Privacy policy
Last updated 30 September 2026
The short version: we collect only what the app needs to keep your cabinet: your email address to sign you in, and the gear details you choose to enter. There are no adverts, no analytics and no tracking, and we never sell your information. You can delete your account and everything in it at any time, from inside the app.
Who we are
The Gear Cabinet is an app for photographers to keep track of their camera gear. The Gear Cabinet is the data controller for the information described here, which means we decide how it is used and are responsible for looking after it.
For anything about your privacy or your data, email privacy@thegearcabinet.com.
What we collect and why
| Information | Why we use it | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Your email address | To create your account and email you one-time sign-in codes. | Needed to provide the service you signed up for (contract) |
| A password, if you choose to set one | So you can sign in without waiting for a code. It is stored only as a secure one-way hash, which means nobody, including us, can read it. | Contract |
| Your cabinet: the cameras and lenses you add, what you paid and in which currency, where and when you bought them, their condition, serial numbers, your notes and any photos you add | To store and show your cabinet, total what you have spent and work out which of your lenses fit which of your cameras. | Contract |
| Gear you add yourself when it isn't in our catalogue | So you can add it to your cabinet. Only you can see it. If you type a new maker name, that name (just the name) joins the shared list of makers. | Contract |
| Barcodes you scan and then save | We link the barcode to the catalogue item so the app can recognise that barcode next time, for you and for others. Other people only ever see which item a barcode belongs to, never who scanned it. | Our legitimate interest in making scanning work well for everyone |
| Optional details: a name, location, favourite format or style and preferred currency | Only if you choose to fill them in, to personalise the app (for example the default currency). Every field is optional, and you can clear them at any time. | Contract |
| Sign-in records: the time you signed in, your IP address and the type of device or browser | Kept by our sign-in provider to protect accounts and investigate misuse. | Our legitimate interest in keeping accounts secure |
Using the app as a guest
If you choose Continue as guest, everything you save stays on your device. None of it is sent to us. If you later sign in and choose to import your guest cabinet, it is copied into your account and then treated like the rest of your account data.
What we don't do
- No adverts, and no advertising or analytics tools in the app.
- No tracking across other apps or websites.
- We never sell your information, or share it for anyone else's marketing.
- Your cabinet and photos are private to your account. Other people can't see them.
Camera and photos
The app asks for access to your camera only to scan barcodes and take photos of your gear. Access to your photo library is used only for the photos you pick. We don't look at anything else on your device.
Services we use
We use a small number of trusted providers to run the app. They handle your information only to provide their service to us, under data processing agreements.
- Supabase hosts the database, sign-in and photo storage. Your account data is stored in London, UK. Supabase privacy policy.
- Resend sends the sign-in code emails. It receives your email address and the email itself, processed in the EU (Ireland). Resend privacy policy.
- Cloudflare runs our domain and this website. It may process visitors' IP addresses to protect the site. This website uses no cookies of its own. Cloudflare privacy policy.
Supabase and Resend are US companies. Where your information is handled outside the UK, it is protected by the safeguards UK law requires, such as the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or the UK–US data bridge.
Lookups your device makes directly
To show catalogue photos and fill in scanned products, the app itself contacts two free, public databases. They receive your device's IP address and what is being looked up, but nothing from your account:
- Wikimedia Commons supplies catalogue photos of cameras and lenses. It sees the camera or lens names being looked up. Wikimedia privacy policy.
- Open Products Facts: when you scan a barcode, it receives the barcode number to find the product's name. Open Products Facts privacy policy.
How long we keep it
- We keep your account and cabinet for as long as you have an account.
- When you delete your account, it is removed from our live systems straight away, including your gear, photos, the gear you added yourself, barcode links and optional details. Copies in our providers' backups and logs are deleted on their normal schedule, usually within 30 days.
- Maker names you added stay in the shared list of makers, with no link to you.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you can ask us to:
- give you a copy of your information (access and portability)
- correct it (much of it you can edit in the app yourself)
- delete it, which you can also do yourself: how to delete your account
- restrict or object to how we use it
Email privacy@thegearcabinet.com from the address on your account, and we'll reply within one month. If you're unhappy with how we handle your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or 0303 123 1113.
Keeping it safe
Everything sent between the app and our servers is encrypted. Your cabinet and photos are locked to your account at the database level, so other users can't read them, and photos are only shown through short-lived private links.
Children
The Gear Cabinet is not intended for children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their information. If you think a child has created an account, email us and we'll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we use your information, we'll update this page and the date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect.