Personal data and GDPR
Retention periods, export and purge
How long to keep photos, videos, contacts and sends, how to export everything before cleaning up, and how to purge the booth and the gallery.
Personal data isn't kept forever: you keep it as long as needed for the stated purpose, then delete it. BoothX doesn't delete anything for you on the booth: it's up to you to set your retention periods and clean up. This article suggests a method.
The principle
- Set a retention period for each type of data, based on the purpose announced to guests.
- Write it down in your terms, your quote or your service sheet.
- Export what the client needs to receive.
- Purge when the period ends, on the booth and online.
Reasonable periods, to adapt
The periods below are common-sense guidelines, not fixed legal requirements: adapt them to your business and to what you announce.
| Data | Purpose | Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos on the booth | Reprints, handover to the client | Until handover to the client, plus a short claim period. |
| Online gallery | Viewing by guests | A few weeks to a few months, a period announced to the client. |
| Contest contacts | Prize draw, contacting the winner | Until the end of the contest and the prizes are handed out. |
| Newsletter contacts (if agreed) | Brand mailings | As long as the person doesn't unsubscribe; passed on to the client, then deleted from the booth. |
| Email / SMS send queue | Sending the photo | Until sent, then deleted promptly. |
| Guestbook (messages, signatures, selfies) | Keepsake given to the hosts | Until the PDF is handed over, plus a short claim period. |
| Statistics | Report, activity tracking | No limit: they are anonymous counters. |
Export before you purge
Before deleting anything, give the client what belongs to them:
| Data | How to export |
|---|---|
| Photos and layouts | Storage page › selection › Export, or copy the event folder. See Reprint and export photos. |
| Video messages | Videos page › Export. See Video gallery and guestbook playback. |
| Guestbook | Export as PDF. See Export the guestbook as a PDF. |
| Mosaic mural | Export the digital mural in high definition. |
| Contest contacts | Contacts tab › CSV export. Give the file to the client through a secure channel. |
Check the export (open a few files) before purging: deletion on the booth is permanent.
Purge on the booth
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| A media file | Storage page, viewer, Delete. |
| All media for an event | Delete the event (after backing up). See Manage your events. |
| A contest contact | Games page, Contacts tab, delete. |
| All contacts for an event | Games page, Contacts tab, Purge. |
| Email / SMS sends | The event's share queue: delete completed sends. |
| Guestbook pages | Guestbook workspace: delete a page, or the whole event. |
| Orphan folders | Storage page, Clean up. |
Every deletion asks for confirmation.
Purge online
- Online gallery: delete the photos or the event from the web panel; the gallery link then stops working. See Prepare and track your events on the web panel.
- Deleting the gallery also frees up your cloud storage quota.
A routine after each job
- Day after: export photos, videos, PDFs and contacts; hand them over to the client.
- Day after: check that the send queue is empty (see The offline send queue).
- End of the contest: purge the contest contacts.
- Announced deadline: delete the online gallery.
- Before the next rental: delete past events from the booth, after backing them up to your own storage.
Backups
If you keep a backup of events (external drive, personal storage), it contains the same personal data: apply the same retention periods to it, and protect it (encryption, restricted access).
Rented booths
A rented booth changes hands: never leave one client's data on the booth handed to the next client. Include the purge in your return procedure. See Rent out a booth without an attendant.
Frequently asked questions
Does BoothX automatically delete old photos? No, not on the booth: you stay in control. Only online gallery retention rules may apply on the server side; they are shown on the web panel (link active or expired).
Does a photo deleted from the booth disappear from the online gallery? Not necessarily: delete it online too.
Can I keep the photos for my portfolio? Only with the client's consent and, for public use, that of any recognizable people. Include it in your contract.