Before Uploading Your Face to an AI Photo App
A viral result lasts a day. Your upload may remain longer. Take five minutes to check how the service handles it.
Reviewed and updated September 13, 2026.
Five checks
- Retention: How long are originals and generated images stored?
- Training: Can uploads or outputs be used to improve models?
- Deletion: Can you delete both the image and account data?
- Sharing: Are third-party processors identified?
- Rights: What license do you grant by uploading?
Use the least sensitive input
Avoid IDs, children’s images, confidential work materials and photos that expose addresses or private documents. Remove metadata when appropriate and crop unrelated people from the frame.
Red flag: a tool that requests broad device permissions unrelated to making the image, or provides no accessible privacy and deletion explanation.
Before sharing the output
Do not use generated images to impersonate someone, create false evidence or imply an endorsement. Label synthetic content when viewers could reasonably mistake it for a real event.
Use the checklist in context
- Compare free AI image tools safely.
- Choose an original portrait prompt.
- Build a prompt without uploading an image.
This checklist is general information, not legal advice. Privacy rights and provider obligations vary by country.