How Your Data Is Protected¶

Polyguard is built around a simple principle: your personal information belongs to you, and it stays on your device. Unlike many identity verification systems that upload your data to a cloud server, Polyguard processes everything locally on your smartphone. This page explains exactly what is stored, what is shared, and what happens when you no longer need the app.

What's Stored on Your Device¶

When you set up Polyguard Mobile and verify your identity, the following data is stored only on your phone:

• Identity proofs — The verified outputs from your identity credentials (for example, confirmation that your face matches your ID, or that your phone number has been verified).
• Facial biometric data — Used for real-time facial recognition during trust checks. This data is encrypted and accessible only to the Polyguard Mobile app.
• Document scan results — The results of your credential verification (passport NFC read or photo ID check). The original images of your documents are not retained after the scan is complete.
• Phone number — If you verified your phone number via SMS, that number is stored locally.

What's Shared During a Trust Check¶

When you join a Polyguard-protected meeting or complete a trust check, only redacted identity proofs are shared with other participants. Here is what that means in practice:

• Your name as it appears on your identity document.
• Verification status — Whether each required proof (face biometric, document, phone number, location) passed or failed.
• Geographic region — Your state and country only. Polyguard never shares your city, street address, GPS coordinates, or any other precise location data.
• Proof type — Which credential you used (for example, passport or driver's license).

What is never shared with other participants:

• Your raw biometric data (facial scans, depth maps).
• Images of your identity documents.
• Your exact GPS or GNSS coordinates.
• Your phone number (unless phone number verification is a required proof for that specific meeting).

What Appears in Audit Logs¶

Meeting organizers and administrators can access audit logs for compliance and record-keeping purposes. Audit logs contain:

• Participant name and verification status.
• Which proofs were completed and their pass/fail results.
• Timestamp of each verification.
• Geographic region (state and country) at the time of verification.

Audit logs do not contain biometric data, document images, or precise location data. They are designed to provide a verifiable record of who was verified and when, without exposing sensitive personal information.

Biometric Data Handling¶

Polyguard treats biometric data with special care:

• Real-time comparison only. During each trust check, real-time facial recognition compares your face to the photo on your identity credential. This comparison happens entirely on your device.
• No cloud storage. Your biometric data is never uploaded to Polyguard's servers or any third-party service.
• Cleared after each check. The temporary biometric data used during a trust check is cleared from memory immediately after the check is complete. Only the encrypted proof result (pass/fail) is retained on your device.

Data Deletion — What Happens When You Delete the App¶

If you uninstall Polyguard Mobile from your phone:

• All locally stored data is permanently deleted. This includes your identity proofs, biometric data, document scan results, and any other personal information stored by the app.
• Nothing remains on Polyguard's servers because your personal data was never uploaded there in the first place.
• You will need to re-verify if you reinstall the app or install it on a new device. Since your proofs were stored only on the original device, there is no way to transfer or recover them.

Summary¶