This Privacy Statement describes our collection, use, and disclosure of data submitted by you when you use the Clarity platform and the steps we take to protect such data and supplements Yale’s Privacy Statement
By using the Yale Clarity platform, you acknowledge your consent to the practices and procedures described in this Privacy Statement.
Information We Collect
Chat Conversations: All data submitted by you, including your text prompts, image files, documents, and the responses and artifacts created by the Clarity platform will be stored within Yale’s IT infrastructure. This information will be retained for as long as you maintain a Yale affiliation that is permitted access to the platform. You have the option to delete this information by deleting a chat conversation manually in the user portal. Once deleted, the conversation will not be accessible in the user portal. The conversation and all related files and artifacts will be stored for a period of 30 days after which the data are permanently purged from the platform. Records of chat conversation messages are kept indefinitely to enable aggregate usage reporting of the platform. These records include name, email address, chat conversation title, total tokens used, and the name of the Clarity agent producing a response.
Standard Log Information: The Clarity platform is restricted for use by Yale faculty, staff and students. It is accessed by authenticating with your existing Yale log-in credentials (NetID authentication using Microsoft Entra ID). We automatically collect standard server log information, such as internet protocol address and details of how you used the Clarity platform (e.g. history of page requests such as uploading data or signing in and date/time of request).
How Information is Used
Yale Information Technology (IT): Information provided to the Chatbot is used to provide the requested generative AI responses. Yale IT System Administrators may access your information in order to manage the tool including the security of the system, provide assistance as requested by you, and as allowed under Policy 1607 Information Technology Appropriate Use Policy. This policy balances user privacy and academic freedoms with the university’s requirements to maintain Yale systems, community safety, and legal obligations.
Yale IT also may use standard log information that we collect automatically through the Chatbot to: operate, maintain, enhance and provide all features of the Chatbot; monitor aggregate usage metrics; provide information that you request; respond to comments and questions; and otherwise to provide support to users.
Cloud Providers: The Clarity platform utilizes AI models provided by Microsoft, Amazon and Google through their cloud offerings, including models built by OpenAI and Anthropic. The platform is maintained on Yale Information Technology infrastructure and does not provide queries and responses to Microsoft, Amazon, Google, OpenAI, or Anthropic to further train and improve their models. This configuration assures that information you provide to the Clarity platform cannot appear in responses provided to other users of Clarity or to other AI model users. These features allow users to submit moderate and high-risk data to the Clarity platform which would pose an unacceptable privacy risk in other generative AI tools.
Microsoft is providing abuse monitoring for AI models which uses automated tools to detect misuse of a model in violation of Microsoft Code of Conduct and identify harmful content. Your Clarity queries and responses are subject to this monitoring and instances of potential misuse are evaluated by Yale IT System Administrators. Where necessary, we may contact you for further clarification that the Chatbot is being used in compliance with Yale policies. Additional information on Microsoft abuse monitoring is available at Microsoft Learn: Abuse Monitoring.
How Information May be Disclosed
To the extent permitted by applicable law, we may disclose your information if required to do so by law to comply with state and federal laws, in response to a court order, judicial or other government subpoena or warrant, or to otherwise cooperate with law enforcement or other governmental agencies.
We also reserve the right to disclose your information that we believe, in good faith, is appropriate or necessary to (i) take precautions against liability, (ii) protect ourselves or others from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful uses or activity, (iii) investigate and defend ourselves against any third-party claims or allegations, (iv) protect the security or integrity of the Chatbot and any facilities or equipment used to make the Chatbot available, or (v) protect our property or other legal rights (including, but not limited to, enforcement of our agreements), or the rights, property, or safety of others. We will notify you of any such disclosures.
Data Security
We have taken certain physical, administrative, and technical steps designed to safeguard and secure your information and to prevent unauthorized access, maintain accuracy, and ensure appropriate use of your information. Even though we endeavor to protect your information, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee that there will not be any circumvention of privacy settings or security measures or unauthorized access to your information submitted to the Chatbot.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. In the event that any changes to this Privacy Policy materially alter your rights or obligations hereunder, we will make reasonable efforts to notify you of the change. For example, we may generate a pop-up or similar notification when you access the Clarity platform for the first time after such material changes are made. Your continued use of the Clarity platform after the revised Privacy Policy has become effective indicates that you have read, understood and agreed to the then-current version of this Privacy Policy.
Contact
If you have any questions, comments or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our handling of your information, please contact the Privacy Office at privacy@yale.edu.
Effective Date: September 1, 2024
Last Updated: October 16, 2025