Privacy Policy

Overview

OCR Text Extractor ("we", "our", or "the site") is operated at imgtotext.in. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights. We are committed to protecting your privacy.

Who is responsible for your data

Elango P is the data controller for this site. The site is run by one independent developer, not a registered company, and there is no separate office or staff. If you need a postal address for a formal data-protection request, email us and we will provide one.

All privacy questions and requests go to admin@elangodev.com.

Images and OCR data

Primary path (AI OCR):When you click Extract Text, your image is sent to our server and then to Google's Gemini API solely to extract text. On our side the image lives in server memory only for as long as that single request takes; we never write it to a database or to disk, so no copy remains once the text comes back. Google's processing of the image is subject to Google's Privacy Policy.

Fallback path (browser OCR): If AI OCR fails or is unavailable, recognition falls back to Tesseract.js running locally in your browser via WebAssembly. That fallback pass does not upload the image to our servers.

Local OCR only (optional):You can enable a "Local OCR only" switch in the tool to skip the AI path entirely. In that mode, recognition uses Tesseract.js in your browser tab and the image is not sent to Gemini through our API. Language/WASM assets for Tesseract may still load from our site or CDN endpoints; those downloads are engine files, not your uploaded image.

Information we collect

• Server logs: Our hosting provider may automatically log standard technical data such as IP address, browser type, referring page, and access time. This is common for web hosting and security. We do not run a separate third-party analytics product on this site today.
• Cookies and advertising:When advertising is enabled, we may use Google AdSense to display advertisements. Google and its partners may use cookies and similar technologies to serve, measure, and (where allowed) personalize ads. See the "Third-party services" section below.
• Consent preference: We store a small local preference in your browser (localStorage) for the cookie notice. Choosing Essential only limits non-essential/advertising cookies on this site when ads are enabled.
• Contact email: If you email us, we receive the information you voluntarily provide (such as your email address and message content) solely to respond to your inquiry.

Third-party services

We use third-party services including:

• Google Gemini — to perform AI OCR when you extract text. The image you submit for recognition is transmitted to Google for that request. See Gemini API terms.
• Google AdSense — when advertising is enabled, to display third-party advertisements. Google may use cookies to personalize ads where permitted. Learn more at Google's Privacy Policy and How Google uses data in advertising.
• Hosting (e.g. Vercel) — to serve the website. Hosting providers process technical request data as part of delivering the site.

Tesseract.js language models are loaded into your browser from our site or CDN endpoints as part of normal page operation. No image content is sent during this process.

Why we are allowed to process this data

If you are in the UK or the European Economic Area, the GDPR requires us to name a legal basis for each kind of processing. Ours are:

• Performing the service you asked for: sending your image to Gemini and returning the recognized text. You trigger this yourself by clicking Extract Text, and it cannot happen without that click.
• Our legitimate interest in a working site: server logs and the daily AI OCR counter, which exist to keep the free tool available and to stop abuse.
• Your consent: advertising cookies. You give or withhold this in the cookie notice, and you can change it at any time using the Cookie Settings link in the footer.

Where your data is processed

The services we depend on are operated globally, so data may be processed outside your own country — including in the United States. Images sent for AI OCR go to Google's Gemini API, the site is served by our hosting provider's network, and advertising, when enabled, is handled by Google. Each of these providers runs its own safeguards for international transfers, such as the European Commission's standard contractual clauses.

If you would rather your image never left your device, switch on Local OCR only in the tool. Recognition then runs entirely in your browser tab and no image is transmitted to us or to Google.

Your rights over your data

Because the site has no accounts and stores no uploads, there is usually very little data for us to act on — but the rights below still apply, and we will honour them.

Under the GDPR you may request access to your personal data, correction of inaccurate data, erasure, restriction of processing, portability, and you may object to processing we base on legitimate interests. Where processing rests on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting what happened before you withdrew it.

Under the CCPA and CPRA, California residents may request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information collected, request deletion, and request correction. We do not sell or share personal information as those laws define it, and we do not use it for cross-context behavioural advertising beyond the standard Google AdSense behaviour described above, which you can decline with Essential only. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

To make a request, email admin@elangodev.com. We may need to ask a question or two to confirm the request genuinely relates to your own data. If you are in the UK or EEA and are unhappy with how we have handled a request, you have the right to complain to your national data protection authority.

Children's privacy

This site is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Your choices

• You can stop using the site at any time — no account is required.
• Use the on-site cookie notice to accept or limit non-essential cookies. You can also clear site data in your browser to reset that preference.
• You can control cookies through your browser settings and opt out of personalized Google ads at Google Ad Settings.
• Extracted text and image previews in the page are kept in your browser session. Closing the tab clears that local session data. Images sent for AI OCR are handled by Google for that request and are not permanently stored by us.

Data retention

For timelines covering AI OCR processing, operational logs, cookies, and email correspondence, see the dedicated Data Retention Policy.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top will reflect changes. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy? Email admin@elangodev.com or visit our Contact page.