Our Commitment
SnapStaq is built on a simple principle: your data belongs to you. We collect only what is necessary to run the platform, we do not sell your data, and we do not track you for advertising purposes. This policy explains what we collect, why, and how long we keep it.
1. Who This Policy Applies To
This policy applies to two groups of people:
- Photographers — professionals and studios who create accounts and use SnapStaq to manage and deliver photo galleries to their clients.
- Clients — individuals who access galleries shared by Photographers, whether to view, download, or make selections.
2. Information We Collect
Account information: When you create an account, we collect your name, email address, username, and password. Photographers may also provide a business name, a separate contact email for billing and notifications, and optional profile information including a bio, location, phone number, website, and social media links.
Photos and content: Photos, videos, and files you upload are stored securely on your behalf and served to your clients quickly across their devices.
Usage and activity data: We record download events, photo selection submissions, and email registrations so that Photographers can see how clients are engaging with their galleries. This activity data belongs to the Photographer.
Client information: When a Client accesses a gallery or downloads photos, we may collect their email address if they provide it or if the Photographer has enabled email-gated access. Client email addresses and their activity on a gallery are visible only to the Photographer who owns that gallery.
Find my face: Only on galleries where the Photographer switches it on. For each face found in the gallery's photos we keep a numerical fingerprint (a list of numbers that stands for that face, from which the face cannot be redrawn) and where in the photo it is. A guest who uses Find my face takes or chooses a picture of their own face; it is turned into a fingerprint in memory, compared with the gallery's fingerprints, and discarded. The guest's picture is never saved. When a guest uses their phone to scan a code shown on a computer, the answer (the matching photo numbers and a tiny picture to show whose photos they are) is held for up to two minutes so the computer can collect it, then deleted. Fingerprints are used only to find a guest's own photos inside that one gallery. They are not shared, not sold, not matched across galleries, not used to identify anyone elsewhere, and not used to train any system. A guest's own device remembers their result for 30 days so it shows again without a new scan; the guest can erase it at any time with "Forget me".
Payment claims: Where a Photographer enables a payment gate on a gallery, Clients may submit their name, email address, and the amount they claim to have paid. This information is visible only to the relevant Photographer and is used solely to help them confirm payment before releasing the gallery.
Galleries you move in: If you use the SnapStaq - Move your galleries extension to bring galleries over from another gallery service, we receive only what you choose to move: photos, videos and files, sets, gallery settings, and your Clients' email addresses, favourites and download records. You sign in to the other service yourself, in your own browser; we never ask for, see or keep your password for it. For each file, the extension passes our servers a short-lived download link, which we use once to copy that file into your account and do not store. Where the other service uses a sign-in key in your browser, that key stays in your browser, is sent only to that service, and is cleared when you close Chrome. We keep a record of which gallery, set, photo and favourite list each moved item came from, so nothing is copied twice; it is deleted with that gallery. When you accept the Gallery Moving Agreement, we record when you accepted it, your IP address and your browser, as a record of your consent. Moved content is then treated like anything else you upload.
Device and session data: When you sign in, we record your device type, approximate location (city and country derived from your IP address), and the time of sign-in. This is used to send you login alert notifications to help you identify unauthorised access to your account.
Billing information: If you subscribe, we record your chosen plan, billing interval, subscription status, and billing history. Payment card details are handled entirely by our payment processor and are never stored by SnapStaq.
Location data: We detect your country from your IP address when you visit SnapStaq. This is used solely to display pricing in your local currency. We store a country-level code only (for example, "NG" for Nigeria). This data is never used to identify you personally or to restrict your access.
3. How We Use Your Information
- To provide and operate the SnapStaq platform
- To keep your account secure and your session active
- To send login alert notifications to help you detect unauthorised access
- To send transactional emails: gallery share notifications, download alerts, selection submission confirmations, billing receipts, billing reminders, and account lifecycle notifications
- To display your galleries to the clients you choose to share them with
- To process payments and manage your subscription
- To display pricing in your local currency
- To send you in-app and email notifications about activity on your galleries, which you can configure or disable in your notification settings
We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, or any purpose outside of delivering and improving the service.
4. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for their own purposes. To operate the platform, we work with a small number of trusted infrastructure providers in the following categories:
- Payment processing
- Transactional email delivery
- Cloud storage for photos and files
- Hosting and server infrastructure
- Content delivery
Each provider is contractually required to handle data securely and only for the purpose of delivering our service. A list of current sub-processors is available on request at privacy@snapstaq.com.
Within the platform: Photographers can see all activity on their own galleries, including client email addresses, download events, selection submissions, and payment claims. SnapStaq platform operators may access account information for the purposes of support and platform operations.
