Last updated: September 2026
1. About this policy
1.1This policy explains how Stephen Alexander Manning trading as Finchat, ABN 59 407 037 823 (Finchat, we, us, our) handles personal information through the Finchat website, apps, voice services and other services (the Services).
1.2Finchat complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
1.3Words defined in our Terms and Conditions (such as Adviser, Organisation, Client and Client Data) have the same meaning here.
2. Two kinds of personal information
2.1Information about our users. This is information about Advisers and other Authorised Users who use the Services, and about people who contact us or visit our website. We decide how this information is used.
2.2Client Data. This is information Advisers enter or record about their Clients. Finchat handles Client Data on behalf of the Adviser and their Organisation, only to provide the Services to them. The Adviser and Organisation are responsible for collecting it lawfully and telling Clients how it will be handled.
2.3If you are a Client and have a question about your information, the best first contact is your Adviser. You can also contact us (see clause 14), and we will work with your Adviser to help.
3. What we collect
3.1About users: name, email address, phone number, organisation, role and licensee details, login details, account settings, support messages, and records of how the Services are used.
3.2Client Data, which may include:
- contact details, date of birth, relationship and family details;
- employment, income, expenses, assets, liabilities, superannuation, investments and insurance;
- investment platform holdings and account details;
- health information, where needed for insurance advice (this is sensitive information);
- meeting recordings, transcripts and summaries; and
- projections, statements of advice and other drafts prepared for the Client.
3.3Website visitors: technical information such as browser and device type, pages viewed, and the referring site, collected through cookies and analytics tools (see clause 12).
4. How we collect it
4.1We collect information directly from users when they create an account, use the Services or contact us.
4.2We collect Client Data from Advisers, who enter or record it in the Services.
4.3Where an Adviser connects the Services to an investment platform, we receive Client Data from that platform on the Adviser’s behalf (see clause 8.4).
4.4Where you buy through an app store or voice platform, that store tells us about the purchase so we can give you access. We do not receive your card details.
5. How we use it
5.1We use personal information to:
- provide, maintain and support the Services;
- produce projections, drafts, transcripts and summaries requested by Advisers;
- keep the Services and data secure and prevent misuse;
- manage accounts and subscriptions; and
- comply with the law.
5.2We do not sell personal information. We do not use Client Data for marketing, and we do not contact Clients except to deliver a feature the Adviser initiates (such as emailing a report at the Adviser’s request).
5.3We do not use personal information in User Inputs or Outputs to train or fine-tune any AI model, and we only use AI providers whose terms do not permit them to train their models on data submitted through Finchat.
5.4We may send users emails about their account. With consent, or where the law otherwise permits, we may also send news about Finchat. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link.
6. Artificial intelligence and automated processing
6.1The Services use artificial intelligence to transcribe recordings, summarise meetings, and prepare draft documents and explanations. Projections are produced by automated calculations using the information and assumptions the Adviser enters.
6.2These Outputs are drafts for the Adviser. Finchat does not make decisions about Clients. An Adviser must review and verify Outputs before relying on them or giving them to a Client, and any decision affecting a Client is made by the Adviser, not by an automated system.
7. Recordings and sensitive information
7.1Before recording a conversation, the Adviser must obtain the consent of every participant and tell them that AI will be used to transcribe and summarise it.
7.2We keep audio only for as long as needed to produce the transcript or summary, and delete it within 30 days. Transcripts and summaries are kept as Client Data.
7.3Health and other sensitive information is collected by the Adviser with the Client’s consent, and used only to provide the Services to that Adviser.
8. Who we share it with
8.1Service providers. We use the following providers to run the Services. They receive only the information they need for their role.
- Amazon Web Services (United States): hosting, storage of all account and Client Data, processing and speech transcription.
- Anthropic (United States): AI processing for transcripts, summaries and drafts.
- Amazon (Alexa) (United States and other countries): voice interaction and in-skill purchases, if you use Finchat through Alexa.
- Google (Play Store) (United States and other countries): app purchases and subscriptions for the Android app.
- Google (Analytics and reCAPTCHA) (United States and other countries): website analytics and spam protection on our website.
- Digital Pacific (Australia): hosting of the finchat.com.au website.
8.2Charts in the Services are drawn by a charting service that receives only numbers and chart labels, not names or other details that identify a Client.
8.3Your Organisation. An Organisation may access, export and manage data created by its Authorised Users under its account.
8.4Investment platforms. Where an Adviser connects the Services to an investment platform (such as HUB24), we exchange Client Data with that platform on the Adviser’s instructions, including sending updates from Finchat to the platform where the Adviser uses Finchat as the main record. The platform handles that information under its own privacy policy.
8.5Others. We may disclose information where the law requires or allows it, such as to regulators or law enforcement, or to professional advisers bound by confidentiality.
9. Overseas disclosure
9.1Finchat’s systems, including all account and Client Data, are hosted in the United States (Amazon Web Services, US East, North Virginia). AI processing also takes place in the United States. Some providers listed in clause 8.1 may also process information in other countries.
9.2We take reasonable steps, including through our contracts with service providers, to ensure overseas providers handle personal information consistently with the APPs.
10. Security and data breaches
10.1We protect personal information with measures that include encryption in transit and at rest, access controls and logging.
10.2If a data breach is likely to result in serious harm, we will act under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme. For Client Data, we will notify the affected Adviser or Organisation without undue delay and within 72 hours, and help them meet their obligations.
11. How long we keep it
11.1We keep information while an account is active. After a subscription ends, Advisers and Organisations have 60 days to export their data. We then delete Client Data within 30 days, except where the law requires us to keep it. Backups are overwritten within 35 days after deletion.
11.2Advisers and Licensees are responsible for keeping their own records for the periods the law requires.
12. Cookies and analytics
12.1Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working, understand how it is used and protect it from spam. Analytics information is used in aggregate to improve the website.
12.2You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Some features of the website may not work without them.
13. Access and correction
13.1You can ask for access to the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it. We will respond within 30 days. We do not charge you to make a request.
13.2If you are a Client, we will usually work with your Adviser to respond, because the Adviser controls your Client Data.
13.3If we refuse a request, we will tell you why and how to complain.
14. Questions and complaints
14.1Contact us at contact@finchat.com.au with any question or complaint about privacy. We will acknowledge a complaint promptly and aim to respond within 30 days.
14.2If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or on 1300 363 992.
15. Changes to this policy
15.1We may update this policy. We will tell users of any material change by email or in the Services, and the date at the top will show when it last changed.