student privacy and research consent
Students who use Sway can volunteer to take part in our research. The first time a student logs in, they are shown the consent document below. A student who does not consent can still use Sway in their classes — we simply cannot use their de-identified data in research.
This is the student consent document. For a comprehensive overview of how we collect, use and protect data from all users, see the Privacy Policy; the agreement governing use of the platform is the Terms of Service.
This page contains important information about your use of SwayBeta (hereafter, ‘Sway’). Please read it closely.
summary of key points
- This research aims to improve the quality of student discussions.
- Your participation is voluntary, and you may discontinue at any time.
- Your school email is used for verification and login purposes only.
- Your chats are encrypted and private by default.
- Your data is not used for training commercial artificial intelligence (AI) models.
- Your de-identified message contents are only used for educational research if you opt in.
- You control what information is shared with your instructor.
- You can delete your account at any time.
use of your email address
We use your school email to:
- Verify your enrollment at a participating school.
- Allow you to log in to Sway.
- Allow you to reset your password.
information shared with your instructor
By default, your email and preferred first name are not visible to your instructor. Under no circumstances will Sway present your opinions or your messages to your instructor.
If you allow your instructor to verify that you have used Sway, this is the whole of what changes:
they can then see
- That you completed an assignment.
- Your scores from Sway quizzes.
- Metadata about your platform use — message counts, chat durations.
- Non-identifying results of natural language processing on your chats, such as whether you and your partner remained on topic.
they never see
- Your chat transcripts, or any message in them.
- Your opinions, or any of your survey responses.
- Anything at all, if you leave instructor verification off — including your email address and preferred first name.
chat privacy and research use
Sway encrypts all student data in transit using TLS 1.2+ and at rest using AES-256. Messages you send are only decrypted (readable) when you use the app, or when you allow the use of your de-identified message contents for educational research.
When your messages are de-identified, no information about you is stored with the message contents. Your data is never used to train commercial AI models. If you opt in, your de-identified message contents may be used for educational research, including the development or training of non-commercial models. If you allow research use, you can later revoke permission by updating your choice under Settings.
sharing chats with your instructor
Because only you and your discussion partners can access your chats, sharing a transcript with your instructor is something only you can do: copy the chat contents out of Sway and into a document you can send them.
account deletion
You can delete your account at any time. This cannot be reversed, so we recommend checking with your instructor first.
third-party message processors
Your message contents are processed using application programming interfaces (APIs) from OpenAI and Anthropic. Data sent to either might include your preferred first name; it will not include your email address. Neither uses your message contents to train their models or improve their service.
| processor | what it does | what it keeps |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic primary |
Normally powers Sway's discussion Guide. | Nothing. We hold a Zero Data Retention arrangement: your messages are not stored once it has responded. |
| OpenAI standby |
Stands in for Guide when Anthropic is unavailable. | Data may be retained for a limited period for abuse monitoring, and is then deleted. We are pursuing the same zero-retention arrangement here. |
Either provider may retain data for longer where required by law, or where their own safety systems flag a conversation for review.
SMS notifications
The platform does not currently support push notifications, but you can choose to receive notifications by SMS. Getting them on your phone makes it considerably easier to coordinate with a chat partner. If you do not enable SMS, you will still get notifications by email.
If you opt in to SMS, your phone number is shared with our U.S. messaging provider, Twilio. It will not be shared with any other party. To stop, send STOP from your phone or change the setting on the Sway website.
data we can access
When we view your information, you are identified by a random ID that is not connected to your email address or preferred name. We can view your:
- Survey and quiz responses.
- Metadata about your platform use — message counts, chat durations.
- Feedback you give us by clicking thumbs up or down on content we generate for you, or through other feedback functionality.
- Non-identifying results of natural language processing on your chats, such as whether you and your partner remained on topic.
platform analytics
We use Google Analytics and Sentry to understand platform usage, improve performance and detect bugs. This includes information such as time spent on different pages, navigation patterns and interactions with platform features. These services are configured not to intentionally collect personally identifying information or message contents.
for users at U.S. educational institutions
Sway is designed to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g. How FERPA applies to your use of Sway:
- By agreeing to this document, you consent to our collection and use of your information as described herein. This consent satisfies FERPA's requirements under 34 CFR § 99.30.
