PhotoConnect Privacy Policy

Effective Date: January 30, 2026

1. Controller & Contact Details

Data Controller: Bartosz Ćwikła

ul. Augustyna Szamarzewskiego 21/2, 60-514 Poznań, Poland

2. Applicable Law & Scope

This policy is aligned with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It applies to all users who access our services worldwide.

3. Data We Collect

3a. Information You Provide

Account data: name, email, password
Uploaded photos and metadata (titles, descriptions, geolocation, deceased status)
Messages, comments, chat interactions

3b. Automatically Collected Data

Usage: IP address, device info, activity logs, cookies and analytics data

3c. Sensitive Data (Biometric Information)

When you enable face search, we process biometric templates extracted from uploaded photos. Face data is used solely for search matching and enhancement features.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Performance of contract: To provide services like face search, chat, storage
Consent: For processing face biometric data and cookies beyond strictly necessary
Legitimate interests: Improving services, fraud prevention, stability monitoring, and basic analytics

5. How We Use Your Data

Provide and maintain the platform
Enable face recognition, geo-search, and photo enhancement
Moderate content, enforce policies
Communicate (support, updates, marketing where consented)
Comply with legal obligations

6. Sharing Your Data

We share data with trusted service providers to operate our platform:

Consent Management: We use consentmanager.net to collect and document your privacy choices in compliance with GDPR.
Payment Processing: We use Stripe to handle payments. We do not store your credit card details.
Error Monitoring: We use Sentry to identify and fix software bugs.
Analytics: We use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic.
Database & Infrastructure: Your data is managed by Maiven.io and hosted on DigitalOcean.
Cloud Storage: Photos are stored via Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Legal requests: Where required by court or law enforcement.

7. International Data Transfers

We prioritize storing data within the European Economic Area (EEA). Our database (DigitalOcean), storage (AWS), and consent management (consentmanager.net) are located within the EEA.

Some service providers (Stripe, Sentry, Google) may process data in the United States. Transfers to these providers are protected by standard contractual clauses (SCCs) to ensure a level of protection comparable to the GDPR.

8. Data Retention

Account data retained while active
Photos, chat, search logs retained per your use; backups may persist
After account deletion, we anonymize or purge data unless legal obligations require retention

9. Data Deletion

After object deletion is requested we immediately remove it from our active systems and third party storage mentioned in section 6.
Some residual copies may remain in backups for a limited time as per our data retention policy.

10. Your Rights & Complaints

Under GDPR, you have the right to access, rectify, delete, or port your data.

If you believe we are infringing on your rights, you have the legal right to lodge a complaint with:
President of the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO)
ul. Stawki 2, 00-193 Warsaw, Poland
Website: https://uodo.gov.pl

11. Cookies & Tracking

We use cookies to enable essential site functionality and analyze usage. Your preferences are managed through consentmanager.net. You can change your consent settings at any time by clicking the privacy icon or the "Cookie Settings" link at the bottom of our website. Analytical and marketing cookies are only used with your explicit consent.

12. Security Measures

We use HTTPS and industry-standard encryption. Our database access is strictly controlled via IP address allowlists.

13. Children

Our service is intended for users 18+. Consent from a guardian is required for younger users.

14. Policy Updates

Significant changes will be notified via email or platform notification. Continued use indicates consent.

15. Contact

For questions: [email protected]