Privacy Policy
Local photo checking and preparation happen in your browser and do not upload your image. Optional AI features send the photo or requirement wording to third-party AI providers only when you request them. If you purchase a generated result, we also process payment, order and photo delivery data. This page explains those choices and the other data we process.
This page is only about data. The terms between you and us — what we ask of you, what we do not promise, whether an authority will accept your photo, the limit of what we are liable for, and which law applies — are on a separate page: Terms and Conditions.By accessing or using the Service, you accept those Terms. There is no box to tick and no account to close, because we never asked you for one.
This policy is published in English only. The rest of the site is available in several languages, but we would rather not risk a translation error in a legal document.
1. Who we are
PhotoToSpec is the name this site trades under. It is operated by NEXALIFY LIMITED, a company registered in Hong Kong SAR China at Rm D07, 8/F, Kai Tak Fty Bldg, No. 99 King Fuk St, San Po Kong, Hong Kong. That company is what “we”, “us” and “our” mean everywhere on this page, and it is the data controller for the processing described here. You can reach us at support@phototospec.com for any privacy question or request.
We do not offer accounts. There is no sign-up, no password and no profile, so we hold no account records about you at all.
2. Your photos
2.1 Checking and preparing a photo (the default)
The default checking and preparation tools process your photo in your browser. They may analyse the photo and make technical file adjustments, but they do not materially alter its visual content. The photo itself is not uploaded to us through this local process.
Some detection models and supporting software are downloaded to your browser. Their delivery providers receive ordinary technical request data, but not your photo.
We keep no photo or thumbnail from local processing. Limited technical and diagnostic data may be processed as described in §3.
2.2 AI photo generation and paid delivery
AI generation is optional and begins only when you request it. To provide this feature, we send your photo and relevant instructions to AI image providers. This feature may be used for document photos, business portraits, student photos or team photos. AI output may alter visible details or contain errors, so you should review it carefully before purchasing or using it.
If you choose to purchase a result, we prepare and deliver the files covered by your order without the preview watermark, together with any included accompanying files. Delivery uses an order download page and an email to the payment email address. Hosting, storage, image processing and email providers may process the relevant photos and files to provide these features. Email providers process the recipient address, message content, attachments, order reference and download link.
We keep photos sent for AI generation and stored results for 30 days from each file's creation for service delivery, troubleshooting and abuse prevention, then delete them automatically. Paid download access lasts 7 days after payment confirmation; these are separate periods. See §6 for details, including earlier deletion requests.
We do not use your photos to train any model of our own, and we do not sell your photos. We provide photos to the relevant service providers to perform the features you choose, as described here. Providers also process and retain data under their applicable terms and privacy rules. We do not make unverified promises about an AI provider's model training or retention on its behalf.
3. Other data we process
3.1 Rate-limit counters
We use a pseudonymous identifier derived from limited technical request data to enforce usage limits and prevent abuse. We retain the associated counters for 90 days.
We are being precise rather than reassuring here: a hash of an IP address is still personal data under the GDPR, because the input space is small enough that it is not truly anonymous. We treat it as personal data accordingly.
3.2 Analytics, performance and error monitoring
We use analytics and diagnostic tools to understand use of the Service and to identify errors, security issues and performance problems. These tools may receive usage events and technical data, such as page, device, browser, network and approximate-location information. We configure them to exclude submitted photos, requirement wording and request bodies.
We use this information to operate and improve the service, not for advertising or profiling. We do not run ad retargeting or cross-site tracking, and we do not sell any data.
3.3 Server logs
Our hosting and infrastructure providers process standard request and diagnostic data to operate, secure and improve the Service. These records are retained only for a limited period.
3.4 Custom requirement wording
Custom requirement wording may be processed locally in your browser. If you request AI-assisted extraction, we send the wording, without your photo, to an AI text provider. We do not retain the wording or AI output for that operation, although the provider processes it under its own terms.
If you separately choose to submit a requirement to us, we may store and review the wording and related form data to improve the requirement library. Your photo is not part of that submission.
Do not include personal or confidential information in requirement wording. Rule submissions are retained as described in §6 and may be used as the source of a published requirement.
3.5 Payments and order information
Optional paid downloads use third-party payment services for one-time payments. The payment provider directly receives the payment method details and other necessary information you enter at checkout. It supplies us with information needed to verify and deliver the order, such as the checkout session reference, payment status, amount, currency and payment email address. Our order database does not store complete card numbers or card security codes.
Our order records include the order reference, product or package, team size where applicable, amount, currency, linked generation jobs and files, page language, checkout session reference, payment email address, creation and payment confirmation times, expiry time and email delivery status. Delivery records also include the email provider's message reference, sending time, delivery batches and resend count. The order database does not store team members' names.
