Question 1

Does my photo get uploaded anywhere?

Accepted Answer

No. Reading, editing and exporting all happen inside your browser. Only two optional actions send anything out, and only if you opt in: resolving an address sends just the bare GPS coordinates (never the photo), and the AI location estimate sends a downscaled copy of the image. Both start with an explicit tap — resolving an address can be switched to run automatically afterward, but only once you've turned that on yourself.

Question 2

What exactly does a photo reveal about me?

Accepted Answer

Typically your exact GPS position, the precise capture time, your phone or camera model (sometimes with a serial number), your name if you set an owner tag, editing software, and often an embedded thumbnail that can show the pre-crop image. MetaMarshal also looks past the standard fields for hidden data — Content Credentials (C2PA) provenance, invisible-watermark signals, embedded comments, and any file quietly appended after the image.

Question 3

Can it find hidden watermarks and Content Credentials?

Accepted Answer

Yes — a byte-level scan surfaces C2PA "Content Credentials" (the provenance/AI-origin manifests cameras, Adobe and AI tools embed), the markers left by invisible watermarks (Digimarc, AI-generation tags), comments, and data appended after the image's end marker. One honest caveat: a true steganographic watermark payload is encrypted with the owner's private key, so we flag that the signal is present rather than pretend to decode it. A clean export re-renders the pixels and removes all of it.

Question 4

What's the difference between the scrub profiles?

Accepted Answer

Strip everything removes every metadata field. Keep orientation + color keeps only what a viewer needs to display the image correctly. Remove location only deletes GPS data (losslessly for JPEGs at 100% quality) and keeps camera settings and time.

Question 5

Do I need an account?

Accepted Answer

No — cleaning photos is free and anonymous. An account adds a private library: every export is saved on your device, organised on a timeline, ready to re-share. Developers need an account for API keys.

Question 6

Where is my library stored?

Accepted Answer

In your browser's local storage on your device (IndexedDB). It never syncs to a server. Clearing site data deletes it — export anything you want to keep long-term.

Question 7

What formats and devices are supported?

Accepted Answer

JPEG, PNG, WebP, TIFF and HEIC in the browser app. HEIC is detected by its actual bytes — not just its name — so photos shared from other phones, chat apps or newer iPhones are recognised even when they arrive with no extension or MIME type, then converted locally for preview and export. Very high-resolution shots (48–200 MP from the latest phones and cameras) are handled by re-encoding at the largest size your browser can process. Camera RAW and video files are read for metadata via the developer API, powered by ExifTool (50+ formats).

Question 8

How does the developer API handle my files?

Accepted Answer

Zero-retention: files are processed in memory, batch outputs live behind short-lived signed URLs and are auto-deleted after one hour, and file contents are never logged — only counts and sizes for billing.

Question 9

How do credits work?

Accepted Answer

Cleaning and checking photos on your device is unlimited and free — credits are never spent for that, and standard face detection for redaction runs on your device at no cost. Credits only pay for server-side extras: a verifiable Certificate of Clean, or the optional higher-accuracy cloud face detection. 1 credit = one of those actions. Every account gets 10 free credits a month, and you can add more by becoming a supporter or with a top-up pack.

Question 10

Is anything free without paying?

Accepted Answer

Yes — everything on your device is free forever: every developer utility and daily game, plus unlimited single-photo cleaning, the full reveal/hidden-data scan, C2PA signature verification, face detection for redaction, bulk-cleaning up to 20 photos at once, scrub presets, and your private on-device library. You only need credits for server-side extras like the Certificate of Clean.

Question 11

How do I buy credits, and do they expire?

Accepted Answer

From your account page you can become a supporter ($4/month or $40/year — 200 credits a month that roll over, plus a badge and early access), leave a one-time pay-what-you-want tip (from $10, comes with 500 credits), or buy a top-up pack — 1,000 credits for $10, 3,000 for $25, or 7,000 for $50. Purchased credits never expire. The 10 free monthly credits refill each month rather than stacking. Payments are handled by Polar, our Merchant of Record, so tax is included and you can cancel anytime.

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