Event photo notice: wording you can copy
Updated by Scan & Snap
A good event photo notice tells people who's collecting photos, what they'll be used for, how long you'll keep them, and how to object or get one removed. Put it at registration and by the QR code. Use the samples below as a starting point, and have your own adviser check them. This page isn't legal advice.
When this applies
A family wedding or birthday, where photos stay among friends and family, is normally a personal matter. The Irish Data Protection Commission says GDPR doesn't apply to "a purely personal or household activity". A company, school, charity or club collecting photos to use in its own communications is different, and it should treat those photos as personal data. Read the DPC's guidance on school events and the rules that apply in your own country.
What to include
- Who's collecting the photos, and how to contact them.
- What you'll use them for: for example, your newsletter, website or social media.
- Your legal basis for using them. The DPC says organisations must rely on one of the GDPR's six legal bases, so decide which, with advice if necessary.
- How long you'll keep them, and when you'll delete them.
- Who else can see them, including any provider that hosts them.
- How someone can object, or ask for a photo to be removed.
Sample: corporate event or conference
Photos are being taken at this event. [Company] may use them in event coverage on our website, newsletter and social media. If you'd rather not appear, tell us at the registration desk or email [address] and we'll do our best to remove you. Our privacy notice is at [link].
Sample: next to a guest upload QR code
Share your photos by scanning this code. If you upload a photo, you're agreeing that [Organisation] can use it in [where], and that you've taken it in good faith. Please don't upload photos of children you're not responsible for. To get a photo removed, email [address].
Sample: school or club, for parents
We're collecting parents' photos of [event] in a private album that only [role] can see. We'll check every photo against our consent records before using any in [newsletter/website], and we'll delete the album by [date]. If you don't want your child to appear, tell [name]. Please follow our photography policy at [link].
See school event photo sharing for how to set up the album, and when it isn't the right tool.
Sample: charity or community event
[Charity] would love to use your photos to thank supporters and tell people about our work. By uploading, you're allowing us to do that. Add your name if you'd like a credit. If you're in a photo and would rather not be, email [address] and we'll remove it.
How Scan & Snap fits in
For the photos in an album, the person who created the event decides what's collected and who sees it, and we process the photos on their behalf. Upload-only stops guests seeing each other's photos, location data is removed from shared copies, and you can delete any photo or the whole event at any time. See our privacy policy. If you're uploading children's photos, remember that there's no approval queue, so someone has to check them manually.