When collectors digitise their assets — photographing items, keeping valuations, sharing them with experts and insurers — they generate personal data. Data that GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) protects.
What data does managing a collection generate?
A typical collection management workflow generates:
- Images of assets (which may contain metadata, including location)
- Valuation records (linking an item to a person)
- Insurance correspondence (names, contact details, asset descriptions)
- Provenance documentation (often containing personal information about previous owners)
Under GDPR, any natural person whose data appears in these records has rights: access, rectification, erasure, and portability.
How Objais handles your data
Objais was designed privacy-first from day one. Our approach:
Minimalism: Your client portal displays neither your name, your contact details, nor any personal data. This is a deliberate choice: every day, major organisations, private and public alike, are hacked. What isn't stored can't be stolen.
On-device processing: AI valuation runs on your device whenever technically feasible. Your images are not uploaded to our servers by default.
No mandatory registration: Core features require no account, no email, no personal data.
Explicit consent: We ask for your consent before enabling usage analytics or cloud backup. You can withdraw it at any time.
Data minimisation: We collect only what's necessary for each specific feature.
Your rights: Request access to, correction of, or deletion of any data we hold — we respond within 30 days.
Tips for GDPR-compliant collection management
Be careful with provenance documents: Documents naming previous owners may require careful handling under GDPR if shared digitally.
Insurance claims: When sharing asset details with an insurer, make sure they follow adequate data protection practices.
Export control: When sharing collections internationally, be aware of cross-border data transfer regulations.
Estate planning: Digital collection records are valuable assets — make sure heirs or executors have appropriate access, and that the privacy of any third parties mentioned in the records is respected.
Questions?
Our Privacy Policy details our data processing in full. For privacy-related questions, email privacy@objais.com.