You can also view the entire privacy policy of Elhio, including the Guard browser extension at https://elhio.com/en/privacy.

1. Data Protection At a Glance

1.1 General Information

The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit this website. Personal data is any data that can be used to identify you personally. For detailed information on the subject of data protection, please refer to our privacy policy listed below this text.

1.2 Data Collection on This Website

Who is responsible for data collection on this website? Data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. Their contact details can be found in the "Information on the responsible body" section of this privacy policy. Data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. Their contact details can be found in the "Information on the responsible body" section of this privacy policy.
How do we collect your data? Your data is collected when you provide it to us. This may include, for example, data that you enter in a contact form. Other data is collected automatically or with your consent when you visit the website by our IT systems. This is primarily technical data (e.g., internet browser, operating system, or time of page view). This data is collected automatically as soon as you enter this website.
What do we use your data for? Some of the data is collected to ensure that the website is error-free. Other data may be used to analyze your user behavior. If contracts can be concluded or initiated via the website, the transmitted data will also be processed for contract offers, orders, or other order inquiries.
What rights do you have regarding your data? You have the right to obtain information about the origin, recipient, and purpose of your stored personal data at any time and free of charge. You also have the right to request the correction or deletion of this data. If you have given your consent to data processing, you can revoke this consent at any time for the future. If you have given your consent to data processing, you can revoke this consent at any time for the future. You also have the right, under certain circumstances, to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. Furthermore, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.
You can contact us at any time with any questions you may have on this subject or on the subject of data protection.

1. General Information and Mandatory Information

2.1 Data Protection

The operators of these pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with the statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy.
When you use this website, various personal data is collected. Personal data is data that can be used to identify you personally. This privacy policy explains what data we collect and what we use it for. It also explains how and for what purpose this is done.
We would like to point out that data transmission over the Internet (e.g., when communicating by email) may have security gaps. Complete protection of data against access by third parties is not possible.

2.2 Information on the Responsible Body

The responsible body for data processing on this website is: Stefan Scholz, Markgrafenstr. 17, 78467 Konstanz, Germany.

Phone: +49 7531 3615151
E-Mail: stefan@elhio.com
The responsible body is the natural or legal person who, alone or jointly with others, decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data (e.g., names, email addresses, etc.).

2.3 Storage Duration

Unless a more specific storage period is specified in this privacy policy, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for data processing no longer applies. If you assert a legitimate request for deletion or revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted unless we have other legally permissible reasons for storing your personal data (e.g., tax or commercial law retention periods); in the latter case, deletion will take place once these reasons no longer apply.

2.4 General Information on the Legal Basis for Data Processing

If you have consented to data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR or Art. 9 (2) lit. a GDPR, if special categories of data are processed in accordance with Art. 9 (1) GDPR. In the event of express consent to the transfer personal data to third countries, data processing is also carried out on the basis of Art. 49 (1) lit. a GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or access to information on your end device (e.g. via device fingerprinting), data processing is also carried out on the basis of § 25 (1) TDDDG. Consent can be revoked at any time. If your data is necessary for the performance of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR. Furthermore, we process your data if it is necessary to fulfill a legal obligation on the basis of Art. 6 (1) lit. c GDPR. Data processing may also be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest pursuant to Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. The relevant legal bases in each individual case are explained in the following paragraphs of this privacy policy.

2.5 Recipients of Personal Data

As part of our business activities, we work with various external parties. In some cases, this requires the transfer of personal data to these external parties. We only pass on personal data to external parties if this is necessary for the fulfillment of a contract, if we are legally obliged to do so (e.g., disclosure of data to tax authorities), if we have a legitimate interest in the disclosure pursuant to Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR, or if another legal basis permits the disclosure of data. When using processors, we only pass on our customers' personal data on the basis of a valid contract for order processing. In the case of joint processing, a contract for joint processing is concluded. When using processors, we only disclose our customers' personal data on the basis of a valid contract for order processing. In the case of joint processing, a contract for joint processing is concluded.

2.6 Withdrawing Your Consent to Data Processing

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You can revoke consent you have already given at any time. The legality of the data processing carried out until the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.

2.7 Right to Object to Data Collection in Specific Cases and to Direct Marketing (Art. 21 GDPR)

If data processing is carried out on the basis of Art. 6 (1) (e) or (f) GDPR, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data at any time for reasons arising from your particular situation; this also applies to profiling based on these provisions. The respective legal basis on which processing is based can be found in this privacy policy. If you object, we will no longer process your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing that override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or the processing serves to assert, exercise, or defend legal claims (objection pursuant to Art. 21(1) GDPR).
If your personal data is processed for direct marketing purposes, you have the right to object at any time to the processing of personal data concerning you for such marketing purposes; this also applies to profiling insofar as it is related to such direct marketing. If you object, your personal data will no longer be used for direct marketing purposes (objection pursuant to Art. 21 (2) GDPR).

2.8 Right to Appeal to the Responsible Supervisory Authority

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of their habitual residence, place of work or place of the alleged violation. The right to lodge a complaint exists without prejudice to other administrative or judicial remedies.

