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| Field | Novastart |
|---|---|
| Staff rating | Amber Doesn’t say whether it trains on what you type |
| Pupil rating | Amber Doesn’t say whether it trains on what you type |
| Main use | General AI assistant / chatbot |
| SupplierThe company that makes and runs the tool. | Marketplace Distributors LLC (Manhattan Beach, California, US) |
| CategoryWhat sort of tool it is, for example a chatbot or a lesson-planning helper. | AI agent / assistant |
| Pupil-facingWhether pupils use it directly, or only staff. Pupil use needs extra care. | student- and teacher-facing; offered free to students and teachers at partner universities with a .edu email; site and software not directed at children under 16 |
| Processor or controllerA processor only uses data on your school’s instructions. A controller makes its own decisions about the data, which means your school has less say. | not stated |
| Where data is storedWhich country the data is stored in. UK or EU storage is usually simpler for schools. | canvas contents stay on the user's own machine and shared canvases stream peer to peer; AI agent screenshots and instructions are sent to OpenAI; other personal data may be processed in the US under safeguards such as standard contractual clauses |
| Trains AI models on inputsWhether what you type (or upload) may be used to improve the supplier’s AI. “No” is what you want for anything about pupils or staff. | not stated |
| How long inputs are keptHow long the supplier keeps what you type before deleting it. | AI agent run logs (steps, clicks, screenshots) kept on the user's machine; account and billing records kept while the account is open and as tax rules require; support correspondence kept for a reasonable period |
| Data processing agreement (DPA)The data processing agreement: the contract that sets out how the supplier must look after your school’s data. | not stated |
| Signs individual DPAs with schoolsWhether the supplier will sign a data agreement with your school specifically, rather than just standard online terms. | not stated |
| UK GDPR representative / DPOWhether the supplier names a data protection officer or UK representative you can contact about data questions. | not stated (contact support@novastart.com) |
| Minimum ageThe youngest age the supplier allows to use the tool. Check this before any pupil uses it. | 16+ (not directed at children under 16) |
| Key safety noteAnything else worth knowing, such as admin controls or content filtering. | replaces the computer desktop with an operating system; AI agents get their own mouse and keyboard and send screenshots of the window they work in to OpenAI; privacy policy allows analytics, advertising and retargeting cookies and email tracking pixels; no certification or audit claimed |
| Research statusHow complete our research on this tool is. | partial (privacy policy effective 30 Sep 2026, security and education pages read 27 Oct 2026; no DPA, terms or AI training statement published) |
| Last checked | 2026-11-01 |
Ratings are a rules-based summary of each supplier’s published terms. Not legal advice. How we rate tools