential damages, the foregoing exclusions do not apply to you, but only to the minimum extent required by such law.

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25. Indemnification

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Ristara Parties from and against any and all claims, demands, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, settlements, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your User Content; (b) your use of the Service; (c) your violation of these Terms; (d) your violation of any applicable law; (e) your violation of the rights of any third party (including any other user); or (f) any dispute between you and any third party (including any other user). We may, at our option, control the defense of any claim, in which case you will cooperate at your expense.

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26. Binding Arbitration, Class Action Waiver, and Mass Arbitration Protocol

READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY. IT REQUIRES YOU AND RISTARA TO RESOLVE MOST DISPUTES THROUGH INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION RATHER THAN IN COURT, AND IT WAIVES YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY CLASS, COLLECTIVE, CONSOLIDATED, MASS, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 26.8.

26.1 Agreement to arbitrate. Except as provided in Sections 26.2 and 26.5, you and Ristara agree that any past, present, or future dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Privacy Policy, your account, the Service, any communication, transaction, or relationship between us (a "Dispute"), will be resolved by final and binding individual arbitration, administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules then in effect (the "AAA Rules"). This Agreement to Arbitrate is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1 et seq.

26.2 Exceptions. You and Ristara each retain the right to: (a) bring an individual action in small-claims court for a Dispute within that court's jurisdiction; (b) seek injunctive or equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation, or violation of intellectual property, security, or confidentiality rights; and (c) bring claims for public injunctive relief that may not be waived under California law as set forth in McGill v. Citibank, N.A., 2 Cal. 5th 945 (2017), in a court of competent jurisdiction. Any such public injunctive relief claim is severable from the rest of this Section 26.

26.3 Delegation. Any question about the scope, enforceability, validity, applicability, or interpretation of this Section 26, including any claim that all or any part of this Section is unenforceable or unconscionable, is for the arbitrator and not a court, except questions concerning the class-action waiver in Section 26.7, which are for a court.

26.4 Informal dispute resolution first. Before initiating arbitration, you and Ristara agree to attempt to resolve the Dispute informally for at least sixty (60) days. This informal process is a condition precedent to arbitration. You will send written notice to [email protected] with: (a) your full name, (b) the email address associated with your account, (c) a description of the Dispute, (d) the relief sought, and (e) your contact information. The notice must be individualized to you and personally signed by you (an electronic signature satisfying Section 2 is sufficient); a notice signed only by counsel, or a form notice that does not describe your individual Dispute, does not start the 60-day period. During the period, either party may reasonably request a telephone or video conference to attempt resolution, and both parties will personally participate (with counsel welcome). Ristara may send notice to the most recent email address associated with your account. The statute of limitations and any filing-fee deadlines are tolled while the informal process is pending. If a party initiates arbitration before the informal-resolution period concludes, the arbitrator will stay the proceeding until the period concludes and may dispose of any fee obligations accordingly.

26.5 Arbitration procedure. Arbitration will be conducted by a single neutral arbitrator. The seat of arbitration is Los Angeles County, California, but you may elect to appear at a hearing location in the county where you reside, or, where remote, by videoconference or telephone. The arbitrator may award only individualized relief. The arbitrator's decision is final and may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction.

26.6 Fees. Ristara will pay AAA filing, administrative, and arbitrator fees for any arbitration to the extent required by the AAA Rules and applicable law. If the arbitrator finds the claim frivolous within the meaning of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, this Section 26.6 does not modify any fee-shifting available under applicable law.

26.7 Class action waiver. YOU AND RISTARA AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, CONSOLIDATED, MASS, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not preside over any form of representative or class proceeding, except as authorized by the Mass Arbitration Protocol in Section 26.8.

26.8 Mass Arbitration Protocol. If twenty-five (25) or more substantially similar arbitration demands are filed against Ristara by or with the assistance of the same or coordinated counsel within a sixty (60) day period (a "Mass Filing"), the parties will participate in the following coordination procedure:

• (a) The parties will jointly select a process arbitrator from AAA's mass-arbitration roster within 30 days.
• (b) Up to ten (10) "bellwether" arbitrations will proceed first (five selected by claimants' counsel, five by Ristara).
• (c) After the bellwethers conclude, the parties will participate in a mediation funded by Ristara for at least sixty (60) days.
• (d) Remaining claims that do not settle in mediation will be arbitrated in further batches of up to fifty (50) claimants each, with the parties alternating selection of which claimants advance.
• (e) The statute of limitations is tolled for all unfiled or queued claims during the coordination procedure.

