Security and privacy, in plain words.

Your wedding photos and videos are some of the most personal files you own. Here's who can see them, where they're kept and when they're deleted.

Who can see your files

Our systems read your files to make the thumbnails you browse and to prepare your downloads. Apart from keeping them, that's all we use your files for. We never sell them, and we never use them for ads or to train AI.
No one at Storey opens your files unless you ask us for help, or the law requires it.
Each archive has one login, shared by the two of you. Being a backup contact doesn't come with a login or a view of your files.

Where your copies are kept

We keep three copies of everything you upload, in three different regions.

Each copy is kept in its own data center: one in Northern Virginia, one in Northern California and one in Toronto. The Toronto copy is kept offline. Two are in the United States, and one is in Canada.

Northern VirginiaUnited States
Northern CaliforniaUnited States
TorontoOfflineCanada

Built for preservation. Not just storage.

For anyone who wants the details. Plain statements are how Storey works. Lines that start "We design Storey" or "We're building Storey" are what we're working toward. They become plain statements once they're built and tested.

Three copies. We keep three copies of everything you upload, in three different regions. Thumbnails are extra, and don't count as one of the three.
Distance between regions. The three regions are far apart.
Kinds of storage. We design Storey around more than one kind of storage, so your copies don't all depend on the same technology.
A copy kept offline. One copy is kept offline, away from the internet. That way, a problem online can't reach every copy at once.
Encryption. We're building Storey so your files are encrypted on the way to us and in every copy. An encrypted file can't be read without its key. We design Storey so our systems hold the keys they need to make your thumbnails and prepare your downloads.
Checks and repair. We design Storey to check your copies regularly against a fingerprint taken when you upload, and to repair a damaged copy from a healthy one. A fingerprint is a short code worked out from the file itself. If the file changes at all, the code changes too.
Archive storage, and newer storage over time. We design Storey around archive storage, made for files you keep for years and rarely open. Bringing files back from it takes time, and keeping them there costs less. That's why downloads take up to 12 hours, and why the price stays low. We're building Storey to move your copies to newer storage as technology changes, so you never have to.

We design Storey around the 3-2-1 backup rule. That means several copies, on more than one kind of storage, with at least one kept somewhere else.

We don't name our storage providers, because the setup can change as better options appear. The three copies, in three different regions, stay the same.

When files are deleted

If a payment fails, we keep everything for 12 months and remind you and your backup contact. If it's still unpaid when the 12 months end, every copy is deleted, after final warnings.
Close your account and we keep your files for one more year, in case you change your mind. You can still download them during that year, and we'll email you 30 days before every copy is deleted.
Want everything gone sooner? Ask us, and we'll delete every copy within 30 days instead of keeping it for a year.
Deleting means all three copies, your thumbnails and any downloads waiting for you.

If Storey ever closes

You should know the answer before you trust anyone with your wedding photos and videos.

If Storey ever closes, you and your backup contact get at least 90 days' notice. Downloads stay free and unlimited the whole time. After that, every copy is deleted.