How is your decision data protected? Confidentiality and NDA

Why does confidentiality matter when you choose a decision engine?

A decision engine works on the facts that decide the outcome of a choice, so the provider sees the same material your board sees. Reviewing the protection terms belongs in the comparison from the first call, next to price and method, and it takes less time than it seems when the provider has published its terms. Write the answers in the same grid for every provider.

Four questions frame the review: when the NDA applies, what it covers and for how long, how AI tools are used, and where the data is stored and kept. The sections below answer each one with the EQOS Asia terms, so you can hold any other provider to the same standard.

When does the NDA on your decision data apply, and who signs it?

At EQOS Asia, the NDA applies as a matter of course to every service, and a systematic NDA is signed before any exchange (EQOS Asia pricing page, as of October 2026). For a standard service ordered with immediate payment, validating the order is the express acceptance of the terms, timestamped and linked to the information provided at payment.

For services that start with an appointment, or for higher amounts, the NDA is sent by name and signed electronically by both parties before any sensitive document is exchanged (EQOS Asia NDA page, as of October 2026). Mapping and Mission work adds a reinforced NDA and an isolated encrypted environment. Keep a copy of the accepted terms with your project file.

What does the NDA on your decision data cover, and for how long?

The NDA covers information in any form, including business strategies, financial and customer data, methods, models, analysis documents, and personal data. Each party agrees to use the information only for the agreed purpose, share it only with people who need it and who are bound by an equivalent duty, protect it with reasonable security, and report any loss promptly (EQOS Asia NDA page, as of October 2026).

The agreement runs for 5 years. Obligations continue for 5 years after the end for ordinary information, and without time limit for trade secrets, to the extent the law allows. It is governed by Singapore law. This summary does not replace the signed text, and legal questions belong with your own counsel.

Before you sign, read the agreement clause by clause: the definition of confidential information, the exclusions, the duty on legal disclosure, the term and the return of files. The page on NDA for decision data explains what to protect, what to share and when, using the EQOS Asia text as the worked example.

How are AI tools handled with your decision data under the NDA?

The NDA includes a dedicated article on artificial intelligence tools. The provider may use tools such as Claude from Anthropic and GPT from OpenAI, or proprietary EQOS Asia models, and uses professional accounts with a data processing agreement where the vendor offers one. Personal consumer accounts are excluded for confidential information (EQOS Asia NDA page, as of October 2026).

A client can request in writing that no AI tool processes its confidential information, or that anonymization precedes any processing. The calculation itself runs in the Codex Universalis core, locally, and the privacy policy states that no data leaves it for computation (EQOS Asia privacy page, as of October 2026).

How is decision data stored and encrypted?

The privacy policy lists TLS 1.3 encryption in transit and AES-256 at rest, a dedicated environment for each sensitive mission, and secure erasure aligned with NIST SP 800-88. The most sensitive data, meaning NDA and client files, remains hosted in Singapore under PDPA-aligned handling (EQOS Asia privacy page, as of October 2026).

Transfers outside Singapore follow contractual safeguards equivalent to the PDPA requirements, and subcontractors are bound by contracts that meet PDPA article 28. Your data is never sold, rented, or passed to third parties for commercial purposes. Ask every provider on your list for the same level of detail.

Contracts work best next to daily habits. Classify files in 3 tiers, use codes for names, limit access to people who need it and set a deletion date on the first day. The page on data confidentiality for decisions turns these safeguards into 6 steps your team can apply.

How does the decision engine protect questionnaire answers in your browser?

Answers to post-purchase questionnaires are encrypted directly in your browser before they are sent. The method uses asymmetric encryption with a sealed box: your browser holds only a public key, which can lock the answers and cannot unlock them (EQOS Asia privacy page, as of October 2026).

The private key exists only on the personal machines of the two founders, never on the server and never in the receiving mailbox. Your answers become readable after local decryption by one of the two. This design lets you share sensitive details in a questionnaire while the server only stores content it cannot read. Use this channel for figures that you prefer to keep out of email.

How long is your decision data kept, and which rights do you hold?

Retention periods are published. Prospect data is kept for 3 years from the last exchange, client data for 5 years after the mission ends, technical logs for 12 months, and accounting documents for 10 years. Simulator data is kept only for the session, unless you request a deeper analysis (EQOS Asia privacy page, as of October 2026).

At the end of the relationship, a written request leads to the return or destruction of confidential information within 10 business days, with written confirmation. The privacy policy also lists your rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and portability, exercised through the contact form with the subject PDPA, with a reply within 30 days.

Frequently asked questions

About the author

Stéphane Jambu

President, EQOS Forecast Asia

Stéphane Jambu leads EQOS Forecast Asia and works as a consultant in e-commerce, search visibility, and AI. LinkedIn profile