Biometric data notice

What is collected

When you run a search, a faceprint — a 512-dimension numeric vector derived from the face in your photo — is generated in your browser and sent to our servers to run the query. This vector is biometric data.

Why it is collected

The faceprint is the only way to compare your query against the index. Comparison uses cosine similarity between normalized vectors. Nothing else about the photo is transmitted.

Retention period

The query faceprint is transient: it is used to run the search and is not stored afterward. The uploaded photo never leaves your browser. When you submit a removal request, the faceprint generated for that request is stored in an exclusion list for the purpose of suppressing future matches, and for no other purpose.

Who it is shared with

The faceprint may be sent to the search provider that operates the index in order to run your query, under that provider’s terms. It is not sold, and it is not shared for advertising.

Your rights and the deletion route

You may request deletion of your account data from your account page. To exclude a face from all future searches, submit a request at /remove; requests are honored within 30 days. Residents of jurisdictions with specific biometric statutes retain all rights those statutes grant.

Where Sherlock does not operate

Access from Illinois and Texas is blocked until we meet the requirements of their biometric privacy laws.