Privacy Policy

SeekPhoto (referred to below as "we") understands how important your personal information is. This app is a local AI image search tool: photos, the index and vector data are all stored on your computer by default. This policy explains in detail how we collect, use and protect that information.

1. How we collect and use your personal information

1.1 Information you provide voluntarily

We only collect the following information when you actively purchase a licence, or use a feature that needs a network connection:

• Purchase order number：Used to recover your activation code and for after-sales service
• Device fingerprint：Used to bind and verify your activation code (generated by algorithm, containing no identifying information)

1.2 Information we do not collect

We state explicitly:

• We do not collect the contents of your photos
• We do not collect your photo metadata (EXIF information)
• We do not collect your filenames or directory structure
• We do not collect personal identifying information (name, email, phone number and so on)

2. Data processed locally

The app processes the following data while running, but all of it is processed locally and never transmitted:

• Photo files：The image files you add to the app (JPG, PNG, BMP, WebP and so on)
• Photo metadata：Information read from photo EXIF data, such as shooting time, camera model and GPS location
• AI vector data：Semantic feature vectors of your photos, used to power text search
• Recognised text：Text recognised inside photos, used for combined text-and-image search
• Thumbnails：Photo thumbnails generated to speed up browsing
• Usage settings：Your preferences such as theme, language and folder paths

3. Situations that involve a network request

This is a local app and the vast majority of features need no network connection. Network requests occur only in the following situations:

3.1 Model download

On first use the AI model files (about 700MB) are downloaded; after that the app works fully offline.

3.2 Payment

When you purchase a paid licence, the order information (order number, amount and product description) is handled by a third-party payment service provider. We and the payment provider each have access only to the information needed to complete the transaction. Your payment credentials are never sent to the client — all order creation and verification are relayed through our server.

3.3 Activation code issuance

After a successful payment, the app sends your purchase order number and device fingerprint to our activation service so that an activation code bound to the current device can be generated.

3.4 Version update checks

When the software checks for a new version, the update server receives your software version number. Such requests contain no information that could identify you personally, and can be turned off in settings.

3.5 Anonymous usage statistics (on by default, can be turned off at any time)

To improve the product, the app reports very minimal anonymous usage events (such as "app launched" or "a feature was used"), and sends a heartbeat roughly once an hour to let the server know "this installation is still in use" (used to count active devices and version distribution). What is reported is limited to: the event name / heartbeat, a timestamp, a random installation ID (generated randomly on first launch, not derived from your device fingerprint, activation code or any account), the app version, and your local licence tier. It never includes photos, file paths, filenames, search terms or any file content, and it cannot be linked back to your real identity. You can turn this off at any time under "Settings → Privacy & Storage"; once off, all heartbeats and statistics stop immediately, and the app keeps a local copy of the data for your reference. Clearing the app data resets the random ID.

3.6 Local behaviour memory

The app records your searches, favourites, ratings and other operations locally, so that it can offer search suggestions and automatic organisation. This behaviour log stays on your computer: it is never uploaded and never transmitted. You can clear it at any time under "Settings → Privacy & Storage".

4. How we protect your personal information

4.1 Security measures

• Encrypted storage：Licence information is stored with AES-256-GCM encryption
• Local processing：All AI processing (semantic search, search by image, OCR) happens on your machine
• No uploads：Your photos and metadata never leave your device

4.2 Third-party components

The app uses the following open-source components. They all run locally and send no data outward:

• ONNX Runtime：AI model inference engine
• SQLite：Local relational database (photo index and metadata)
• Tauri：Desktop application framework
• Chinese-CLIP：Local semantic understanding model (image feature extraction)
• PP-OCRv4：Local text recognition model

5. How you manage your personal information

• Uninstall：Uninstalling the app deletes all local data
• Reset：Use the in-app reset function to clear the index and settings
• Export：Export your data through the built-in backup function
• Turn off statistics：Turn off anonymous usage statistics at any time under "Settings → Privacy & Storage"

6. Children's privacy

This app is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If a parent finds that a child has used the app without consent, the relevant data can be deleted at any time.

7. How this policy is updated

We may revise this policy from time to time. When its terms change, we will point out the revised policy when you update the app, and the updated policy will also be published on this page.

8. How to contact us

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about this privacy policy, please contact us through the official channels listed on the "Support" page. We reply to requests within 15 business days.

• Official website: https://www.seekphoto.cn