This Section 26.8 supplements, and does not waive, the prohibition on class or representative proceedings in Section 26.7.

26.9 Severability and the McGill rule. If any portion of Section 26.7 (the class action waiver) is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim (and only that claim) is severed and brought in court, and the rest of Section 26 remains in force. If a court finds that California's McGill rule (or analogous law) renders the class action waiver wholly unenforceable as to claims for public injunctive relief, the public injunctive relief claim is severed and may proceed in court while the remainder of Section 26 remains in force for all other claims. Any other provision of this Section 26 that is found unenforceable is severable, except that if the Mass Arbitration Protocol in Section 26.8 is found wholly unenforceable, the parties will revert to standard AAA Consumer Rules with the class-action waiver intact.

26.10 Survival. This Section 26 survives termination of these Terms and your account.

26.11 30-day opt-out. You may opt out of this Section 26 by emailing [email protected] within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. Your email must include your full name, the email address associated with your account, your mailing address, and the words "Arbitration Opt-Out." If you opt out, Section 27 governs disputes. An opt-out applies only to the individual account holder who submits it and cannot be exercised on behalf of any other person or group. Opting out does not affect any other section of these Terms.

26.12 No retroactive change. No change to this Section 26 will apply to any Dispute of which Ristara had notice on or before the change effective date.

26.13 Time limit for claims. To the extent permitted by applicable law, any Dispute must be filed (in arbitration or, where permitted, in court) within one (1) year after the claim accrues, or it is permanently barred. This limit does not apply where a statute establishes a non-waivable longer period, and it is tolled during the informal resolution process in Section 26.4.

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27. Governing Law and Venue (with UK and Quebec Carve-outs)

27.1 Governing law. These Terms, the Service, and any Dispute will be governed by and construed under the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles, and, where applicable, the Federal Arbitration Act and other federal laws of the United States.

27.2 Venue for non-arbitrable claims. Subject to Section 26, any judicial proceeding will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California. You and Ristara consent to personal jurisdiction and venue in those courts and waive any objection based on forum non conveniens.

27.3 United Kingdom carve-out. Nothing in this Section 27 or in these Terms displaces, restricts, or waives any non-waivable statutory right available to a UK consumer under UK law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the UK GDPR. A UK consumer may, where required by law, bring a claim in the courts of the United Kingdom.

27.4 Quebec carve-out. Nothing in this Section 27 or in these Terms displaces, restricts, or waives any non-waivable statutory right of a Quebec consumer under the Consumer Protection Act (Quebec), the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Law 25), or other applicable Quebec law. A Quebec consumer may, where required by law, bring a claim in the courts of Quebec.

27.5 EU and other consumer carve-outs. Where mandatory consumer-protection law of your country of habitual residence provides protections that may not be waived by contract, those protections are not affected by this Section 27.

27.6 UN Convention. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

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28. Modifications to the Service or These Terms

28.1 Service changes. We may add, modify, or discontinue any feature of the Service at any time as described in Section 4.5.

28.2 Terms changes. We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes that adversely affect you, we will provide at least 30 days' advance notice through the Service or by email. The "Last Updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes apply prospectively from the effective date stated in the notice. Continued use after the effective date is your acceptance. If you do not agree, you must stop using the Service and may close your account. No change to Section 26 will apply to any Dispute of which a party had notice on or before the change effective date.

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29. Accessibility (see also Annex A)

Ristara is committed to digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We commit to substantial conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, consistent with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12181 et seq.), the California Unruh Civil Rights Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 51), the Communications and Video Accessibility Act, and applicable state and international accessibility law.

Specific operational commitments, including the third-party audit cadence, alternative-access pathway, vendor procurement requirements, feedback channel, and response service-level, are set out in Annex A, which is incorporated into these Terms.

We do not use accessibility overlay or quick-fix widget products in lieu of substantive remediation. If you experience difficulty accessing any portion of the Service due to a disability, see Annex A and contact [email protected].

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30. International Users and Export Control

30.1 The Service is provided from the United States. We are based in California. If you access the Service from outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local law, including data-protection law.

30.2 Export controls and sanctions. You may not use the Service from, or export, re-export, or transfer the Service to, any country, territory, person, or entity subject to United States embargoes or denied-party restrictions, including OFAC's SDN list, the Commerce Department's Denied Persons or Entity List, or any equivalent United Nations, European Union, or United Kingdom list.