We use this information to create and verify orders, confirm payment, authorise file access, send and resend photos, avoid duplicate delivery, and resolve payment and delivery issues. We give the payment provider the order reference, purchased item, amount and access credentials needed for checkout returns and delivery. The checkout process does not upload photo files to the payment provider.
The payment email address is used for order delivery and related transactional communications. This process does not subscribe you to marketing emails or create a personal account. Payment providers may independently process or retain information for payment processing, fraud prevention, disputes and legal obligations under their applicable terms and privacy policies.
3.6 Photo delivery emails
After payment confirmation, we use third-party email services to send an English delivery email to the order's payment email address. It contains the order reference, access expiry time and an English download page link. Photo files are attached when they fit email size limits. Larger files are provided through download links, and multiple attachments may be sent in separate emails.
Email providers process recipient and sender details, message content, attachments, download links and sending and delivery data for transmission, security and delivery diagnostics. Message content previews are currently enabled for diagnostics; the relevant provider keeps the previewable full message content for about 7 days. Other logs, bounce records and suppression lists follow the provider's applicable service rules.
Once emails and attachments reach your mailbox, their retention is controlled by you and your email provider. Expiry of a website link does not remove files already delivered or downloaded, and we cannot recall or delete every copy from a recipient's mailbox or device.
4. Cookies and local storage
We set no cookies of our own, and we store nothing in your browser's local storage — no saved preferences, no cached photos, no identifiers. Our analytics provider may set cookies to tell repeat visits from new ones. Blocking them, or using any tracker blocker, does not affect the photo checker in any way — all of the actual functionality runs without analytics.
Order download links contain random access credentials. When you open an order page, the site moves the order information and credential from the URL fragment into the current browser's page history state so it can load the order, download files and request email resends. It removes that fragment from the address bar. This does not create an account.
These credentials and complete download links are confidential. Anyone with a complete valid link may access the order and files; do not publish it or forward it to someone who is not authorised to view the photos. We take steps to keep credentials out of ordinary analytics, but your email provider, browser and anyone you share a link with may still process or retain them.
Cookies, storage and fraud prevention on third-party checkout pages are governed by the payment provider's rules. Our description of this site's storage does not describe every third-party page's behaviour.
5. Who receives your data
| Recipient | What they receive | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting, storage and image processing providers | Receive technical request data, uploaded and generated photos, accompanying files and related order data through server-side features. | Hosting, storage, image processing, authorised downloads, security and diagnostics |
| Payment service providers | Receive payment information you submit directly to them, order references, purchased items, amounts, currencies and checkout-related access credentials. They provide us with payment status and the payment email address. | Processing payments, verifying orders, preventing fraud, handling disputes and complying with law |
| Email delivery providers | Receive the payment email address, message content, photo attachments, order references, download links and sending and delivery data. | Sending and resending photos, security and delivery diagnostics |
| AI image generation providers | Receive your photo and related instructions when you request AI generation (see §2.2). | AI photo generation |
| AI text extraction providers | Receive requirement wording, without a photo, when you request AI-assisted extraction (see §3.4). | Extracting photo requirements |
| Analytics providers | Receive usage events described below, together with technical data such as your IP address, browser and device information. They may use your IP address to derive an approximate location. | Understanding how the service is found and used |
| Performance and error monitoring providers | Receive technical diagnostic data. We configure these services to exclude submitted photos and requirement wording. | Finding failures and performance problems |
| Font and software delivery providers | Serve fonts and the face-detection runtime and model to your browser. They receive your IP address and resource-request metadata, never your photo. | Page rendering and delivery of the on-device face detector |
We may use one or more providers for the same feature. Their selection or replacement remains subject to the purposes and scope described in this policy. Material changes to data categories, purposes, recipient categories or retention arrangements will be reflected in this policy, together with any notices required by applicable law. We may also disclose data where legally required.
