Contents
Is my photo uploaded? It depends on where the analysis happensWhat “processed on your device” meansFive questions to ask a privacy policyWhen the answers are vague, choose the photo with careHow FacialRate does it: the photo stays, what is sent is listedFAQKey points
- Whether your photo is uploaded depends on where the analysis happens: your device or a server.
- On-device means the face is found and measured on your device. Numbers may still be sent, but not the picture.
- Ask a privacy policy five plain questions, starting with: is the photo sent, and what is sent instead?
- FacialRate scores in the browser, never uploads the photo, and lists the few numbers it sends.
Is my photo uploaded? It depends on where the analysis happens
An AI face analyzer can work in one of two places.
It can analyse the photo on your device: your phone or computer finds the face, measures it and works out the face score, and the photo stays put. Or it can upload the photo to a server and send the result back.
From the outside the two look identical: pick a photo, wait a few seconds, get a number.
The difference shows up afterwards. A photo on your device is yours to delete. An uploaded photo is kept on someone else’s terms, and you trust them to delete it. Worth knowing before you rate your face.
What “processed on your device” means
It means the step that looks at your photo happens on your own phone or computer. The page loads a detection model into your browser. When you pick a photo, the model finds the face, places a few hundred points on it and reads proportions from them: eye width, jaw against cheekbones, where the mouth corners sit. The diagram shows those points.
The score comes from these readings, not from the picture, so the photo never has to leave.
“Not uploaded” doesn’t mean “nothing is sent”, though. A tool may still send numbers, such as a score, for comparison. Fine, as long as it says so.
Five questions to ask a privacy policy
No tool needed. Read the privacy policy with five questions in mind.
| Question | A clear answer | A vague answer |
|---|---|---|
| Is the photo uploaded? | Processed on your device, never sent to a server | “We take your privacy seriously” |
| What is sent instead? | An exact list | “We may collect usage information” |
| Can I turn it off? | Which setting does it | Not mentioned |
| Can I clear what stays on my device? | How to clear it | Not mentioned |
| Is the photo used for anything else? | It isn’t | “May be used to improve our services” |
If the answers are vague, assume the photo may be kept.
When the answers are vague, choose the photo with care
If you still want to try a tool that is vague, pick:
- A photo with only you in it.
- A plain background: no house numbers, documents or screens that show who you are or where you live.
- A photo you wouldn’t mind a stranger seeing.
This doesn’t replace a clear policy; you just hand over less.
How FacialRate does it: the photo stays, what is sent is listed
The same questions, answered for FacialRate:
- Is the photo uploaded? No. Detection and scoring run in your browser; neither the photo nor any face image made from it is ever sent to a server. The mesh you see during analysis and the 478 face landmarks in the diagram are found and drawn on your device.
- What is sent? It’s listed. To compare your result with faces measured, FacialRate sends an anonymous record: the score, four dimension values, and the standard and pool you picked. No photo, no device identifier. When you go to unlock the full report, one request with a few proportion readings is sent to pick artworks. It isn’t stored.
- Can I turn it off? Yes. Switch off the anonymous record in Data & privacy settings; later scores no longer count.
- Can I clear it? Yes. Clear this device’s data, such as the thumbnail and cached detection model, in settings.
- You pick the scoring basis, women or men. It is never inferred from your photo.
Everything sent, kept and clearable is set out in FacialRate’s privacy policy: worth a read before you get your face report.
FAQ
Does on-device mean nothing at all is sent?
Not always. A few numbers may go out. FacialRate sends an anonymous score record, with no photo or device identifier, that you can turn off.
Can I delete what stays on my device?
Only if the tool offers it. In FacialRate, you can clear the thumbnail, cached detection model and other device data in settings.
Is a privacy policy enough?
It's a promise, but a telling one. Plain answers, a list of what is sent and a switch are easier to trust than a line about valuing privacy.