Safety and data, in plain English
What SparkIQ keeps, who else handles it, what happens when a child seems upset, and where it falls short. This page describes the app as it works on 6 October 2026. The full legal detail is in the privacy policy, and if the two ever differ, tell us.
Last reviewed 6 October 2026
We say what we haven't measured. SparkIQ is in early access. Where something is limited or untested, this page says so rather than leaving it out.
What SparkIQ knows about your child
- A child profile is a nickname, a school year and a curriculum. No real name, photo, birthday or location.
- Your email, asked for at setup, is the only real identifier.
- No ads, no advertising identifiers, nothing sold, and no marketing profile of your child or family.
- The app sends daily usage totals with no names, nicknames or ids in them. You can turn these off in Parents → Privacy.
Where the data lives
- On the device, by default. Your child's learning history is kept in the browser on the device they use. Anyone who can use that browser can reach it.
- Cloud backup (optional). If you turn it on, a copy of the family's app data is stored with our database provider. It is not end-to-end encrypted. It never includes PINs or safety records.
- Parent phone view (optional). A view-only link to an end-to-end encrypted snapshot of the last 90 days. Our server cannot read it. It includes the date and type of any safety events in that time, so anyone holding the link can see those.
- Take a copy or erase everything from Parents → Your data. When you are signed in to backup, erasing also deletes the cloud copy, and if that step fails the app tells you.
Who else handles data
These providers process information on our behalf. This table mirrors the privacy policy.
| Provider | What it does for SparkIQ | What it receives | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supabase | Database and server functions | Cloud backup and the encrypted phone-view snapshot (if you turn them on), feedback, usage totals, email subscription records, AI usage counters | US company. The database may be hosted outside Australia and accessed from the United States for support. |
| Cloudflare | Hosts this site and the app. Runs the AI helper and its safety-check model (Workers AI) | When the AI helper is on: the child's question, with the nickname removed and contact details blocked. We don't store questions or answers. Cloudflare states it doesn't use what is sent to Workers AI to train models. | US company. Data centres around the world. |
| Resend | Email delivery | Your email address and the weekly summary, only if you opt in and confirm | US company. Email is processed in the United States. |
| Stripe | Payments. Not switched on yet. | When it is on: payment details and your email address, on Stripe's own checkout page | United States and other countries. |
| Your browser's speech service | Only if a parent turns on voice typing | Audio, depending on the browser (for example Google or Apple). SparkIQ receives only the resulting text. | Depends on the browser. |
What the AI does, and what it doesn't
- Most tutoring runs inside the app and works offline. The AI helper answers open-ended questions.
- Before a question leaves the device, the nickname is removed and contact details are blocked. Our server applies fixed child-safety rules and daily limits, and a separate safety model checks the question and the reply. If that check can't run, the child gets a safe message instead.
- The AI never decides your child's level, whether a skill is mastered, what to practise next, or a practice-paper score. A fixed rule in the app does, the same way every time.
- AI can be wrong. A parent can switch it off in Parents → AI → Built-in (offline), and tutoring keeps working.
When a child seems upset or unsafe
What SparkIQ does. When it recognises signs that a child is upset or unsafe, it pauses and points them to a trusted adult and Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800). If someone is in danger, it says to call 000.
What it records. The type of event and the date, so a parent can check in. Not what the child typed. The record stays on the device. If you have opted in to the weekly email, it may include a line such as “We suggested talking to a trusted adult on 8 Oct.”
Where it falls short. No filter catches everything. Our own testing in October 2026 found everyday ways a child might say something worrying that SparkIQ misses, and some messages that got an unrelated reply instead of a pointer to help. So an empty safety log does not mean nothing happened, and please don't rely on SparkIQ to notice. It is a learning tool, not a monitoring, counselling or crisis service.
In an emergency, call 000.
The parent PIN
- The Parents area (settings, plans, children, AI, your data) opens with a 4-digit PIN you choose.
- The PIN is stored on the device as a salted hash. It is never copied to cloud backup.
- Repeated wrong guesses pause the PIN screen: 30 seconds after 5 in a row, 15 minutes after 10.
- Payments are not switched on yet. When they are, they will sit behind the PIN.
Be realistic about what a PIN is. It keeps settings away from accidental taps and curious fingers. It is not a vault, and it is not designed to stop a determined person who has your unlocked device or your email account. Keep your device passcode and your email secure.
What we haven't done yet
- An independent teacher review of the questions hasn't happened. Maths skills are mapped to NSW syllabus outcome codes as a draft, checked against the NSW curriculum site.
- We don't have outcome data from families yet, so we make no claims about results.
- SparkIQ isn't affiliated with NESA, ACARA or any exam authority. Practice papers are original and exam-style, not real past papers.
Questions or concerns
Read the privacy policy, or see how to raise a concern. You can also email us. We read every message.