2.9 Right to Data Portability

You have the right to have data that we process automatically on the basis of your consent or in fulfillment of a contract handed over to you or to a third party in a common, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will only be done if it is technically feasible.

2.10 Information, correction and deletion

Within the framework of the applicable legal provisions, you have the right to obtain information free of charge at any time about your stored personal data, its origin and recipients, and the purpose of data processing, and, if applicable, a right to correct or delete this data. You can contact us at any time for this purpose, as well as for further questions on the subject of personal data.

2.11 Right to Restriction of Processing

You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. You can contact us at any time to exercise this right. The right to restrict processing applies in the following cases:
If you dispute the accuracy of your personal data stored by us, we will usually need time to verify this. For the duration of the verification process, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.
If the processing of your personal data was/is unlawful, you can request the restriction of data processing instead of deletion.
If we no longer need your personal data, but you need it to exercise, defend, or assert legal claims, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of its deletion.
If you have lodged an objection pursuant to Art. 21 (1) GDPR, a balance must be struck between your interests and ours. As long as it is not yet clear whose interests prevail, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data.
If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, this data may – apart from its storage – only be processed with your consent or for the assertion, exercise, or defense of legal claims or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the European Union or a Member State.

2.12 SSL or TLS encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as orders or inquiries that you send to us as the site operator, this site uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the fact that the address line of the browser changes from "http://" to "https://" and by the lock symbol in your browser bar.
If SSL or TLS encryption is activated, the data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.

1. Data Collection on This Website

3.1 Cookies

Our websites use so-called "cookies." Cookies are small data packets and do not cause any damage to your device. They are either stored temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or permanently (permanent cookies) on your device. Session cookies are automatically deleted at the end of your visit. Permanent cookies remain stored on your device until you delete them yourself or they are automatically deleted by your web browser.
Cookies that are required to carry out the electronic communication process or to provide certain functions you have requested are stored on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in storing necessary cookies for the technically error-free and optimized provision of its services.
To ensure the security and stability of our service, we assign a pseudonymous unique identifier guest_id to your browser. This identifier allows us to:
Prevent abuse and automated attacks (e.g., DDoS).
Enforce usage limits (e.g., restricting the number of actions per day)
This identifier is stored in your browser's local storage. Unlike cookies, this data does not have an automatic expiration date and remains on your device until you clear your browser cache or "site data."
While the identifier remains on your device, our servers only retain the associated usage logs for 30 days to analyze security incidents. After this period, the link between your guest_id and your activity is deleted from our systems.
Our legitimate interest lies in ensuring the security, availability, and fair distribution of our system resources Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.

3.2 Server Log Files

The provider of the pages automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits to us. This data includes IP address, host name, browser type, operating system, and time of request.
This data is collected on the basis of Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the technically error-free presentation and optimization of its website – for this purpose, the server log files must be collected.

3.3 Registration on This Website

You can register on this website to use the additional functions on the site (Pro and Enterprise plans). We use the data entered for this purpose only for the purpose of using the respective offer or service for which you have registered. The mandatory information requested during registration must be provided in full. Otherwise, we will refuse the registration.
For important changes, such as the scope of the offer or technically necessary changes, we use the email address provided during registration to inform you in this way.
The data entered during registration is processed for the purpose of implementing the user relationship established by the registration and, if applicable, for initiating further contracts (Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR).
The data collected during registration will be stored by us for as long as you are registered on this website and will subsequently be deleted subject to statutory retention periods.

3.4 Contact Form, Email, and Telephone

If you send us inquiries via the contact form, your details from the contact form, including the contact details you provided there, will be stored by us for the purpose of processing the inquiry and in case of follow-up questions. We will not pass on this data without your consent.
The processing of this data is based on Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR, provided that your request is related to the performance of a contract or is necessary for the implementation of pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, processing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective processing of inquiries addressed to us (Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR) or on your consent (Art. 6 (1) lit. a GDPR) if this has been requested; consent can be revoked at any time.

1. Newsletter

4.1 Newsletter Data

If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter offered on the website, we need your email address. The data entered in the newsletter registration form will be processed exclusively on the basis of your consent (Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR). You can revoke your consent at any time.

4.2 Newsletter Distribution to Existing Customers

If you order goods or services from us and provide your email address, we may subsequently use this email address to send you newsletters, provided that we inform you of this in advance. In such cases, the newsletter will only be used to send direct advertising for our own similar goods or services. You can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time. For this purpose, there is a corresponding link in every newsletter. The legal basis for sending the newsletter in this case is Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR in conjunction with § 7 (3) UWG.
After you unsubscribe from the newsletter distribution list, your email address may be stored in a blacklist to prevent future mailings to you. The data from the blacklist is only used for this purpose and is not merged with other data. This serves both your interests and our interests in complying with the legal requirements for sending newsletters (legitimate interest within the meaning of Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR). Storage in the blacklist is not limited in time. You can object to the storage if your interests outweigh our legitimate interest.

