Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Nexpher Images Limited ("Nexpher Images", "we", "our", or "us") is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexpher Limited. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information in connection with our website (including nexpherimages.com), mobile applications, and related services (together, the "Services").

We aim to handle personal data in line with applicable laws, including Hong Kong's Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO), the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where it applies, and applicable United States privacy requirements, including children's privacy laws. The rights and disclosures that apply to you depend on your location and the processing involved.

Nexpher Images Limited operates the Services. Nexpher Limited manages account creation and authentication and operates certain features, including Nexpher AI, on behalf of Nexpher Images Limited. Other Nexpher Group entities may also process data as described below. If you have a question about which entity handles a particular processing activity, contact us using the details in Section 15. More information about AI features is in our Nexpher AI Policy.

2. Data We Collect

We collect personal data directly from you, through automated technologies, and from Nexpher Limited when it provides account, authentication, or service information to Nexpher Images Limited. The data we collect includes:

• Your name, email address, company name, and contact details provided during account registration or contact forms
• Billing and payment information when you purchase a license
• Account credentials and authentication data, which are managed by Nexpher Limited
• Technical data such as IP address (as received by our servers), browser or app type, device and operating system information, language, and approximate location derived from network information
• Usage and product analytics data described in Section 6 (first-party analytics)
• Push notification tokens and related preferences when you enable notifications in our mobile applications
• Search queries and Ask Nexpher AI questions you submit, together with related technical data used to return results and prevent abuse
• Any content, messages, or materials you submit through our Services

We do not use your data to sell advertising to third parties based on cross-app "tracking" identifiers for that purpose.

3. How We Use Your Information

We and Nexpher Limited use your personal data to:

• Create and manage your account on behalf of the Nexpher Group, provide customer support, and process transactions
• Authenticate your identity across services operated by the Nexpher Group
• Communicate with you regarding updates, promotions, or new features from Nexpher Images Limited or the Nexpher Group (subject to your communication preferences)
• Operate, secure, and improve the Services, including search relevance, content discovery, Nexpher AI features, and internal product analytics
• Prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Share data within the Nexpher Group for business, operational, and strategic purposes
• Comply with legal obligations

Where GDPR or similar laws apply, the lawful basis depends on the purpose. We generally rely on performance of a contract to provide requested Services, manage accounts, and process transactions; legitimate interests, where permitted and after considering your rights, to secure, maintain, and improve the Services and prevent fraud; your consent for non-essential website analytics and other activities where consent is required; and compliance with legal obligations where processing is legally required. You may contact us for information about the basis for a particular use of your data.

4. Data Sharing Within the Nexpher Group

Nexpher Images Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexpher Limited. Nexpher Limited manages account creation and authentication and operates certain features, including Nexpher AI, on behalf of Nexpher Images Limited. Other Nexpher Group entities may also process data as described below. If you have a question about which entity handles a particular processing activity, contact us using the details in Section 15. More information about AI features is in our Nexpher AI Policy. Your personal data may be transferred to and processed by Nexpher Limited and other members of the Nexpher Group. This includes:

• Account Management: All accounts are created and managed by Nexpher Limited. Your account information is held within Nexpher Limited's systems and may be accessible to other Nexpher Group entities for service delivery and operational purposes.
• Group-Wide Use: Data you submit to our Services may be used by Nexpher Limited and its subsidiaries for purposes such as product development, analytics, fraud prevention, legal compliance, and group-level reporting.
• Intra-Group Transfers: Personal data may be transferred between Nexpher Group entities, including across international borders, subject to appropriate data protection safeguards as described in Section 9.

This section describes how group companies may process data; it does not replace consent where consent is required by law.

5. Sharing Your Information with Third Parties

In addition to sharing within the Nexpher Group, we may share your personal data with:

• Service providers such as payment processors, hosting providers, email delivery, or infrastructure partners acting on our behalf or on behalf of Nexpher Limited (bound to process data only as instructed)
• Government authorities or law enforcement when required by law
• Third parties in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of assets involving Nexpher Images Limited or Nexpher Limited
• Professional advisors such as lawyers, auditors, and insurers where necessary

We do not sell your personal information for money. We do not share first-party product analytics with third-party advertising networks for cross-context behavioural advertising.

6. Cookies, Local Storage, and First-Party Product Analytics

We use cookies, local storage, secure on-device storage, and similar technologies on our website and mobile applications. Categories include:

• Essential / strictly necessary: Required for the Services to function (for example authentication, security, load balancing, and remembering essential preferences).
• Functionality: Remember choices such as language or theme where applicable.
• Product analytics (first-party): Pseudonymous usage events stored on infrastructure we control, used to measure traffic, improve search ranking and relevance, understand content demand, and operate internal staff dashboards.

