Privacy, retention and deletion
Photo retention and deletion guide; which data an event keeps, the retention periods, and how guests and the studio delete content and face data.
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This article explains what data is kept for a CollectAsist event, how long it is stored and who can delete what. It is written for the studio team and event owners. You can also use it when answering guests' questions.
For an event, the studio is the data controller. CollectAsist processes the data on the studio's behalf as the service provider. What is binding is the texts guests accept on screen. This article does not replace those texts.
What you can do today
- Guests can delete their uploads one by one from the My uploads tab.
- Guests can permanently delete their face data with Delete my face data.
- Guests who signed in with an account can delete it with Delete my account.
- The studio can hide or delete any item, and can turn selfie search off to delete all face data for the event.
- The studio can keep the gallery closed so guests see only their own uploads.
- When the archive period ends, content and face data are deleted automatically.
What data is kept?
| Data | When it is created |
|---|---|
| The guest's name | Entered by the guest when joining the page |
| Email or phone | Only if the guest chooses to sign in with a code |
| Profile details (city, Instagram handle) | Only if the guest enters them in their account |
| Photos, videos, written and voice wishes | When a guest uploads them |
| Professional photos and videos | When the studio uploads them |
| Face vector and matches | Only if selfie search is on and the guest gave explicit consent |
| Record of accepted terms | The version of the accepted text and the time |
| Share links | When a guest creates a link |
| Messages and print orders | When a guest uses these features |
| Security records | A hash of the IP address, to prevent abuse |
The selfie image is not stored. What is stored is a numerical vector derived from the face, kept encrypted. The vector is used at that event only. For details, see Selfie search and consent layers.
The rights to a photo stay with the person who holds them. Uploading does not hand the rights over to CollectAsist or to the studio.
Retention periods
| What | Period |
|---|---|
| Event archive | 90 days from the event date. For an event published after its date has passed, it starts on the day it is published. The end date shows in the panel as Archive ends |
| Extending the archive | 90 days at a time, up to 12 months in total |
| Files of guest content | Deleted about 7 days after the archive ends |
| Professional photo files | Deleted 30 days after the archive ends |
| Face data | Deleted when the archive ends. Deleted earlier if the guest or the studio chooses |
| Share link | 7 days |
| Unfinished uploads | Cleaned up after about 2 days |
The studio gets a reminder 14 days and 3 days before the archive ends. When the archive ends, the guest page closes and guests can no longer reach the content. To extend the period, see Events.
Files deleted at the end of the period cannot be brought back. Download the content you want to keep before the archive ends.
What a guest can delete
Uploaded content:
- The guest opens the My uploads tab on the guest page.
- They open the file and tap Delete; for wishes they use the Delete link at the top of the card.
- They confirm. The file is removed from storage, and the item disappears from the gallery, the slideshow and matches.
Face data:
- The guest opens the My photos tab.
- They tap the Delete my face data link at the bottom of the page and confirm.
- Their face vector and all their matches are permanently deleted, and their consent is withdrawn. The photos they uploaded stay in place.
Account: a guest who signed in with email deletes their account with Delete my account on the My events page. Their contact and profile details are deleted and they are signed out. Content they uploaded to events stays in the studio's archive; to remove it, they delete it from the My uploads tab first.
Share links: the guest closes a link with Close in the My shares list.
Someone else's content: a guest reports content they object to with Report content, and the report goes to the studio. How reports are handled is covered in Moderation and reports.
What the studio can delete
- A single item: open the item in the Content tab and use Hide or the delete button. A hidden item is kept away from guests but stays in the archive. A deleted item's file is removed from storage.
- In bulk: tick several items with Select and hide or delete them together. A bulk delete cannot be undone.
- The event's face data: on the Selfie search card in the Overview tab, set the switch to Off. All face data for the event is deleted and guests cannot search.
- Reported content: you can remove the content from the Reports tab.
Closed gallery
If you leave the Gallery field in the event's Settings tab on Private: guests see only their own uploads, the guest page has no Gallery tab. A guest sees only their own uploads and, if selfie search is on, their own matches. We recommend this setting for corporate events, graduations and events with children.
Even in an open gallery, professional photos are not listed. If you set the Publishing field to Publish after my approval, guest content is not visible to other guests until you approve it.
The texts guests accept
A guest accepts a text at two separate points:
- When joining the page: the Guest Terms of Use and Privacy Notice. The text opens on the join screen with Read, and a guest cannot join without ticking the checkbox.
- Before using selfie search: the explicit consent text for face recognition, on a separate screen. This step is optional.
The texts are filled in per event with the studio name, the event name and the end date. The version of the accepted text is recorded. You can read the current texts on the site: Privacy notice and Terms of use.
Data requests
A guest who wants information about their data, or wants it deleted, first contacts the studio that ran the event. Requests sent to CollectAsist are answered together with that studio. To send a request, use the contact page and mention the event if you can.