1. Processing of Media Data (AI Detection Service)

5.1 Handling of Uploaded Images and Videos

To use our core services, you must upload image or video files ("media data"). We process this media data using artificial intelligence models to provide you with the requested detection results.
Media data may be submitted either through our website or through the "Verify" function of our browser extension (see Section 7). The processing and deletion described in this section apply regardless of how the media data is submitted.
The processing is carried out exclusively for the fulfillment of the contract (Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR) to provide the service functionalities requested by you.
Media data is stored temporarily to perform the analysis. We automatically delete all uploaded media data 24 hours after upload, unless:
You voluntarily provide feedback on the results associated with the specific Media Data. In this case, the data is retained based on our legitimate interest (Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR) to improve the accuracy of our models.
A separate agreement (e.g., Enterprise Plan agreement) stipulates a different retention period.
We do not claim ownership of your content. You retain all rights to your images and videos.

1. E-Commerce and Payment Service Providers

6.1 Processing of Customer and Contract Data

We collect, process, and use personal customer and contract data for the establishment, content arrangement, and modification of our contractual relationships. Data with personal references to the use of this website (usage data) is collected, processed, and used only insofar as this is necessary to enable the user to use our services or for billing purposes. The legal basis for this data processing is Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR.

6.2 Stripe

We use the payment service provider Stripe for payment processing. The provider is Stripe, Inc., 510 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. In Europe, the provider is Stripe Payments Europe, Ltd., 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, Ireland.
When you make a payment via Stripe, your payment data is passed on to Stripe via an interface on our website so that the payment can be processed. Details on data processing by Stripe can be found in their privacy policy: https://stripe.com/privacy.
The transfer of data to Stripe is based on Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR (contract processing) and on our legitimate interest in using reliable and secure payment processes (Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR). insofar as Stripe transfers data to the USA, this is done on the basis of the EU-US Data Privacy Framework or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).

1. Browser Extension ("Guard")

We offer a browser extension ("Guard," the "Extension") for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari that detects AI-generated, violent, explicit, and other undesired images on the web pages you visit. This section describes how the Extension handles data and supplements the sections above, which continue to apply where relevant (e.g., registration and the processing of media data).

7.1 On-Device Analysis

The Extension's automatic image analysis runs entirely locally on your device. To do this, it reads the images contained on the web pages you visit and evaluates them using content-credential metadata (C2PA), embedded image metadata (e.g., EXIF), and — if you enable it — a detection model that runs on your device via WebAssembly. This automatic analysis transmits no images, page content, page addresses (URLs), or browsing history to us or to any third party. The website-access permission the Extension requests is used solely to read images on the pages you open for this on-device analysis and does not enable us to collect your browsing activity. Because this processing takes place exclusively on your device and no personal data is transmitted to us, we do not receive or store any personal data through the automatic analysis.

7.2 Data Stored Locally by the Extension

The Extension stores your settings on your device using your browser's local storage. This includes your detection preferences (which categories are active; whether flagged content is marked, blurred, or hidden; your list of excluded websites) and, once you sign in, your authentication token and selected workspace. This data remains on your device until you remove it (for example by signing out, clearing your browser's site/extension data, or uninstalling the Extension). We do not receive this locally stored data, except that your authentication token is sent to authenticate your requests when you actively use online features (see 7.3).

7.3 Verification Feature ("Verify") - Server-Side Processing of Media Data

The Extension offers an optional "Verify" function for a more thorough, server-based analysis. It is available only when you are signed in and runs only when you actively select a specific image and start the verification. In that case — and only then — the selected image is transmitted to us and processed as described in Section 5 (Processing of Media Data), including automatic deletion after 24 hours and the exceptions set out there. Together with the image, technical information about the file (such as its type and size) and, if you choose to provide it, your voluntary feedback on the result are transmitted. If you create a shareable link to a result, that result is accessible via the link until it expires.
Note on third-party content: if you use "Verify" on images you did not create yourself (for example images on third-party websites), you are responsible for ensuring you are permitted to have them processed for this purpose.
Legal basis: performance of the contract for the online functions you request (Art. 6 (1) lit. b GDPR); for voluntary feedback, our legitimate interest in improving our models (Art. 6 (1) lit. f GDPR).

7.4 Account and Sign-In via the Extension

Signing in through the Extension is handled via our website. After successful sign-in, an authentication token is provided to the Extension and stored locally (see Section 7.2), and your user identifier is retrieved from our servers to enable the online functions. The processing associated with your account is described in Section 3.3.

7.5 App Stores and Platform Providers

The Extension is distributed through the Chrome Web Store (Google), Firefox Add-ons (Mozilla), and the App Store (Apple). When you install or update the Extension, the respective provider processes data (such as download and usage statistics) under its own responsibility and privacy policy. On Apple Safari, the app periodically checks for updates by querying Apple's App Store lookup service; this request transmits only the app's identifier and no personal data about you.

7.6 No Tracking

The Extension contains no third-party advertising, analytics, or tracking technologies.

1. Concluding Provisions

This data protection agreement was created with the aid of eRecht24, whose generator can be accessed at https://www.e-recht24.de.