Where does the student data go?

This is the first question every institution asks, and it should be. Here is a transparent answer for every deployment model.

Personal

Hosted account plus paired local storage

Source exam PDFs are stored on your machine via the paired AEMS Agent
AI inference runs via your own provider (local or API key you control)
The hosted AEMS app stores account, subscription, and pairing metadata
When you start grading, the hosted app fetches the required PDF from your paired agent

Department

EU-hosted cloud, strict retention

Exam PDFs encrypted in transit and at rest in EU data centres
PDFs automatically purged after 30 days
Grading results retained for 1 academic year (configurable)
AI inference via documented sub-processors (e.g., OpenAI EU endpoint)
Backups stored in EU object storage, encrypted, 90-day retention

Institutional

Your infrastructure, your rules

AEMS deployed entirely within your network perimeter
No data leaves your firewall
AI providers contracted directly by your institution
Data retention and backup policies set by your IT team
Telemetry disabled or fully audited

Data storage matrix

Data type	Personal	Department	Institutional
Exam PDFs / PII	Stored on your machine via agent; accessed by the hosted app during grading	EU cloud, 30-day auto-purge	Your network
Grading results	Hosted AEMS workspace and downloaded exports	EU cloud, 1-year retention	Your network
Account metadata	AEMS account, billing, and agent-pairing metadata	AEMS cloud database	AEMS license service
System backups	Hosted account and workspace backups; local agent files remain under your control	EU storage, encrypted, 90 days	Your backup policy
AI inference	Your provider	AEMS sub-processors	Your contracted provider
Operational logs	Account, billing, and security logs	Standard monitoring	Disabled / audited

GDPR and compliance

EU data residency

All Department-plan data is processed and stored in EU data centres (Germany and Finland). No student data is transferred outside the European Economic Area.

No training on student data

Student submissions are never used to train or fine-tune AI models, by us or by our sub-processors. Each submission is processed in isolation and discarded after marking.

Data Processing Agreements

A downloadable DPA template is available for Department-plan institutions, listing all sub-processors (hosting, AI inference, email delivery). Changes to the sub-processor list are communicated with 30-day advance notice.

Data subject access requests

Department-plan users can export or delete all workspace data via a self-service interface. Exports are delivered as a signed download. Deletion includes a 7-day cooling-off period, after which data is permanently removed from all systems including backups.

Audit trail

Every marking decision, including the original AI proposal, human adjustments, and final approved grade, is logged with timestamps and user identifiers. This trail supports internal quality audits and external examination board reviews.

Security measures

Encryption

TLS 1.3 in transit. AES-256 at rest for all stored data and backups.

Access control

Role-based access, CSRF protection on all forms, and optional MFA for administrator accounts.

Prompt injection protection

Invisible text detection identifies hidden content in PDFs that could manipulate AI marking. Suspicious submissions are flagged for manual review.

Input validation

Path traversal protection, SSRF prevention, and strict input sanitisation on all API endpoints.

Sub-processors (Department plan)

The following third parties process data on behalf of AEMS for the Department plan. Institutional deployments use only providers contracted by the customer. A signed Data Processing Agreement (Art. 28 GDPR) is in place with each sub-processor.

Provider	Purpose	Location
Hetzner ISO 27001, BSI C5 Type 2	Application hosting and database	Germany / Finland
OpenAI / Anthropic / Google	AI inference (configurable)	EU endpoints where available
Stripe	Payment processing	EU
Postmark / Resend	Transactional email	EU / US

Need the full security pack for your procurement process?

Request Security & Compliance Pack

Includes DPA template, SOC 2 overview, and architecture diagrams. We respond within one business day.