Where photos are stored, backups
In short: photos and the database live on one server in a data centre in the EU (France). Every day the database (accounts, galleries, settings — not the photos) is backed up, encrypted, to separate storage in the EU and kept up to 30 days. Photos are not backed up. Keep your own copy of the originals.
Where things are
Section titled “Where things are”| What | Where | Backup |
|---|---|---|
| Photos (originals and the smaller copies for viewing) | picsme server, data centre in the EU (France) | None — one copy on the server |
| Database: your account, galleries, sections, settings, access passwords, selections | Same server | Daily, encrypted, separate storage in the EU, kept up to 30 days |
| Technical copy of the database before each service update | Same server | The 5 most recent are kept |
Traffic between the browser and the server goes directly to the server in the data centre and is encrypted all the way (TLS). Files on the server’s disk are not encrypted; they are protected by access control instead: unpredictable addresses, passwords, isolated services with no open ports.
What this means for you
Section titled “What this means for you”- Keep the originals. If the server’s disk failed, your galleries and settings would come back from the backup, but the photos would have to be uploaded again.
- Deleting is final. A deleted gallery or account disappears from the service immediately and its photo files are erased within a day. The database backups that still mention it expire within 30 days.