This policy explains how Forecast handles participant information and organisational forecasting data.
Last updated: 27 July 2026
Forecast is operated by IFOST Pty Ltd (ABN 40 628 328 307), trading as Industrial Linguistics, at 10 Cassia Grove, Beecroft NSW 2119, Australia.
Depending on how your organisation configures Forecast, we may collect:
We use information to provide the service requested by the commissioning organisation: creating and operating markets, authenticating participants, recording predictions, preparing authorised reports, supporting users, preventing abuse, securing the service and meeting legal obligations.
We do not use an organisation's questions, predictions, comments or results for sales, marketing, external demonstrations, model training, benchmarking, research, testing or product development unless that organisation has given prior express permission.
Each organisation controls who may participate and which reports it receives. A separate written customer agreement may impose additional restrictions; where it does, the more protective term applies.
Before a market closes, Forecast does not show a participant's individual prediction to other participants or to the commissioning organisation, except where access is necessary to operate or secure the service, investigate misuse, comply with law, or as the organisation and affected participants have expressly agreed.
After closure or resolution, authorised reports may include individual accuracy or reward information. Depending on the size and design of a market, recipients may be able to infer an individual's earlier prediction from those reports. Organisations should explain their reporting design to participants before the market opens.
The public drafting form sends the decision, success measure, options, dates and budget entered by the user to OpenAI so that Forecast can draft market questions. We ask users not to include personal information or confidential company information unless their organisation has authorised that processing.
Submitting the form authorises this processing for the requested draft only. It does not give IFOST permission to reuse the question or generated draft for another organisation or another purpose.
We disclose information only to providers needed to operate the relevant service, such as hosting and security providers, OpenAI for requested AI drafting, and Google or Microsoft when a user chooses those identity providers. These providers may process information in Australia, the United States and other countries in which they or their contracted infrastructure operate.
We require providers to handle information for the contracted service and not for IFOST's unrelated purposes. We may also disclose information where required by law, to address a security incident, or with the relevant organisation's or individual's permission.
Forecast uses essential session technology to keep users signed in and preserve requested workflow state. Web and security logs may contain IP address, browser and request information. We do not use Google Analytics, advertising cookies or behavioural advertising trackers.
We retain account and market information for the period agreed with the commissioning organisation and only as long as reasonably needed to provide the service, resolve a dispute, protect the service or meet a legal obligation.
Unless a different customer schedule or legal requirement applies, our default is to delete or de-identify customer content within 30 days after a verified deletion request or the end of the service. Residual backup copies may take up to 90 days to expire. Minimal billing or legal records may be kept for the required statutory period.
We use access controls, password hashing, encrypted network connections, restricted administration and service logging intended to protect the information we hold. No online service can promise absolute security. Please report suspected unauthorised access promptly.
You may ask to access, correct or delete personal information that we hold about you. In an organisation-sponsored market, we may need to consult the commissioning organisation before changing market records, and some records may need to be retained to preserve an authorised result or meet a legal obligation.
Send privacy requests or complaints to [email protected]. We may ask for information needed to verify the request. We aim to acknowledge complaints promptly and provide a substantive response within 30 days.
We may update this policy when the service or applicable requirements change. The current version and its effective date will remain available on this page. Material changes affecting an active organisational service will also be communicated to the customer contact.