# Face search at events: what to tell guests, and when to turn it off

> A plain guide for photographers, schools and organisers: how event face search handles selfies, what to tell guests, sample consent wording, and when to turn it off.

Canonical: https://sellphotos.online/blog/face-search-privacy-guide
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Selfie search helps every guest find their photos. Here's what actually happens to a face, what to say on the poster, and the events where you should switch it off.

Selfie search solves a real problem. A guest at a convocation or a sports day doesn't want to
scroll through 1,240 photos; they want the 7 they're in. One selfie, and they have them.

It also means processing people's faces. If you're a photographer, a school or an event organiser
thinking about using it, you should know exactly what happens, what to tell people, and when not
to use it at all. This guide covers all three, using sellphotos.online as the worked example
because that's the system we know in detail.

*This is a practical guide, not legal advice. Rules on photos, faces and children differ by country
and by institution. Check your own consent policy and the law that applies to you: for example the
DPDP Act 2023 in India, the GDPR in the UK and EU, and FERPA, COPPA and state biometric laws such
as Illinois' BIPA in the US.*

## What actually happens when a guest takes a selfie

Two kinds of face data are involved, and it helps to separate them.

**1. The faces in the event photos.** While face search is on for an event, a face template is
made for every face found in the event's watermarked previews as they're uploaded. A face template
is a set of numbers that describes a face. This includes people who never search. Templates are
made from the watermarked previews only, never the originals.

**2. The guest's selfie.** When a guest taps "Find my photos", they first see a short notice and
have to agree. Then:

- **The selfie photo isn't saved.** It passes through to the face-recognition service, which turns
  it into a face template.
- **The template is compared only with that one event.** Each event's face data is kept separate
  and never compared with another event's.
- **The results last 24 hours** at a private link. The record of the search is deleted within
  about a day.
- **If the event offers "All my photos"**, the selfie's template is kept with that event's face
  data, labelled with a scrambled code rather than the guest's name, so photos of them uploaded
  later can be added to their order. Otherwise it isn't kept after the search.
- **The photographer never sees the selfie or its template.** If a guest buys "All my photos", the
  photographer sees the photos the search found, as part of the order.

The face-recognition service (SightRadar) receives the selfie, the event's watermarked previews and
a scrambled code for the guest, never their name or email address.

![Three phone screens: the event gallery, the face search running, and "7 photos of you".](https://sellphotos.online/blog/images/inline/phone-trio.png)

## The controls you have as the photographer

Face search is on for a new event unless you turn it off. Before relying on it, know the switches:

- **Face search on or off, per event.** Turning it off stops new indexing and new searches. It
  doesn't delete the face templates already made.
- **Delete face data.** Removes the event's face data. The service hides it at once and erases it
  after a 7-day grace period. After that, face search can't be turned back on for that event;
  existing orders keep their photos, but "All my photos" buyers stop getting new matches.
- **Live camera only.** Searches must use the phone's camera there and then; nobody can pick a
  photo from their gallery. It's a deterrent, not a guarantee: it doesn't check that a live person
  is in front of the camera, and "Find someone else" still lets a parent photograph their own child.
  Turn it on for any event with children.
- **Unlisted gallery.** The gallery isn't shown on your studio page. Only people with the link,
  QR code or event code can open it.
- **An end date.** Orders close on the date you set. The gallery stays open to view, read-only,
  and nothing is deleted.

You also confirm that you have a lawful basis before face search is used. That's a real
responsibility, not a checkbox: it's the photographer (and often the school or organiser with them)
who decides whether face search is appropriate for these people at this event.

## What to tell guests, and where

The simple rule: people should know face search is on **before** they arrive, or at the latest
when they first see the gallery. Say it in three places:

1. **On the QR poster or card at the venue.**
2. **In the message that shares the gallery link** (newsletter, email, WhatsApp group).
3. **On the registration or consent form, where the event has one.**

Point people to the
[face search section of the privacy policy](https://sellphotos.online/privacy?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=face-search-privacy-guide#face-search)
for the details, and tell them how to opt out.

![A sample A4 venue poster with a QR code and a line about face search.](https://sellphotos.online/blog/images/inline/qr-poster.png)

### Sample wording: venue poster

*A starting point. Check it against your own policy and the law that applies to you.*

> **Find your photos from [Event name].**
> Scan the code, then take a selfie to see the photos you're in, or browse them all.
> Face search is optional. Your selfie isn't saved and is only compared with this event's photos.
> Don't want to be findable by face? Tell [photographer / organiser] or write to
> support@sellphotos.online.

### Sample wording: registration or consent form

*A starting point. Schools and clubs will usually have their own photo consent language; add to
it rather than replacing it.*

> **Event photos.** [Photographer / studio name] will photograph [event] on [date]. Photos will be
> shared in an online gallery that people with the link or QR code can open, and families may buy
> copies.
>
> **Face search.** The gallery offers optional selfie search, so people can find the photos they're
> in. To make this work, the faces in the watermarked event photos are turned into face templates
> (numbers that describe a face). Templates are used only to find photos in this one event, and are
> deleted when the event's face data is deleted.
>
> ☐ I agree to face search being used for photos of me / my child at this event.
> ☐ I do not agree. (We will [turn face search off for the event / remove photos of your child /
> other arrangement].)
>
> You can withdraw this at any time by contacting [organiser contact].

Be honest about the "I do not agree" option. If one family says no and you can't remove their
child from the index, the right answer may be to turn face search off for the whole event.

## When to turn face search off

Face search is a default, not a requirement. Turn it off, and consider not selling at all, when:

- **You don't have a lawful basis.** If the law or the institution requires consent and you
  haven't collected it, don't use it.
- **The school or club's policy doesn't allow it.** Ask before the event, not after.
- **The event is sensitive.** Health or support groups, religious or political gatherings where
  attendance itself is private, events for vulnerable people, or anything where being identifiable
  could cause harm.
- **Some children's events.** Many schools are happy with face search when parents have opted in
  and live camera only is on. Others will want galleries unlisted and browse-only. Follow the
  school.
- **Someone has asked not to be findable** and you can't accommodate them another way.

Turning face search off doesn't stop you selling. Guests browse the gallery instead, which works
fine for smaller events.

## Handling requests after the event

People can ask what face data is held about them, withdraw consent, or ask for deletion, including
people who appear in the photos but never searched. When someone asks you:

1. Thank them and take it seriously. It's their face.
2. Forward the request to support@sellphotos.online with the event link, or send them to the
   [contact page](https://sellphotos.online/contact?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=face-search-privacy-guide).
3. If the request is about the whole event, consider using **Delete face data** yourself.
4. If they want photos of them taken down, delete those photos from the event. Deleting a photo
   also removes its face templates. (Buyers who already paid for a photo keep their download.)

## A short checklist

- [ ] Do we have a lawful basis (consent where needed, a parent's or guardian's for children)?
- [ ] Does the venue, school or club allow it?
- [ ] Is it in the registration form and the link message, and on the poster?
- [ ] Is **live camera only** on for any event with children?
- [ ] Should the gallery be **unlisted**?
- [ ] Do we know who handles opt-outs and deletion requests?

If you can tick all of these, face search is a genuinely kind feature: it gets every family their
photos without scrolling through everyone else's children. If you can't, switch it off.

## See it from the guest's side

The
[sample gallery](https://sellphotos.online/demo?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=face-search-privacy-guide)
shows the "Find my photos" flow with sample photos, so you can judge it before your event.

---

*About sellphotos.online: an online store for event photos. Guests find their photos with a
selfie and pay the photographer directly, and face search can be switched off for any event.*

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