This Privacy Policy explains what information WhatsHer@ (whatsherat.org) collects when you use our website and our image & link search tool, how we use it, and the choices you have. We’ve kept it as plain as we can.
The short version
- You don’t need an account to search, and we never ask for your name or email to use the tool.
- Photos you upload are saved under a random name and deleted automatically within about an hour.
- To find where a picture appears online, we send it (or its link) to an image search provider. The provider uses it only to run your search.
- If you tap Google Lens, Bing, Yandex or TinEye, that search engine receives a link to your image.
- We show ads from Google, which uses cookies. You can turn off personalised ads at any time.
- We never sell your images or your personal information.
Who we are
WhatsHer@ is a free online image and link search service at whatsherat.org. We are responsible for the personal information described in this policy. You can reach us about privacy through our contact page or by email at hello@whatsherat.org.
What we collect
- Images and links you search. When you upload a photo or paste an image link, we use it only to run the search you asked for.
- Technical information. Like every website, our server and service providers automatically receive details such as your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you visit, the page that sent you here, and the date and time. We use this to run, secure and improve the site.
- Messages you send us. If you contact us, we receive the name, email address and message you choose to send.
- Cookies and similar technologies. Used by our advertising and analytics partners, explained below.
We don’t ask for accounts, and we don’t use the images you search to identify you or build a profile about you.
How your images are handled
- Uploads. Each upload is checked, turned the right way up, resized if very large, and saved again without hidden details such as camera information or location data. It is stored on our server under a random file name that can’t be guessed, isn’t listed anywhere on the site, and is deleted automatically within about an hour, often sooner.
- Pasted links. We don’t save the picture. To run the search we pass the link to our image search provider. If the provider can’t open the link itself, our server may download the picture briefly, in memory only, to send it for the search. It is not stored.
- Image search providers. To show results on our site, your image or its link is sent to a third-party image search service that compares it with pictures on the public web and returns matching pages and similar images. Depending on the service in use at the time, this is Google Cloud Vision API (provided by Google LLC), Scrapingdog (which retrieves results from Google Lens), or a similar provider. They process it on our behalf to return results, under their own terms and privacy policies. The same service may run an automatic safety check so we can hide explicit pictures in results.
- Search engine buttons. If you tap Google Lens, Bing, Yandex or TinEye, your browser opens that search engine with a link to your image, and it may fetch the picture under its own privacy policy. Nothing is sent to these engines unless you tap their button.
- Search results. We may keep the list of results for a search (web addresses, page titles and preview pictures, not your image) for up to 24 hours so repeat searches load faster.
- Preview pictures in results load directly from the websites that host them, so those websites may see your IP address, as with any picture on the web.
We never sell your images or use them for anything other than your search. Our tool finds where an image appears on the public web. It is not a face recognition service: we don’t create or keep facial templates or other biometric identifiers, and we don’t look up private accounts.
How we use information
- To provide the search tool and show you results.
- To keep the site secure and prevent abuse. For example, we count searches per visitor to stop automated misuse, using a scrambled (hashed) form of your IP address that is kept for about 10 minutes.
- To understand how the site is used and improve it.
- To show advertising that keeps the site free.
- To reply to messages you send us.
- To comply with the law and protect the rights and safety of our users and others.
Where data protection law requires a legal basis (for example in the UK, the European Economic Area and many other countries), we rely on: providing the service you request; our legitimate interests in running, securing and improving the site; your consent, where required, for personalised ads and non-essential cookies; and compliance with legal obligations.
Cookies, advertising and analytics
The search tool itself does not need cookies. Our advertising and analytics partners use them as described here.
Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet. You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising at www.aboutads.info. Learn more about how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
Your consent. Where the law requires it, including for visitors in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, we ask for your consent through a consent message before personalised ads or non-essential cookies are used. You can change your choices at any time through that message or your browser settings.
Analytics. We may use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site. It uses cookies and collects information such as pages visited and device type. You can opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Blocking cookies won’t stop the search tool from working, though ads may become less relevant.
Who we share information with
- Image search providers, to run your search, as described above.
- Hosting and security providers that run our server and protect the site.
- Advertising and analytics partners such as Google, as described above.
- Authorities or other parties when the law requires it, or when needed to protect the rights, property or safety of our users, the public or us.
We don’t sell your personal information. In some places, showing personalised ads can count as “sharing” information for targeted advertising; you can opt out using the ad settings links above.
Where information is processed
Our providers may process information in countries other than yours, including the United States. Where required, they use recognised safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses, to protect it.
How long we keep things
- Uploaded images: deleted automatically within about an hour.
- Search result lists: up to 24 hours.
- Abuse-prevention counters: about 10 minutes.
- Server logs: kept by our hosting provider for a limited time for security, then deleted.
- Messages you send us: only as long as needed to reply and keep a record of the conversation.
Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct or delete your personal information, to object to or restrict how we use it, to ask for a copy of it, and to withdraw consent at any time. You can also complain to the data protection authority in your country. To use any of these rights, contact us through our contact page or by email at hello@whatsherat.org.
Because searches aren’t linked to a name or account, and uploads are deleted within the hour, we usually can’t find a particular search afterwards. That is by design.
Children
WhatsHer@ is not directed at children under 13, or under the minimum age for online services in their country, and we don’t knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has sent us personal information, please contact us and we’ll delete it.
Security
We use HTTPS, random unguessable file names, automatic deletion and limited access to protect information. No website can be completely secure, but we work to keep what you share with us safe and to hold as little of it as possible.
Other websites
Search results and search engine buttons take you to other websites. Their privacy practices are their own, and this policy doesn’t cover them.
Changes to this policy
If we change this policy, we’ll update the date at the top of this page. If a change is significant, we’ll make it clear on the site.
Contact us
Questions about this policy or your information? Reach us through our contact page or by email at hello@whatsherat.org.