Data Handling Policy

Last modified: September 25, 2026

This Data Handling Policy explains what FDD AI (fddai.org), operated by R.E.A.L, LLC (“we”, “us”), does with the information you give us: the questions you ask, the documents you upload, and your account details. It is part of our Terms of Service and should be read with our Privacy Policy.

1. The FDD library

Our library is built from Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) that franchisors are required to make available to prospective franchisees. We extract structured information from those documents and store it on servers we control. Answers to your questions are generated from that library and cite the documents they draw on. The library does not contain anything you upload.

2. Questions you ask

What we keep. We record each question, the answer we produced, the documents cited, the cost, and the time. This is what appears under My Research, and it is what we bill against.

Who processes it. To answer a question we send its text, together with relevant excerpts from the library, to an AI model provider (currently Anthropic) under commercial terms that prohibit the provider from using your content to train its models.

How we use it. Anonymised question logs are analysed to find gaps in the library and improve the service. We do not sell or share your questions with other customers or third parties.

Sharing. An answer becomes visible to others only when you create a share link. You can revoke a share link at any time from My Research.

3. Documents you upload

Uploaded documents receive stricter handling than questions:

Stays with us. Your file, the text we extract from it, and the structured data we pull from it are stored only on servers we control. They are never copied to third-party cloud storage.

No copy kept by the AI. The AI reads your document through Amazon Bedrock under a zero-data-retention arrangement: the provider does not store your text, does not log it, and does not use it to train models.

Never added to the library. Your document is not added to the FDD library or its search index. No other customer’s questions can see it. Only you can open it; within an organization account, the organization’s administrator cannot open a member’s documents.

Not kept in our logs. We record the report or answer we produced for you, so it appears in your history, but not the text of your document.

Deleted automatically. The file, its extracted text and its structured data are deleted 30 days after upload, or immediately when you delete the document or the project that contains it. Reports and answers already produced remain in your history until you delete them.

Franchise work only. The service analyses franchise and FDD material only. Requests outside that scope are declined before any charge. Instructions written inside an uploaded document are treated as content to review, never as commands.

4. Account and billing information

We store your name, email address, organization (if given), and the records needed to run your account: balance, charges, refills, projects, and your acceptance of our policies (version, date, IP address and browser). Card details are handled by Stripe and never reach our servers; we hold only a Stripe customer reference. Emails we send to you are logged for support purposes.

5. Where data lives and who can see it

Our servers are located in the United States. Access is limited to staff and contractors who need it to operate or support the service, all of whom are bound by confidentiality obligations. We use Stripe for payments, Amazon Web Services and Anthropic for AI processing as described above, and Mailgun solely to deliver the emails we send you. We do not sell personal information.

6. Retention and deletion

• Uploaded documents: 30 days, or on deletion by you, whichever is first.
• Questions, answers and reports: for as long as your account exists, or until you delete them.
• Billing records: 7 years, as required for tax and accounting.
• Closed accounts: personal information is deleted or anonymised within 90 days of closure, except billing records.

To close your account or request deletion, contact [email protected].

7. Security

All traffic to fddai.org is encrypted in transit. Uploaded documents and extracted text are stored on servers we control with access restricted to the service. Sessions expire, passwords are hashed, and email-address changes require confirmation from the new address. No system is perfectly secure; if we learn of a breach affecting your data we will notify you as required by law.

8. Changes

When this policy changes materially we will update the date above and ask you to accept the new version the next time you sign in. Your acceptance is recorded.

9. Contact

Questions about data handling: [email protected], R.E.A.L, LLC, 2414 Avenue A, Bradenton Beach, FL 34217.