Gatherly Privacy Policy

Last updated: 5 November 2026. Gatherly is operated by Chris Papacosta. For support, privacy questions or deletion requests, email privacy@gatherlyapp.co.uk.

What Gatherly does

Gatherly lets invited event members upload and view shared photos. An optional face search compares your own selfie views against photos in the event and suggests photos that may include you. Matching is probabilistic and is not identity verification.

Information processed

We process guest/session identifiers; your email address if you create an account; event titles, dates, locations, invitation codes and membership roles; uploaded photos, sharing copies, thumbnails and technical photo metadata; and private face-search results and corrections. Hosting and email services also process connection information such as IP addresses and delivery records to operate and protect the service. Information you email to support is processed to answer your request.

Optional face search

Before a search, the app asks you to agree to face matching for that event. Live head-position tracking runs on your device. Captured selfie views are sent to Gatherly’s service on Railway, where face features are temporarily computed for the selfies and faces in the event photos being searched. This can include other people pictured in those photos. The matching engine runs within that hosted service; the current matching flow does not send photos to an external face-recognition API. Selfies are not added to the gallery, and face features are not stored as a permanent biometric profile or used to train models. The active matching process stops after completion, failure or timeout. Private result records contain photo identifiers and matching information, rather than a saved face profile.

Your face-search choices

Face search is optional. You may browse an event without scanning your face. Use Clear my search to remove your current private results and the associated saving access. Results normally expire after 24 hours; expired database records are removed by periodic cleanup. A fresh search replaces your previous results. The app may keep your captured views temporarily while the current search screen stays open, so Scan again can reuse them. They are cleared when you leave that screen or clear the search.

Why information is used

We use event, session and account information to provide the service you request; email addresses to send sign-in and account-deletion verification codes; and limited connection information to prevent abuse and protect the service. Optional face search is initiated through event-specific consent. We do not sell event photos or use them for advertising or general-purpose AI model training. The current release does not offer paid plans or collect payment-card information.

Who can see photos

Event members can browse shared photos. Protect invitation codes and links: someone who receives a valid invitation may join. Uploaders and event hosts can remove photos through the gallery. Private search results are restricted to the member who initiated that search. In-app saving requires a verified account and a current main automatic match. Automatic matching can be wrong, and these controls cannot guarantee that someone viewing an image cannot copy it or take a screenshot.

Service providers

Railway provides application hosting, PostgreSQL database hosting and object storage. Brevo processes email addresses and sign-in-code messages to deliver transactional email. Google Play distributes the Android app; the browser and device platform may process their own operational information under their policies. We may access relevant data to provide support, investigate problems or respond to valid legal requests.

Where processing happens

Gatherly uses cloud hosting and email providers whose infrastructure and support operations may process information outside your country, including outside the UK. Contact us for information about the current service locations and transfer arrangements. We do not claim that all information stays on your phone or in the UK.

Retention and removal

Uploaded photos and event membership remain until removed through an available app control or an approved deletion request; this release does not implement automatic event-photo expiry. Search results expire after 24 hours and are periodically purged. Email codes expire after 10 minutes, and old verification-code records are cleaned up separately. Deleting an account removes its membership and search records, the account’s uploaded photos, and events hosted by that account, including their shared photos. Object-file deletion is queued and retried if storage is temporarily unavailable. Copies other people independently saved, and provider backup or operational records, may not disappear at the same instant as active app records. Contact us about a particular deletion request or retention question.

Account deletion and other requests

In Gatherly, open Profile & settings, then Delete my account. Confirm using the code sent to the account email. You can also request account deletion without the app by emailing privacy@gatherlyapp.co.uk with the subject Gatherly account deletion. Send from the account email where possible; we will verify the request before acting. If you used only a guest session, contact us with enough event information to locate it; never send a password, sign-in code or selfie by email. Depending on applicable law, you may request access, correction, deletion, restriction or portability, object to processing, or withdraw consent. If you are pictured in an event photo and want it removed, contact the uploader/host or contact us identifying the event and photo. UK users may raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

Security and permissions

The service uses HTTPS, session authentication, event-membership checks, private object storage and time-limited media links. Photo-picker and camera permissions are requested for actions you initiate. No service can guarantee perfect security. Contact the support address if you suspect unauthorised access.

Adults-only service and people pictured

Gatherly accounts and face search are intended for adults aged 18 and over. Do not create an account or use face search if you are under 18. The app asks you to confirm your age; this is a self-declaration, not identity verification. Do not submit someone else’s selfies. People who have not joined Gatherly, including children, can appear in uploaded photos. A member’s acceptance or selfie consent does not grant permission on behalf of those people. Contact us to report an image, request removal or raise a concern about a child.

Policy changes

Material policy changes will be reflected here; where a change requires fresh consent, we will request it.