Student data handling at a glance
- Records are stored on the practitioner’s computer, and on their iPhone while an observation recorded with Companion is waiting to be returned. Sightline has no server that receives student records.
- Sightline encrypts its database and its automatic backups.
- AI writing help and audio transcription run on the practitioner’s computer, not in the cloud.
- A record leaves those devices only when the practitioner exports it, copies it, saves a backup somewhere, or sends it.
Where student records are stored
Observations, notes, transcripts, and report drafts are saved in Sightline’s database, in the practitioner’s user account on their computer. Sightline has no copy and no remote access, so its staff cannot see, recover, or delete them. The database and the automatic backups Sightline keeps on the same computer are encrypted with AES-256. The key is held in the computer’s own keychain (the Keychain on a Mac, Credential Manager on Windows). Some files the practitioner creates are protected differently:
Files Sightline does not encrypt depend on the computer’s login and, if it is turned on, full-disk encryption (FileVault on a Mac, BitLocker on Windows). Store them like any other report. On a shared or district-managed computer, each practitioner should use their own login.
What connects to the internet
Sightline works offline. These are the only things it sends, and none of them carries student records:- Checking the license. The check also sends a running count of the AI model’s completed generations, with none of their text.
- Starting, checking, and extending a Pro trial.
- On Community, one request for update access.
- Managing a subscription, which sends the license key and a device identifier so the browser can open the subscription page.
- Checking for and downloading app updates.
- Downloading the AI model and the transcription model. On Pro and the Pro trial, Sightline also downloads updated AI files in the background.
- Feedback the practitioner chooses to send. It carries what they write, so it should leave out student names. Diagnostics are attached only if the practitioner chooses to include them after reviewing them, and they leave out student names, notes, observations, and the text of log messages.
- An optional welcome survey during a trial, if the practitioner chooses to answer it.
- Usage analytics and crash reports, only if the practitioner turns them on. Both are off by default and never include student content.
How AI handles student data
AI is optional. It is available on Pro and the Pro trial and is off until the practitioner sets it up. Setup downloads the AI model to the computer once. After that, drafting and analysis run on the computer, and no student data is sent anywhere for AI processing. Sightline never receives student records, so it cannot use them to train AI. Its privacy policy also states that it does not use personal information to train models. The AI can be turned off in Settings → AI Assistant.Companion on iPhone
Companion sends data only to the computer it is paired with, over an encrypted local Bluetooth connection. It makes no internet requests and has no accounts, analytics, or crash reporting. When the phone is connected to the computer during an observation, each score goes straight to the computer and the phone saves no copy of the observation. An observation recorded away from the computer stays in Companion’s storage on the phone until the computer confirms it has saved it; then the phone deletes its copy. That storage is left out of the phone’s backups. It is encrypted while the phone is off or not yet unlocked after a restart, and readable after the first unlock so scoring can continue with the screen locked. Behavior names, definitions, tags, activity labels, and the observation label are shown on the phone. Keep student names out of labels.How dictation and voice notes are handled
Sightline records audio only when the practitioner uses dictation or voice notes. Both record the practitioner’s own spoken notes, though a microphone can also pick up nearby sound.- Dictation audio is written to temporary files on the computer, transcribed there, and deleted when transcription finishes or fails. It is not saved with the observation.
- A voice note from Companion is transcribed on the computer, which deletes the audio once transcription is done. If the audio doesn’t reach the computer, the phone usually keeps the clip so the practitioner can send it again. If the computer can’t transcribe it, the audio is not kept and the practitioner records the note again. For an observation recorded away from the computer, the computer waits for the transcription model before importing it, and the phone keeps its copy until then. A voice note that still can’t be transcribed is saved as “transcription failed” and its audio is not kept.