When you search for your photos with a selfie on Fotto, the selfie itself is deleted right after the search. The face data used to match you is kept for up to 90 days, then deleted. The search only runs after you tick a consent box, and Fotto never assigns a photo to you automatically: you see the possible matches and decide which are yours.
What happens when you upload a selfie
- You tick the consent box on the event page. Without it, selfie search stays switched off.
- You take or choose one photo of your face.
- Fotto compares your face with the faces found in that event's photos.
- You are shown the photos that may be you.
- You confirm which ones are yours.
No account is needed for any of this.
What is kept, and what is not
- Your selfie: deleted right after the search.
- Face data used to match you: kept for up to 90 days, then deleted.
- Bib-alert requests: if you leave your bib number and email to be told when photos appear, that request is deleted automatically after 90 days.
Why you confirm matches yourself
Face matching is not perfect. Two people can look alike in a small, sideways photo. Fotto always shows candidates and lets you confirm or reject them. A photo is never attached to you on the software's say-so.
Do I have to use a selfie?
No. You can search by bib number instead, and you can browse a gallery without searching at all. Selfie search is there because it finds photos where your bib is hidden.
Questions worth asking any photo platform
Face data is personal data. Whichever platform your race uses, it is reasonable to ask:
- Is my selfie stored, or deleted after the search?
- How long is the face data kept?
- Is it used for anything other than finding my photos?
- Can I ask for it to be deleted?
Fotto's answers to the first two are above. The full policy is on the privacy page, and you can reach support through the contact page with any question about your data.
For organisers and photographers
If you put a QR code or link on race material, runners will ask these questions. Point them to the privacy page and to the consent line on the event page, which states the retention periods before any search is run.