What first-party analytics may include (when enabled under your preferences):

• A randomly generated client identifier (browser local storage or app secure storage) and a timed visit identifier for session-style metrics
• Pages or screens viewed; time engaged on a page (active viewing time); searches performed; search result impressions and clicks
• Views of images, videos, news articles, In Pictures, and similar editorial content
• License or download events where applicable
• Optional account username when you are signed in, so we can associate that visit's activity with your account
• Technical context such as platform (web, iOS, Android), path or screen, referral URL and campaign parameters (UTMs) when available, browser and device category, operating system, language, screen size, and timestamps
• Approximate country derived from network information (CDN country header or IP geolocation). We do not store raw IP addresses in analytics event records
• Aggregated statistics derived from the above (for example bounce rate, engagement time, click-through rates, and popularity signals used in search ranking)

Website consent: On the website, non-essential analytics is collected only after you accept analytics cookies (or enable them in cookie preferences) via our cookie banner. You can change this later through cookie settings. Declining analytics cookies stops first-party analytics collection for that browser.

Mobile applications: Our apps may collect the same categories of first-party product analytics to improve the product. You can turn product analytics off at any time in the app under Account → Product analytics. Turning it off stops further analytics event collection from that installation (essential app functions continue to work).

Retention: Raw analytics events are typically retained for up to about 90 days, after which they are deleted or reduced to aggregated statistics that no longer identify an individual session. Aggregates used for product and ranking improvement may be kept longer.

7. Nexpher AI Queries

If you use search, Ask Nexpher AI, visual similarity, or related Nexpher AI features, we process the query text and technical data such as IP address (as received by our servers) to provide results, apply rate limits, and protect the Services. Nexpher Limited operates these features for Nexpher Images Limited. Details of what the tools do — and do not do — are in our Nexpher AI Policy.

Where a natural-language understanding feature is enabled, the question may be processed by a language-model provider acting as our processor or subprocessor solely to interpret the request. We do not use these features to generate news photographs.

8. Data Retention (Generally)

We retain personal data only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, including account lifecycle, contracts, legal obligations, dispute resolution, and security. Retention periods vary by data type. Analytics retention is described in Section 6. Account and transaction records may be kept for longer where required for tax, accounting, or legal reasons.

9. International Data Transfers

Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence by Nexpher Group entities and service providers. The locations depend on the entities and providers used for the relevant Service. Where applicable law requires a transfer safeguard, we use an approved mechanism for that transfer, which may include an adequacy decision or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs). You may contact us to request further information about the safeguards applicable to a transfer, subject to legal restrictions.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights regarding your personal data, including the right to:

• Request access to your personal data held by us or Nexpher Limited
• Request corrections or deletions of your data
• Request restriction of processing, object to certain processing, or withdraw consent where processing relies on consent
• Request data portability
• Opt out of direct marketing and, where applicable law provides, the sale or sharing of personal data, targeted advertising, or certain profiling
• Appeal a decision on a privacy request where applicable law provides that right
• Lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your location

To exercise a right or ask a privacy question, email [email protected] or write to the address in Section 15. Tell us how we can reach you and describe your request; please do not send sensitive identity documents unless we ask for them. We may request information reasonably needed to verify your identity or authority to act for someone else. We will respond within the period required by applicable law. If we deny a request and the law gives you a right to appeal, reply to our decision and we will review it. You may also change website analytics preferences through Cookie Settings and, in our mobile applications, turn off product analytics in Account settings.

We do not sell personal information for money and do not use first-party product analytics for cross-context behavioural advertising, as described in Section 5. If you are covered by a law that gives you an opt-out right, you may contact us to submit a request. Some rights are subject to exceptions and may not apply to every person or processing activity.

11. Data Security

We and Nexpher Limited implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute data security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.

12. Mobile Applications

This policy describes how we handle data in our mobile applications. Our mobile applications may:

• Require sign-in via an account managed by Nexpher Limited
• Collect usage data and product analytics as described in Section 6, subject to your in-app analytics preference
• Transmit data to Nexpher Limited and the Nexpher Group for service delivery, analytics, and improvement purposes
• Use crash or diagnostics tools that may collect additional technical data needed to keep the app stable
• Request device permissions (for example notifications or photo library / storage) where required for functionality you choose to use

Platform stores (Apple App Store, Google Play) may display their own privacy labels based on information we provide. Those labels should be read together with this policy. Data collected through our mobile applications is processed by Nexpher Images Limited and Nexpher Limited as described herein.

13. Children's Privacy

Our Services, including our website and mobile applications, are not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If we become aware that we have collected such data, we will delete it. Please contact us if you believe we have collected information from a child.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, Services, the structure of the Nexpher Group, or applicable law. The latest version will always be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review the policy periodically. For significant changes, we may provide additional notice through our website, mobile applications, or email.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions or wish to exercise a privacy right, contact Nexpher Images Limited at [email protected] or by post at Unit 1806, 9 Wing Hong Street, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong. We will coordinate with Nexpher Limited where it handles the relevant data or request.

Related: Terms and Conditions · Nexpher AI Policy