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31. Force Majeure

We are not liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, fires, earthquakes, floods, severe weather, pandemics or public-health emergencies, war, terrorism, civil disturbance, sabotage, strikes, labor disputes, governmental action, court order, internet or telecommunications failure, cyberattack, denial of service, or failure of any third-party service provider.

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32. Assignment

You may not assign these Terms or any rights or obligations hereunder without our prior written consent, and any attempted assignment in violation of this Section is void. We may assign these Terms in whole or in part to an affiliate or in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, financing, reorganization, or by operation of law without your consent.

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33. Severability, Survival, and Waiver

33.1 Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect, and the unenforceable provision will be reformed to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable while preserving the parties' original intent. Section 26 has its own severability rule in Section 26.9.

33.2 Survival. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination will survive.

33.3 No waiver. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of our right to enforce that or any other provision later.

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34. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Annex A, Annex B, and any supplemental policies referenced in Section 2, are the entire agreement between you and Ristara concerning the Service and supersede all prior or contemporaneous agreements and understandings on that subject. Except for Apple and Google as described in Section 19.4 and the Ristara Parties for purposes of Sections 16.6, 24, and 25, these Terms create no third-party beneficiary rights.

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35. Notices and Contact Information

All notices, requests, and inquiries go to a single monitored channel:

Use a clear subject line so we can route your message quickly, for example: "Arbitration Demand," "Arbitration Opt-Out," "DMCA Notice," "Privacy Request," "Accessibility," "UK Privacy," "Quebec Privacy Officer," "Security Incident," or "Cancel Help."

For arbitration demands, see Section 26.4. For copyright notices, see Section 21.

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36. State-Specific Disclosures

36.1 California

• Automatic renewal: see Section 7.
• Complaint resolution under Cal. Civ. Code § 1789.3: California residents may reach the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 1625 N. Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.
• Shine the Light: California residents may request information about our disclosures, if any, of personal information to third parties for direct marketing purposes by emailing [email protected]. We do not engage in such disclosure.
• Accessibility: see Section 29 and Annex A.

36.2 New Jersey (Internet Dating Safety Act)

For New Jersey users, the disclosure in Section 13 is provided pursuant to N.J.S.A. 56:8-169 et seq. We have not conducted a criminal background screening on Ristara users. Additional safety information is available at the page linked from Settings → Safety.

36.3 New York

For New York users, the dating safety disclosures in Section 13 are provided pursuant to N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 394-ccc.

36.4 Illinois

For Illinois users, the dating safety disclosures in Section 13 are provided pursuant to 815 ILCS 615/1 et seq. For Illinois users, the biometric notices in Annex B are provided pursuant to the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, 740 ILCS 14/1 et seq. (as amended in 2024).

36.5 Texas

For Texas users, the dating safety disclosures in Section 13 are provided pursuant to Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 106.001 et seq. For Texas users, the biometric notices in Annex B are provided pursuant to the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act, Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 503.001.

36.6 Washington

For Washington users, see Annex B regarding biometric-adjacent data, and the Privacy Policy regarding any consumer-health-data disclosures under the My Health My Data Act (RCW 19.373).

36.7 Maryland

For Maryland users, we do not sell sensitive personal information, do not sell the personal information of any user under 18, and apply data-minimization principles consistent with the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act.

36.8 Other States

We comply with applicable online-dating, consumer-protection, accessibility, and privacy laws of each state in which the Service is available, including those of Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Oregon, Montana, Delaware, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, New Hampshire, Maryland, and others. Specific privacy rights are detailed in our Privacy Policy.

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Annex A: Accessibility Commitment

Incorporated into and forming part of the Ristara Terms of Service.

A.1 Commitment

Ristara commits to substantial conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, across the Ristara website, the Ristara iOS application, the Ristara Android application, and the user-facing emails and SMS we send. We treat the ADA Title III, the California Unruh Civil Rights Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 51), and the Section 508 Refresh as informing this commitment.

We do not deploy accessibility overlay or quick-fix widget products in lieu of substantive remediation, because such products do not, in our judgment or in the public position of the disability-rights bar, deliver substantive accessibility.

