What data does Learnaway collect, and is it GDPR-compliant?
Learnaway collects behavioural telemetry: event types, timestamps, timing deltas, and paste lengths, plus the final submitted text. It never records the individual characters a student types or pastes, so it is not a keylogger. By default only the final text and the analysis results are stored; the minute-by-minute timing of the writing process is scored on the server and then discarded. It is built GDPR-first: telemetry is treated as personal data and minimised by design, with EU residency, configurable retention, and a Data Processing Agreement for licensed schools.
What is collected
As a student writes, we record the type and timing of events: keystrokes, pauses, pastes (as a character count, not content), and tab-switches, plus the final submitted text so the teacher can read the work. We never capture the characters typed, clipboard contents, screen, camera, or microphone.
What is stored, by default
Only the final text and the analysis results (the risk signal plus the explanation tags and the numbers behind them). The detailed writing-process timeline is computed in memory to produce the score, then discarded. It is not saved unless a licensed school opts in to Process Replay, which retains a content-free timeline (still never the characters typed).
Why this is GDPR-friendly
Data minimisation is built in: the less we keep, the less risk to students. We treat all telemetry as personal data under UK GDPR / the Data Protection Act 2018, the institution is the data controller, and licensed customers receive a DPA, configurable retention, the right to deletion, and optional EU data residency.
FAQ
- Is Learnaway a keylogger?
- No. It records the timing and type of events and the length of pastes, never the characters themselves.
- Do students know they're being recorded?
- Yes. Every submission page carries a plain-English notice explaining what's recorded and why, before a student writes a word.
- Who is the data controller?
- For student data the institution is the controller and Learnaway is the processor, acting only on the institution's instructions.
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