The Convergence Check: how your answers are handled

The Convergence Check asks you to describe your organisation honestly: its cash position, its costs, its contracts, its data and its use of AI. That is commercially sensitive information, and it comes with your name, your email address and your organisation’s name. This page sets out who sees it, where it goes, how long I keep it, and what I will never do with it.

Who sees your answers

I do. My assistant, who supports the administration of the Convergence Check under a confidentiality agreement, can also see them. She works from outside Australia. No one else does. Your answers are not shared with funders, government, peak bodies or other organisations.

What I use them for

• To produce your profile, which is emailed to you, with a copy to me.
• To talk with you about your profile, if you would like that.
• If you have agreed, to contribute to de-identified insights about the sector, as set out below.

Your scores are calculated by fixed formulas from your answers. No AI is involved in scoring or in producing your profile. You will only receive my regular updates if you ticked the box asking for them, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

What I will never do

• Name you or your organisation, or describe you in a way that could identify you, in anything I publish, present or discuss, without your written permission.
• Sell your information or pass it on.
• Allow your answers to be used to train AI models.

Where your information goes

The Convergence Check runs on a small number of established services. Each one holds only what it needs.

• Typeform runs the questionnaire. It holds your answers until they reach my records, and I then delete them from Typeform.
• Google Sheets, in my business Google account, holds your answers and scores. This is my main record.
• Zapier moves your answers between these services and keeps a short run history.
• PDFMonkey creates your profile as a PDF and keeps it only briefly.
• Microsoft 365 sends your profile to you by email.
• Automate CRM, my client records system, holds your name, email address, organisation and which emails you have asked for. It does not hold your answers.
• Claude, made by Anthropic, is the AI tool I use for analysis, as described below.

Several of these services store information outside Australia, mainly in the United States and Europe.

How I use AI

I use Claude, an AI assistant made by Anthropic, as a working tool to analyse responses and prepare de-identified insights. This is how I use it:

• When I look across responses, I remove names, email addresses and organisation names first.
• When I prepare for a conversation with you about your own profile, Claude may see that profile.
• I use my own paid account, set so that my conversations are not used to train Anthropic’s models.
• Information is encrypted when it travels to and from Anthropic. Anthropic is a United States company.
• When a piece of analysis is finished, I delete the working conversations. Anthropic then removes them from its systems within 30 days.
• Claude does not make decisions about you or your organisation. The analysis and any conclusions are mine.

How long I keep it

I keep your identified answers for two years from the date you complete the Convergence Check. After that I delete them, or permanently remove anything that identifies you or your organisation. The email that carried your profile stays in my email records as normal business correspondence.

Insights and benchmarks

At the end of the Convergence Check you can choose whether your answers may contribute to insights about the sector. If you say yes, your answers are only ever reported combined with those of at least ten organisations, and never with quotes, names or details that could point to you. If you say no, your answers are used only for your own profile.

Your choices

• You can ask what I hold about you, ask me to correct it, or ask me to delete it.
• You can withdraw your consent for insights at any time. This applies to any insights prepared after you tell me.
• Email me at susanne@lebout.com.au. I will reply within ten business days.

I handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Susanne Le Boutillier, Aedanna Pty Ltd.