5. Google User Data
Photographers can sign in with Google and, if they choose, connect their Google Calendar. We request only the access each of these needs.
Google sign-in: We receive your name and email address from Google and use them only to create your SnapStaq account and sign you in.
Google Calendar: When a Photographer connects Google Calendar from Desk, SnapStaq asks for permission to view and edit events in their calendar. We use this access only to:
- add, update and remove the bookings they make in SnapStaq as events in their primary Google Calendar; and
- check which days have events marked as busy in their primary Google Calendar, so those days are closed on their booking page. We store only those dates, never event titles, descriptions, guests or any other event details.
To keep the connection working we store an encrypted access key and the email address of the connected Google account. Disconnecting Google Calendar in Desk deletes both, deletes the stored dates and withdraws SnapStaq's access; events SnapStaq added remain in the calendar. Access can also be removed at any time from your Google Account at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
Data received from Google is never sold, never used for advertising, never shared with third parties except as needed to provide these features, and never used to train artificial intelligence models. SnapStaq's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
6. Cookies and Local Storage
SnapStaq uses five cookies, all of which are essential to the operation of the platform. We do not use advertising cookies, analytics trackers, or any third-party tracking scripts. Full details are in our Cookie Policy.
- Session cookie — keeps you signed in to your account. Lasts 30 days from your last sign-in. Not accessible by JavaScript.
- Theme preference cookie — remembers your display theme (light, warm, or dark) so it is applied instantly without a visual flash. Lasts one year. Contains no personal information.
- Country preference cookie — stores your country code to display pricing in your local currency. Lasts one year. This is a display-only preference and does not gate access to any feature.
- Gallery access cookie — when a Client enters a gallery's exclusive access password, a temporary cookie verifies that access for up to 24 hours. Not accessible by JavaScript.
- Cookie consent cookie — records that you have acknowledged the cookie notice, so the banner does not reappear. Shared across all SnapStaq subdomains. Lasts one year.
7. Data Retention
- Active accounts: Your photos, galleries, and activity data are retained for as long as your account is active.
- Deleted content: Photos and galleries you delete are permanently removed from storage immediately and cannot be recovered.
- Trial accounts: If a trial ends without a subscription being started, your account enters a restricted state. If no subscription is started within 30 days of the trial ending, all galleries, photos, and files are permanently deleted. We send reminder emails before this happens.
- Lapsed paid accounts: If a paid subscription lapses and is not renewed for 30 days after the post-payment grace period, all galleries, photos, and files are permanently deleted. We send multiple reminder emails before this happens. Your profile may be retained to allow re-subscription.
- Account deletion: If you request deletion of your account, all personal data associated with your account is permanently removed within 30 days of your request.
- Billing records: Invoices, payment history, and subscription records are retained for as long as required by applicable law, and for business, tax, and fraud-prevention purposes.
- Find my face fingerprints: Deleted when the Photographer switches Find my face off, when the gallery or the account is deleted, and the day after the gallery's expiry date.
- Download and activity logs: Retained as part of your account records for up to 24 months from the date of the activity, or until account deletion, whichever comes first.
8. International Data Transfers
SnapStaq operates globally and our infrastructure providers may process data outside your home country. Where this occurs, we ensure that appropriate contractual safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), and Kenya's Data Protection Act.
9. Your Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you have the right to:
- Access all personal data we hold about you
- Request correction of any inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your account and all associated data
- Export your photos at any time directly from within the platform
- Object to or restrict certain types of processing
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
- Lodge a complaint with a data protection authority in your jurisdiction
Relevant data protection authorities:
- Nigeria: National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) — nitda.gov.ng
- South Africa: Information Regulator — inforegulator.org.za
- Kenya: Office of the Data Protection Commissioner — odpc.go.ke
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@snapstaq.com.
10. Data Breach Notification
In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights or freedoms, we will notify affected users and the relevant data protection authorities as required by applicable law and within the timeframes prescribed by that law. We maintain internal procedures to detect, investigate, and respond to security incidents promptly.
11. Security
All data is transmitted over HTTPS. Photos are stored with access controls that prevent unauthorised access. Sessions are protected with cryptographically signed tokens. We conduct regular security reviews of our platform and its infrastructure.
12. Children
SnapStaq is not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@snapstaq.com and we will delete it promptly.
13. Changes to This Policy
We will notify you by email when material changes are made to this policy. The effective date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version. Continued use of SnapStaq after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
14. Contact
Questions or concerns about this policy? Contact us at privacy@snapstaq.com.