Two-Tier Storage Model

Tier 1 — Ephemeral (Default)

All assessments use the ephemeral tier unless the client opts in to retained storage during onboarding.

Attribute	Value
Default	Yes — applied to all assessments automatically
Contents	collection.json.enc + report.pdf.enc
TTL	48 hours from report delivery confirmation
Deletion trigger	TTL expiry — store-native mechanism, not application logic
Encryption	AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit
Access	Assessment Engine service identity only — read once during assessment job
Operator access	None — CYC staff cannot read contents
Client access	None — client receives the report only, not raw data

Tier 2 — Retained (Opt-In)

Clients who opt in have their data moved from ephemeral to retained after report delivery. This enables Tier 2 consultation and Tier 3 drift detection.

Attribute	Value
Default	No — client must opt in before payment
Contents	collection.json.enc + findings.json.enc + report.pdf.enc
TTL	90 days from report delivery — or immediate on client deletion request
Encryption	AES-256 at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit
Access	Assessment Engine (drift), CYC Tier 2 analyst (read-only, audit-logged)
Permitted uses	Follow-up analysis, Tier 2 consultation, Tier 3 drift detection, responding to client questions
Prohibited uses	Training AI models, benchmarking against other clients, sharing with third parties

Client deletion

Clients can request immediate deletion of retained data at any time via the CYC account portal. Deletion is confirmed by email within 24 hours. See Client Deletion Request Process.