Photo booth privacy: questions before capture and sharing

Where does the image go?

Ask whether photographs remain on the capture device or are sent to a server. Check what the service says about storage duration, deletion and access. A public gallery link, a private account and a file downloaded to your own device are different delivery arrangements.

Google’s Chrome guide explains website camera permissions. Permission to use the camera is one control; it does not establish a website’s image-storage policy.

Evidence: Official browser guide

Decide who sees an event gallery

Agree how guests will find their photographs and whether they can see other sessions. Test the actual link from a device that is not logged in. Do not describe a gallery as private merely because its URL is long or hard to guess.

Before displaying a live feed in the room, tell guests that their pictures may appear on it. Give them a practical alternative if they want only their own copy.

Treat publication as a separate choice

Ask the people in a photograph before putting it on a public website or social account. Participation in a session and agreement to public posting should not be assumed to mean the same thing. For children, discuss the arrangement with the responsible adults and follow the applicable event and local rules.

Do not include private messages, phone numbers or identifying details in a public strip caption unless that is an intentional, agreed choice.

Finish the handover

Download the files you are meant to keep and confirm they open. Follow the agreed removal process for temporary galleries and shared devices. Clear guest-facing sessions without deleting the only unverified copy. Record who has responsibility for the final archive.

For an AI service, ask the same upload and deletion questions about source images as well as transformed results. A playful effect does not remove the need to understand where a face is stored.