Information used by the app
The service processes work-account identity, organization and mailbox membership, imported message text, sender and recipient details, subjects, dates, conversation and attachment metadata, user corrections, prompts and requested AI results. Microsoft connection credentials are stored encrypted. Access, usage and security records support operation, troubleshooting and abuse prevention.
Attachments are stored in Microsoft 365. When an authorized person opens an eligible attachment, the app retrieves it through Microsoft Graph and passes it to the browser without retaining a copy in the app. Attachment filenames and file types are included when a message is classified; file contents are not. AI reads an attachment's contents only when an authorized person asks it to read that attachment: the app fetches the file from Microsoft 365, extracts its text (text-based PDF, Word, Excel, CSV and plain-text files up to 10 MB; no image recognition), sends that text to the AI provider for that request, and keeps only the AI result with the message. The file and its extracted text are not retained. Each request is recorded in the audit history and counts against the company AI allowance.
Purpose and access
Authorized information supports email organization, search, conversation review, AI-assisted answers and requested draft suggestions. A person's own work mailbox is limited by app membership; company ownership alone does not grant another person's mailbox access. This does not restrict the customer's Microsoft administrator's independent powers or authorized service operations.
Customer organizations decide which users and mailboxes may participate and must provide any required notices or authority for employee and correspondent information.
Service providers and locations
Microsoft Entra supplies work-account sign-in; Microsoft Graph supplies mailbox access; Ashby uses Azure hosting, PostgreSQL and Key Vault. Azure OpenAI processes selected message content, metadata, business context and user instructions for AI features. The configured model uses an Azure US Data Zone deployment. East US 2 is the application hosting region, not a promise that all processing stays in that region.
Ashby's operator works from China, so authorized support or administrative access may occur there. This must be considered before connecting restricted data. See the provider list. Paddle is the selected merchant of record; live billing has not yet passed acceptance. Azure Communication Services can send an optional daily brief email (subjects, company names and sender names from your own mailbox); it is built but off, and we will tell customers before it is turned on.
Retention, disconnection and requests
Disconnecting a mailbox is separate from deleting information already mirrored into the application. Subscription expiry is not itself a deletion request. Our approved closure policy stops sync and AI and removes saved mailbox credentials after verified company closure. Customers have 14 days to request an app-data export; live mirrored mailbox content is scheduled for deletion within 30 days, with an earlier verified request supported. Outlook mail stays untouched.
Necessary billing, acceptance and security records are handled separately: security and audit records are kept while the account is active and for 12 months after closure with content removed; acceptance records for 6 years after closure; billing and tax records as accounting and tax law require. Application logs are kept for 30 days. AI usage and cost records are deleted with the company's app data, except cost totals kept for accounting. If a trial or paid period ends without renewal, access pauses, you have 14 days to subscribe or ask for an export, and the workspace is then closed as above. Database backups currently have a retention setting of 7 days; this is not immediate backup erasure. Recovery and repeated deletion after recovery still require operational verification. These details remain subject to the completed customer agreement and applicable legal holds.
Email seth@ashbysystems.com for access, correction, disconnection or deletion requests. We need to verify identity and authority; an employee's request may need to be directed to their employer. Applicable rights depend on location and law.
Security and limitations
The application uses tenant and mailbox access controls and encrypted saved Microsoft tokens. No independent security certification or absolute security guarantee is claimed. AI results require human review. Customer mailbox access remains gated while the release checks and service documents are completed.
Access levels and mailbox changes
Read-only use needs no write permission. A user who chooses read and reply, or full access, grants a separate delegated permission; Smart Inbox then stores that user's write credentials (encrypted), review records for messages they send, and a record of each change they make (what, when and by whom, without message text). New mailbox connections start read-only. Each person can choose read and reply, or full access, for a mailbox they use.
When a message is deleted or leaves the folders Smart Inbox follows, Smart Inbox keeps its copy for 30 days so it can be restored, then erases the message text, summaries, drafts and extracted details, and keeps only the text-free handling record.