Clearhour Privacy Statement

Version 2026-09-09, reviewed by Asco Legal. In force from 11 September 2026.

This is the Privacy Statement of Clearhour Limited ("Clearhour", "we"). This Privacy Statement sets out how we collect, use, store and disclose personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.

The most important thing

Clearhour is designed so that we do not have access to your clients' questionnaire answers. The questionnaire runs in the client's own browser, and their answers stay on their device while they fill it in. When the client finishes, their browser locks the answers to your own key before anything is sent. Clearhour briefly holds an encrypted file it cannot open. Once you access it, it is deleted from the platform and our server. You open the file in your own browser. We designed the platform this way on purpose.

A few things are handled differently and we say so plainly in this privacy statement.

What we do collect, and why

When you create an account we collect and store: the account holder's name, firm name, email address, and password (stored only as a salted hash); firm profile information you choose to add (logo, branding, the countries you work in); billing information, which is handled by our payment processor Stripe (we do not store card numbers); records of purchases and metadata about what was generated, such as the client label the firm typed, dates and verification results; and technical logs needed for security and support. If the account holder signs in with a Google or Apple account instead of setting a password, we receive a confirmation of their identity from Google or Apple for that sign-in, and we do not receive the password to that account. We collect and store this information to operate your account, take payment, operate the platform, provide support, meet our legal obligations, and protect the platform against misuse. Providing this information is voluntary, but the account features that depend on it will not work without it.

Your firm's questionnaire records

In relation to personal information contained in questionnaire records and questionnaires, you generally act as the agency responsible for that information, and we act primarily as a service provider operating the platform on your behalf.

For the purposes of sending the questionnaire to your client and so that every device you sign in from shows the same information, we use and hold one record per questionnaire: the client name and email address you typed, the status of the questionnaire, which documents were chosen by you, and the relevant dates. These records are stored securely and protected using reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the nature of the information we hold. We do not hold, store or use a client's answers or a generated document. Answers come back to you encrypted and are deleted from our server on delivery. Generated documents are produced in your browser and downloaded to you, and we do not keep a copy.

You are responsible for ensuring you have all necessary authority and legal basis to provide client contact information to us for the purpose of operating the platform.

The questionnaire assistant

If a client chooses to use the questionnaire assistant, what they type or say to it is sent through Clearhour's server to our AI provider (Anthropic) to generate the explanation. Clearhour does not use, store or disclose such information. The provider processes the information solely for the purpose of generating the requested response. We configure the service so that the submitted information is not retained or used to train the provider's software, and the provider handles the information in accordance with its enterprise privacy commitments. We keep a metadata-only record of these requests: timestamps, token counts, the firm identifier and the identifier of the question being asked about, not the words themselves. A client can decline the use of the assistant and fill in the questionnaire themselves.

If a client chooses the spoken interview, the words the assistant reads out loud are sent through Clearhour's server to our voice provider (OpenAI) to turn into speech. So that the client hears one natural voice throughout, this includes reading the client's own answers back to them to check them. Clearhour does not use, store or disclose these words and keeps a metadata-only record (timestamps, character counts, the kind of line spoken), not the words themselves. The voice provider synthesises the words solely for the purpose of generating speech. We configure the service so that the submitted information is not retained or used to train the provider's software, and the provider handles the information in accordance with its enterprise privacy commitments. A client can decline the spoken interview and read and type the questionnaire themselves.

During the spoken interview the assistant also needs to understand what the client meant when the answer given is not a plain match, for example an answer given with extra context rather than a simple yes or no. When that happens, what the client said is sent through Clearhour's server to our AI provider (Anthropic) to work out the intended meaning in the moment. This can include the client's own answers. Clearhour does not use, store or disclose the answer and keeps a metadata-only record (timestamps, token counts, the firm identifier, the identifier of the question, and the kind of intent recognised), not the words themselves. The provider processes the information solely for the purpose of generating the meaning. We configure the service so that the submitted information is not retained or used to train the provider's software. The straightforward cases (a clear yes or no, a clearly named option) are handled on the client's own device and are not sent anywhere.

Speech to text

The spoken interview lets a client answer questions by voice. To do that, the client's spoken answer is sent through Clearhour's server to our speech provider (OpenAI) which turns it into text. The provider converts the audio to text in the moment solely for the purpose of generating the audio into text so that the questionnaire can be completed. We configure the service so that the audio or the converted text is not stored or used to train the provider's software. Clearhour keeps a metadata-only record of the request (timestamps, a byte and second count, the firm identifier) and does not store the audio or the resulting transcript. A client who reads and types the questionnaire instead of speaking does not use this function at all, and the typed lane is always one tap away.