A.2 Scope

This commitment applies to:

• The signup, onboarding, and account-recovery flows
• The profile build, photo upload, and selfie verification flows
• The introductions, chat, and connection flows
• The subscription, checkout, and cancel flows (cancel parity with signup is required under California AB 2863)
• The safety tools (block, report, pause)
• The accessibility statement and feedback flow themselves
• All transactional and material marketing emails and SMS
• Any public-facing widget (compatibility calculator, nakshatra finder)

This commitment does not extend to: (a) third-party content that we do not control and cannot reasonably remediate; (b) legacy archived content not modified after July 25, 2026; (c) the third-party app-store storefronts operated by Apple and Google.

A.3 Conformance Methodology

We achieve and maintain conformance through:

A.3.1 Design and development.

• Accessibility requirements built into design system tokens (color contrast, focus state, hit-target size)
• Component library tested against WCAG 2.1 AA at component level
• Pull-request checklist requiring accessibility review on user-facing changes
• Linting against ARIA misuse and missing alt text

A.3.2 Automated testing.

• axe-core or equivalent automated scanning integrated into the continuous-integration pipeline
• Lighthouse accessibility runs on every release candidate
• Automated test thresholds gate deployment

A.3.3 Manual testing.

• Manual screen-reader testing across VoiceOver (iOS, macOS), TalkBack (Android), NVDA (Windows), and JAWS (Windows) for every release that touches user-facing surfaces
• Keyboard-only navigation testing on web
• Switch-control and voice-control testing on mobile for major releases
• Color-contrast testing including for users with low vision and color-vision deficiency
• Cognitive-load review for plain-language disclaimers

A.3.4 User feedback.

• We invite and act on feedback from assistive-technology users through the channels in Section A.6, and we prioritize barriers reported by users with disabilities in our remediation queue.

A.3.5 Periodic independent review.

• As the Service grows, we will engage qualified independent accessibility reviewers to assess conformance, and we will publish a summary of our current conformance status within this Annex and on our legal pages.

A.4 Vendor and Procurement Requirements

Vendors and third-party services integrated into the Service must, by contract:

• Provide a current Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) or VPAT documenting WCAG 2.1 AA conformance of their components
• Notify us of any material change in conformance
• Cooperate in remediation if a non-conformance is identified
• Specifically: Stripe (checkout), Apple, Google, Twilio, AWS-rendered surfaces, Firebase Authentication, and any widget vendor are bound by these requirements

We will not adopt a vendor whose components materially fail WCAG 2.1 AA unless a documented mitigation is in place.

A.5 Alternative-Access Pathway

If you cannot complete a task on the Service because of a disability, you may receive equivalent service through an alternative channel:

• Email: [email protected] (subject line: "Accessibility")
• Mailing: Ristara Inc., Attention: Accessibility, 8409 Florence Ave. Suite 202, Downey, CA 90240

Through this channel we can: assist with account creation, profile creation, subscription management, cancellation, deletion, safety reporting, privacy requests, and any other Service task. Where the in-product surface is inaccessible to you, we treat the alternative-access request as a request for equivalent service, not as a customer-support ticket.

We acknowledge receipt within two (2) business days. We provide equivalent service within seven (7) business days for routine requests and within forty-eight (48) hours for safety-critical requests (block, report, urgent privacy concerns). In-app block and report controls remain available at all times without needing this channel.

A.6 Feedback and Service-Level Commitment

To report an accessibility barrier:

• Email [email protected] (subject line: "Accessibility")
• In the Service, Settings → Accessibility → Send Feedback
• Mailing address above

We will:

• Acknowledge receipt within two (2) business days
• Provide a substantive response within ten (10) business days
• Provide remediation, where reasonably feasible, within sixty (60) days, or, where remediation requires longer, communicate a concrete remediation timeline within 60 days
• Provide an interim alternative-access workaround where remediation is in progress

Acknowledgment is provided in the medium of your request unless you request otherwise.

A.7 Cancel-Flow Accessibility Parity (AB 2863)

The cancellation surface conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA. The cancel button is reachable by keyboard, tab order, screen reader, switch control, and voice control, and is no more burdensome to use than the signup surface, consistent with Section 7.3.

A.8 Public Accessibility Statement

This Annex, published with our Terms of Service at ristara.com/terms, serves as our public accessibility statement. It identifies:

• Current conformance level
• Date of most recent audit
• Known limitations and remediation timelines
• The alternative-access pathway and feedback channel
• A point of contact

The statement is updated at least quarterly, and within 30 days of any audit.

