SwitchBot Camera Cloud-Based Facial Recognition Service Privacy Policy
Updated and Effective Date: September 17, 2026
Please read this Policy in addition to the SwitchBot App Privacy Policy, which you have read and agreed to, so that you fully understand how we collect, transmit, use, and store relevant information when you use the Camera Cloud-Based Facial Recognition Service (the "Service").
This Policy applies to SwitchBot cameras that support cloud-based facial recognition and to related services. Available features may vary depending on the device model, subscription plan, and the country or region in which you are located. Please refer to the applicable product page and the information displayed in the App.
Facial recognition is disabled by default. We will collect and process relevant information in accordance with this Policy only after you actively enable this feature and consent to this Policy.
Please note that facial information constitutes sensitive personal information. Before using this feature, please position your camera and configure its field of view appropriately, and inform in advance individuals who may enter the camera's field of view. If you enroll or add the facial information of family members, visitors, children, or other individuals, you must first explain the relevant collection and processing of information to the individual concerned or their guardian and obtain valid consent or other lawful authorization as required by applicable law. Do not use the Service to unlawfully collect information about, identify, or monitor other individuals.
1. Information We Collect
After you actively enable this feature, the camera will detect faces appearing in its field of view while the feature is operating and upload facial information to the cloud for comparison, in order to enable face enrollment, display recognition results, and provide related notifications. We may collect and process the following information:
- Facial information that you actively enroll, including facial feature data extracted or generated for facial comparison;
- Facial information relating to unrecognized individuals that is detected by the camera and uploaded to the cloud but has not yet been added by you to the face library, including the resulting facial feature data and recognition results;
- Names, notes, or group information that you assign to enrolled faces, as well as recognition times, device identifiers, recognition results, and related event screenshots or video clips; and
- Device model, firmware version, App version, subscription status, and records of when you enable or disable this feature, consent to this Policy, enroll faces, or add unrecognized faces to the face library.
The camera's field of view may also include individuals whom you have not enrolled, including children. Please appropriately adjust the camera's installation location, field of view, and operating hours to minimize the collection of information relating to individuals who are not relevant to your use of the Service.
2. Transmission, Use, and Storage of Information
When the camera detects a face, it uploads the relevant facial information to our cloud servers in encrypted form and compares it against enrolled faces. If a match is found, we will display the corresponding recognition result. If no match is found, the relevant face will be displayed as an "Unrecognized Person." You may choose to add the face to the face library, assign it a name, or delete the relevant information. Once an unrecognized face is added to the face library, the related facial information will be treated as enrolled facial information and used for subsequent recognition.
We use the above information to manage facial profiles, perform cloud-based facial comparison, display recognition results, send notifications, protect the security of the Service, and troubleshoot issues. We do not sell facial information to third parties or use it for model training. To provide functions such as cloud storage and facial comparison, we may engage service providers to process necessary information. Such service providers may process the information only in accordance with our instructions and for the agreed purposes and may not use it for any other purpose.
Facial information that you actively enroll, as well as facial information of unrecognized individuals that you choose to add to the face library, will be treated as enrolled facial information. Such information will be retained for the duration of your active subscription. If your subscription expires and is not renewed, we will continue to retain it for up to six months so that you can continue to use it if you resume the Service. After the six-month period expires, we will delete the relevant facial information, unless otherwise required by applicable law.
Facial information and recognition results relating to unrecognized individuals that have been uploaded to the cloud but have not been added to the face library will be retained on a rolling basis for no longer than 30 days and will be automatically deleted when that period expires. You may also delete such information earlier through the deletion option provided in the App.
Disabling facial recognition will not automatically delete previously stored facial information or recognition events. You may delete them through the face management or event deletion options provided in the App. We will delete or anonymize relevant personal information in accordance with applicable law when you actively delete it, close your account, the applicable retention period expires, the processing purpose has been fulfilled, or the Service is terminated.
3. Withdrawal of Consent
If you wish to withdraw your consent to this Policy, you may delete enrolled facial information or disable the facial recognition feature in the camera settings within the App. The specific path is subject to the information displayed in the App.
After the feature is disabled, the camera will stop collecting and processing new facial information for the Service, and features that rely on facial recognition will no longer be available. Previously stored information will continue to be retained for the periods specified in this Policy until you actively delete it or the applicable retention period expires.
If you enable this feature again, we may display this Policy to you again and obtain your consent as required by applicable laws and regulations.
If you have any questions, comments, or requests concerning the Service or the protection of personal information, please contact us at privacy@switch-bot.com.
