PhotoSanitize processes images locally on your Windows computer. Inspection, sanitization, automatic visual detection, redaction, and verification do not depend on uploading photographs to an online image-processing service.
This local approach is useful when preparing private family pictures and when working with customer images, internal business photographs, or other material that an organization does not want to transfer to an external processing platform.
How photographs are handled
When you add a photograph to PhotoSanitize, the application accesses it using your Windows account’s available permissions. Analysis examines the file, while sanitization creates a new output according to the selected profile.
The original is retained. PhotoSanitize does not automatically delete, overwrite, or relocate it as part of normal sanitization.
This is useful when you need to preserve the source for editing or archival purposes, but it also means that the original remains potentially sensitive. A sanitized output may have had its GPS metadata removed while the source still contains those coordinates.
Keep originals in suitable locations and be careful to distribute the processed versions rather than the source files.
Automatic visual detection
Pro and Enterprise perform their supported automatic visual detection locally. Images are not sent to an external AI service to identify faces, license plates, text, QR codes, or barcodes.
The detectors assist with identifying regions requiring attention. They do not replace human judgment about what should be concealed.
For an organization, this allows visual privacy work to take place within the same controlled Windows environment used for storing and reviewing the images.
Network activity and licensing
Paid-edition activation and periodic validation require communication with Probativa’s licensing service.
These requests are separate from image-content processing. A network connection may be necessary to keep Pro or Enterprise activated, but it is not needed to upload photographs for sanitization.
Standard does not require paid-license activation for its normal image-processing functions.
Pro and Enterprise can operate temporarily without connectivity after successful validation, subject to the offline validity period.
Temporary processing requirements
Large images and reconstruction operations can require considerable memory and temporary storage. The amount depends on dimensions, frame count, format, and selected options.
On shared computers or organization-managed systems, use appropriate storage permissions and normal system security controls. Ensure that the working environment has enough free space for the intended processing load.
These considerations are particularly important when images contain confidential information or are processed on computers used by several people.
File-system information
PhotoSanitize can inspect selected Windows file-system properties, including relevant NTFS alternate data streams.
An alternate data stream is separate from ordinary embedded image metadata. For example, Windows may store download-origin information in Zone.Identifier.
PhotoSanitize provides applicable cleanup and verification options for sanitized outputs, but normal access permissions and retention policies remain the responsibility of the computer or organization managing the files.
Content Credentials
C2PA Content Credentials may contain provenance information about an image, including signed claims associated with its origin or history.
PhotoSanitize performs supported local validation but does not download remotely referenced manifests. When remote information is required for complete validation, the application reports the limitation.
The normal sanitization policy removes embedded Content Credentials from the output, while the original remains available if its provenance information needs to be retained.
Privacy responsibilities
Local processing reduces the need to transfer sensitive source images to an external service, but it does not make every output automatically appropriate for sharing.
A photograph may still show identifiable people, confidential environments, or documents after metadata cleanup. Verification can confirm technical checks without judging every aspect of the visible picture.
Individuals should examine what they are about to share. Organizations should additionally apply appropriate access controls, review procedures, and retention policies to the original photographs, sanitized copies, and exported processing records.