- When your institution has entered into a Data Processing Agreement with us, we act as a “school official” with a “legitimate educational interest” under 34 CFR § 99.31(a)(1)(i)(B). In these cases, our agreement with your institution governs the handling of your data.
data we collect
| what | used for | shared with your instructor |
|---|---|---|
| Institutional email address | Account verification and login. | Only if you allow instructor verification. |
| Your preferred first name | Display within the platform. | Only if you allow instructor verification. |
| Chat threads and messages | Educational discussion with peers. | Never. |
| Quiz and survey responses | Partner matching and assessment. | Survey responses, including your opinions, are never shared. Quiz scores only if you allow instructor verification. |
| Usage metadata | Assignment completion verification. | Summary only, and only if you allow instructor verification. |
your rights under FERPA
- access
- You may request access to your personal data by contacting us at privacy@swaybeta.ai.
- correction
- If you believe any information is inaccurate, you may update your preferred name in your account settings, or contact us to request corrections.
- deletion
- You may delete your account at any time through the platform. Upon deletion, your personally identifiable information is removed within 30 days.
- complaint
- If you believe your FERPA rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202.
data protection commitments
- Your data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256).
- Your discussion messages are stored in encrypted form and are never accessible to instructors or school staff.
- Your data is never sold or used for advertising.
- Your data is never used to train commercial artificial intelligence models.
- In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your personally identifiable information, your institution will be notified within 72 hours.
If you have questions, contact us at privacy@swaybeta.ai.
for users in the European Economic Area (EEA)
If you are located in the EEA, the following additional information applies to you under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- legal basis
- We process your personal data on the basis of (a) your consent, which you provide when agreeing to this document; (b) contractual necessity, to provide you access to Sway; and (c) legitimate interests, to improve and secure our platform.
- your rights
- You have the right to access, rectify or erase your personal data; to restrict or object to processing; and to data portability. To exercise these rights, contact us at gdpr@swaybeta.ai. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority.
- retention
- We retain your personal data while your account remains active. De-identified research data may be retained indefinitely. You may delete your account at any time.
- transfers
- Your data is processed in the United States by us and our sub-processors (OpenAI, Anthropic, Twilio), each of which maintains data protection commitments in accordance with their published policies and applicable legal frameworks.
risks and benefits
While the precautions described in this document should protect your privacy and keep what you share under your control, no system is perfect, and there is always a risk of breach of confidentiality.
Ample evidence indicates that guided discussion can help students better understand course materials and develop their ability to engage in constructive discussions of challenging topics. We therefore expect AI-scaffolded discussions to provide you with educational benefits.
cost and compensation
Accessing the platform requires an internet connection. Because the platform only receives and transmits text data, any additional fees you may incur should be negligible. You will not receive compensation for using the platform.
AI limitations and accuracy
Sway uses AI models that are generally reliable for their intended purposes. However, like all AI systems, these models can occasionally produce incorrect or inconsistent information, and can misunderstand context or nuance in complex discussions.
We recommend evaluating AI-generated content critically, and reporting any concerning AI behaviour to your instructor directly or through the app's feedback feature.
voluntary participation
Your participation in this research is voluntary. You may refuse or discontinue participation at any time, without loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.
This is the screen where you say so. It is the first thing you see the first time you log in, and every box on it can be changed later under Settings.
SwayThis page contains important information about your use of SwayBeta (hereafter, “Sway”). Please read it closely.
Summary of key points
- This research aims to improve the quality of student discussions
- Your participation is voluntary, and you may discontinue at any time
- Your school email is used for verification and login purposes only
- Your chats are encrypted and private by default
- Your data is not used for training commercial artificial intelligence (AI) models
- You control what information is shared with your instructor
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY:
- I have read and understood the consent form
- I am at least 18 years old
- I allow my instructor to verify that I have completed Sway assignments
- I allow educational research use of my anonymized message contents
Up next
The screen above in context, and where to take a question this document does not answer.
This screen, in context
Where the consent screen falls in a student's first sitting, and every screen either side of it.
Doing an assignment →Privacy and research, answered
Whether instructors can read transcripts, whether research participation is required, and what happens in a breach.
Read the FAQ →privacy@swaybeta.ai
Records requests, deletions, corrections, and any question about what an instructor can see.
Write to us →