A.9 Training and Governance

• Engineering, design, product, and content staff complete an accessibility training course at hire and annually thereafter
• Ristara leadership reviews this Annex at least annually and whenever the Service changes materially

A.10 No Waiver

This Annex is a commitment, not a representation that every aspect of the Service is at every moment fully conformant. Nothing in this Annex limits any right you may have under the ADA, the Unruh Act, or any other applicable law. The alternative-access pathway in A.5 supplements, and does not replace, any other right.

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Annex B: Biometric and Verification Data Notices

Incorporated into and forming part of the Ristara Terms of Service.

B.1 Scope

This Annex applies to selfie verification, photo verification, and any other Ristara feature that may capture or process biometric or biometric-adjacent data. It does not apply to the use of your face in a profile photo you upload for display, except where that photo is used in automated comparison during verification.

B.2 What we capture, why, and for how long

B.3 Vendor

Selfie verification is currently performed using Amazon Rekognition Face Liveness and Amazon Rekognition CompareFaces, operated under a Data Processing Addendum with Amazon Web Services. AWS is a service provider only; AWS does not use your selfie data for its own purposes. A current vendor list is maintained in the Privacy Policy.

B.4 Illinois (BIPA)

For Illinois users:

• Notice. This Annex serves as written notice under 740 ILCS 14/15(b) that we collect, capture, or otherwise obtain biometric identifiers or biometric information for the purpose of selfie verification, and the length of time for which we will use and store such data is set out in Section B.2.
• Written release. You provide your written release authorizing this collection by completing the selfie verification consent screen, which captures an electronic signature consistent with the Illinois Electronic Commerce Security Act and the 2024 amendment to BIPA.
• No sale or disclosure. We do not sell, lease, trade, or otherwise profit from your biometric data. We do not disclose biometric data to third parties except: (a) to AWS as our service provider; (b) as required by law or by valid legal process; or (c) with your separate written consent.
• Destruction schedule. Biometric identifiers are destroyed within 30 days after the verification decision, and in all events no later than the earlier of the original purpose being satisfied or three years from your last interaction with the Service, consistent with 740 ILCS 14/15(a).
• You may decline. Verification is voluntary. Declining does not affect your ability to use the Service, except that you will not receive a verified badge.

B.5 Texas (CUBI)

For Texas users:

• Notice. We provide notice under Tex. Bus. & Com. Code § 503.001(b) that we capture a biometric identifier (a record of facial geometry) during selfie verification.
• Consent. You consent to such capture by completing the selfie verification consent screen.
• No sale. We do not sell biometric identifiers.
• Destruction. We destroy biometric identifiers within a reasonable time, and in any event not later than the first anniversary of the date the purpose for collecting the identifier expires, consistent with § 503.001(c)(3).

B.6 Washington (RCW 19.375 and MHMDA)

For Washington users:

• Biometric notice. Where applicable, this Annex constitutes notice under RCW 19.375 for any enrollment of a biometric identifier in a database for a commercial purpose. We obtain consent before any such enrollment, do not enroll for sale, and provide retention and destruction terms as set out in B.2.
• My Health My Data Act. Where any feature could be characterized as collecting "consumer health data" under RCW 19.373, we provide the consumer-health-data privacy notice required by RCW 19.373.020 in the Privacy Policy.

B.7 California

For California users, biometric data is "Sensitive Personal Information" under Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.140(ae). Our use is limited to verification, fraud prevention, and audit logging, which are purposes the California Privacy Protection Agency's regulations (11 CCR § 7027) permit without offering an opt-out. You may nonetheless request that we limit use; see the Privacy Policy.

B.8 Quebec

For Quebec users, biometric data is "sensitive personal information" under the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Law 25). Express consent is captured at the verification consent screen. Where required, we file a notification with the Commission d'accès à l'information regarding the creation of a biometric database.

B.9 UK and EU

For UK and EU users, biometric data processed to uniquely identify a natural person is special-category data under Article 9 UK GDPR / GDPR. Processing relies on your explicit consent captured at the verification consent screen. You may withdraw consent at any time.

B.10 Children

We do not knowingly process biometric data of any person under 18. See ToS § 3.

B.11 Withdrawal of consent and deletion

You may withdraw consent at any time by emailing [email protected]. Upon withdrawal we delete the verification badge, delete any retained biometric identifiers within 7 days, and update the audit log to record the withdrawal.

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Ristara Terms of Service v5.0