6. How long we keep things
| Data | Retention |
|---|---|
| Photos checked or prepared in the browser, with no AI generation | Never leaves your browser; discarded when you close the tab |
| Photos you send for AI generation, generated photos and stored paid export files | Deleted automatically 30 days after each file is created, under the object-storage lifecycle. Paid download access lasts only 7 days as described below. |
| Paid order download and email resend access | 7 days after payment confirmation, as shown on the order page and in the delivery email. Resending does not extend the expiry time. |
| Unpaid or cancelled orders | Expire 7 days after creation. Payment within the valid period starts the 7-day paid access period. |
| Our order records, including payment email addresses, delivery records and order access credential hashes | Deleted by the daily cleanup after the order expires, normally at the next scheduled run. Delivery records are deleted with the order. Access ends at expiry without waiting for cleanup. |
| Order file indexes and links to generation jobs | Deleted by the daily cleanup after 30 days from creation. |
| Email providers' message content previews | Currently enabled and retained for about 7 days. Other provider logs, bounce records and suppression lists follow the provider's applicable rules. |
| Payment providers' payment, dispute and compliance records | Follow the provider's applicable rules and law. They are not automatically deleted when our download links expire or order records are removed. |
| Files delivered to your mailbox or downloaded to your device | Managed by you and your email or device providers. We cannot set a common retention period or delete all copies. |
| Requirement wording you send for AI text extraction | Not stored by us; the provider may process it under its own terms |
| Rate-limit counters (hashed) | 90 days |
| A rule you choose to send us, and the text you pasted | Until reviewed, then kept as the source of a published requirement |
| Analytics events | Up to 14 months, depending on the data type |
| Server and security logs | Up to 7 days |
| Performance and error monitoring data | Up to 90 days |
Our automated cleanup is separate from infrastructure backups and records independently held by third parties. You may contact us to request earlier deletion, which we will handle to the extent permitted by applicable law. Deleting files early may affect downloads and email resends that have not yet expired. The other retention periods in this table continue to apply to local processing, requirement submissions, usage limits, analytics and diagnostics.
7. Legal bases (GDPR)
Where the GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Contract / your request — providing features you choose to use, including optional AI processing and the payment, order and file delivery processing necessary to fulfil an order you choose to place.
- Legitimate interests — operating, securing and improving the Service, preventing abuse and understanding how it is used.
- Legitimate interests — reviewing requirement wording that you choose to submit so we can improve the requirement library.
- Legal obligations — processing necessary to comply with an applicable legal obligation.
Some processing may require separate consent under applicable law. Using the Service or purchasing a result does not replace any consent that the law requires.
8. International transfers
We serve users worldwide. Our payment, hosting, storage, image processing, email, analytics, performance monitoring, software delivery and AI providers may process data outside your own country, including in the United States. The applicable transfer arrangements and safeguards depend on the processing arrangements between us and the relevant providers. You may contact us for information about the arrangements applicable to your data.
We are ourselves established in Hong Kong SAR China (§1). The data described on this page sits with the providers in §5 rather than on any machine of ours, but when we read a piece of it — a rule you sent us, or a request you make under §9 — that reading happens from Hong Kong.
9. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to the processing of your personal data, to receive a copy of it in a portable form, and to lodge a complaint with your data protection authority. If you are in California, you additionally have the right to know what we collect, to delete it, and to opt out of sale or sharing — we do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising, so there is nothing to opt out of on that basis.
Email support@phototospec.com and we will respond within 30 days. Because we have no accounts, we may need details to locate your data. For an order, provide the order reference; for AI generation, the job reference shown on the result screen helps us find it, and we show it on failed generations too. For a rule you sent us, we need roughly what you pasted and when, because we store nothing that identifies the sender (§3.4). We may request necessary information to verify that you are entitled to make the request. Do not send a full card number, security code or publicly accessible download credential.
Earlier deletion may affect unexpired download and resend access. Removing our order records does not necessarily remove records independently retained by payment, infrastructure or email providers, or copies in a recipient's mailbox. If you have never used AI generation, placed an order or sent us a rule, we generally have no photo or order record to locate, although the technical and usage data described in this policy may still be processed.
10. Children
This service is not directed at children. Adults do legitimately use it to prepare passport and visa photos of children as a parent, legal guardian or another adult lawfully authorised to do so. The same rules on this page apply to those photos, including any consent required by applicable law.
11. Security
The site is served over HTTPS. Stored photos are held in non-public object storage. Payment verification and file delivery run on the server. Paid file access is authorised through a random credential linked to the order, and download and resend permissions end when the order expires. The order database stores a hash of that credential rather than its plain text, although checkout and email delivery must process the complete credential. Provider API keys are server-side secrets and are not sent to your browser.
Link credentials, mailbox security and copies on your device affect photo confidentiality. No system can guarantee absolute security. Keep your order emails and download links secure. If you only use the local photo tools, we do not receive or store the photo through that process.
12. Changes
If we change how we handle your data we will update this page and the date at the top, and provide any notices required by applicable law. Earlier versions of this policy are available on request: write to us at the address in §13, tell us roughly when you used the site, and we will send you the version that was published then.
13. Contact
Questions, requests or complaints: support@phototospec.com.