Address search

Wherever an address is typed or spoken into a form, whether by a client filling in the questionnaire or by you filling in the details, the part entered so far is sent through Clearhour's server to our address providers (Addressfinder for New Zealand and Australia, Google for other countries) to find matching addresses to pick from. Only the address text being typed, and the country it is for, is sent, and only to find matches for that one field. None of the other answers in the questionnaire or other form information are sent. Clearhour does not store address information entered for these searches and keeps a metadata-only record (timestamps, a count of matches, the firm identifier), not the address text or the matches. The provider returns matching addresses for that field and processes the information only for that purpose. Typing is not blocked, so anyone can ignore the matches and type the address in full.

Reminders by text

When you send a questionnaire it may also type the client's mobile number beside the email address. If you do, and a client has started their questionnaire but has not sent it back, we may send a short reminder by text as well as by email on your behalf. These reminders contain only the firm's name, the client's email and/or phone number, and the client's own link. We do not use the mobile number for any other purpose. The mobile number is a contact detail you hold for your client, kept with your questionnaire records. It is not a number your client will type into the questionnaire as an answer. The reminders stop when the client sends their answers back. Text reminders are sent through our messaging provider (Twilio). We keep a metadata-only record that a reminder was sent, not the number or the message content. You can switch these reminders off for any one client or for the whole firm in the platform Settings.

Forms your firm uploads

If your firm uploads one of its own forms so we can build a questionnaire from it, that file is sent to our server and read by our AI provider to map its fields. You must only upload blank template forms and must not upload completed documents containing personal information, confidential information or client matter information. If such information is uploaded inadvertently, please contact us promptly.

Pre-launch registration

If you register interest before launch, we collect and store your name, firm name, email address and country, directly from you, for two purposes only: to email you when we launch, and to provide the free first set of documents offered on the registration page. This list is not used for marketing and is not shared outside this purpose. Entries are held in our hosting provider's storage (Cloudflare) until launch. Reply to any email we send you, or contact us, and we delete your contact information.

Information we collect indirectly

If your account owner invites you as a team member, we will receive your name and email address from the account owner rather than from you. We will use and store this information to send the invitation and create your login.

We will also receive, use and store client contact details from you so that questionnaires and related communication can be delivered on your behalf as set out in this statement. We use that information solely to operate the platform and provide questionnaire-related communication on your behalf. The firm using the platform is responsible for ensuring that any privacy notices required under applicable law are provided to its clients.

Who holds and processes it

We use service providers to run the platform: Stripe (payments), Anthropic (the questionnaire assistant and form mapping), OpenAI (the spoken interview voice and speech to text), Addressfinder and Google (address search), Google and Apple (sign-in, only if the account holder chooses to sign in with them), Resend (the emails the platform sends), Twilio (text reminders), and our hosting and database providers (Cloudflare). They process information on our behalf and are subject to their own privacy and security safeguards. Some of this handling happens on computers outside New Zealand. Where information is processed or stored outside New Zealand, we take steps designed to ensure that it remains subject to safeguards that are comparable to those required under New Zealand privacy law, including through contractual commitments from our service providers or by using providers with established privacy and security programs. The countries in which information may be processed depends on the service provider used and may change from time to time. We do not sell personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Access, correction, retention and deletion

An encrypted return sitting in our relay is deleted as soon as your firm collects it. If nobody collects it, we email your firm a reminder after 7 days and delete it after 30 days whether it has been collected or not. You may ask for a copy of your personal information, and ask us to correct it, at any time. When an account is closed, account data is available for export for 30 days and is then deleted. We may retain information that we must keep by law (for example transaction records) and information contained in our audit ledger. Where information is retained in audit ledgers, it is deactivated rather than deleted so past actions remain accurately attributed.

For the other information we hold, our retention is as follows. The record kept for each questionnaire, which includes the client's name and email your firm typed, is held until your firm deletes that questionnaire or closes the account. The details we use to send and track a questionnaire invitation, including the client email address it was sent to, are held for up to six months to handle delivery, bounces and resends, then deleted. If someone sends us feedback and chooses to leave an email address, we hold it for up to 12 months so that we can reply. Our own request logs are metadata only and do not contain answer content.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

We may update this Privacy Statement from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, service providers, legal obligations or privacy practices. The updated version will be published on our website and will take effect from the date it is posted. If we make a material change to the way we collect, use or disclose personal information, we will take reasonable steps to bring that change to the attention of the affected users.

Privacy Officer and complaints

Our Privacy Officer under section 201 of the Privacy Act 2020 is Daniel Ibbotson, hello@clearhour.co.nz. If you have a concern, contact the Privacy Officer first; if you are not satisfied, you may complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (privacy.org.nz).

Clearhour Limited · New Zealand · Version 2026-09-09 (reviewed by Asco Legal)