Privacy and consent basics for face search at events
The basics of privacy and consent for face search at events. Off by default, explicit consent per guest, retention, deletion and what to tell hosts.
Published: · 5 min read
Face search is one of the most useful things a studio can offer after an event: a guest takes a selfie and sees the professional photos they appear in, instead of scrolling through two thousand frames. It is also the feature that deserves the most care, because it works with people's faces.
This article sets out the basic principles and how CollectAsist applies them. It is not legal advice. The studio that opens an event is the data controller for that event, so please go through your own obligations under the rules that apply to you, such as KVKK or the GDPR, with your adviser.
Why a face is different from other data
An email address can be changed. A face cannot. When software turns a face into a pattern that can be compared with other faces, the result is data that identifies a person very directly. Data protection rules such as the GDPR and Turkey's KVKK generally treat this kind of data with particular care.
There is also a simpler reason that has nothing to do with law. People have feelings about being recognised by a machine. Some find it convenient, some find it uncomfortable, and both reactions are reasonable. A studio that respects the second group keeps the trust of the first.
Off by default, a decision for each event
The first principle is that face search should never simply happen. In CollectAsist it is off for every new event and runs only if the studio turns it on for that particular event.
That makes it a decision to take with the hosts beforehand, not a setting to switch on quietly. A wedding with close family, a company evening with employees and visitors, and a school ceremony are three different situations. It is perfectly fine for the answer to be no. Uploads, wishes, the live slideshow and print orders all work without it.
Consent belongs to each guest
The hosts can agree that face search will be offered. They cannot consent on behalf of their guests. Each person decides for themselves, at the moment they would use it.
In CollectAsist the steps are the same at every event:
- The guest reads a plain explanation of what the selfie is used for and how long the data is kept.
- They continue only by giving explicit consent. Without consent there is no search.
- A liveness check confirms that a real person is in front of the camera, so nobody can search with someone else's picture.
- Matches are shown as suggestions, and the guest answers "This is me" or "Not me" on each.
A guest who declines loses nothing else. They can still look at what the gallery shows them, upload photos and leave a wish. Consent obtained by making the rest of the page unusable would not be worth much. The steps and the texts guests are shown are set out on our privacy page.
Retention and deletion
Two questions come up every time: how long is it kept, and can I change my mind?
The retention period is written on the consent screen itself, so the guest sees it before agreeing. Face data is kept as encrypted numerical vectors and used only for matching within that event.
A guest can delete their face data at any time with a single tap on the event page, without having to write to anyone. It is worth knowing where that button is, so you can point a guest to it when asked.
Under-18s and the open or closed gallery
Selfie search in CollectAsist is not available to guests under 18. It is meant for adults who give their own consent. At graduations and school events this is often the first thing a school asks. The rest of the page still works for everyone, and our page on graduations and school events has more detail.
Face search is only one side of privacy at an event. The other is who can see which photos. Each event's gallery can be open to all guests or closed. An open gallery suits celebrations where everyone knows each other and the hosts are happy to share. A closed gallery suits company events, school events and families who prefer to keep their photos to themselves. With a closed gallery, guests see only what the studio chooses to show.
What to tell the hosts
A short, honest briefing before the event prevents most misunderstandings. You might cover these points:
- Face search is optional and stays off unless we turn it on together for this event.
- Each guest decides for themselves and can refuse without losing access to anything else.
- Guests can delete their face data themselves, at any time.
- It is not offered to guests under 18.
- The gallery can be open or closed, and that choice is separate from face search.
- Guests with a privacy question should come to you, the studio running the event.
It is also sensible to mention face search wherever you announce the QR code, in plain and neutral words, so nobody is surprised by it later.
Handled this way, face search is a convenience guests choose for themselves, not something done to them. CollectAsist is built around that order of decisions, and the FAQ answers the questions hosts ask most often.
