Photograph removal

Last updated 30 July 2026 · Draft for formal legal review

OKE publishes photographs taken at public events by photographers we have approved. If you appear in one and would rather it were not public, you can ask us to take it down. This page explains exactly what we do when you ask, how long it takes, and what we decide.

Who can ask

The person who appears in the photograph; a parent or guardian on behalf of a child; the photographer who took it; or the organiser of the event it was taken at. You do not need an OKE account, and there is no charge.

How to ask

Use the Request removal link under any photograph, or email privacy@sihebs.co.tz. Include the reference code printed under the photograph so we can identify it. Tell us why you want it removed — it is the part of the request we actually weigh.

What happens after you ask

You get a reference immediately. The photographer and our privacy team are both notified. We review the request and send you the decision by SMS or email, normally within three working days.

The photograph stays in the gallery while we review it.

We are direct about why: the request form is open to anyone and verifies nothing about who is filling it in. If a request took a photograph down on its own, one person could empty a photographer's gallery in an afternoon, and the photographers who earn a living here would carry the cost of it. A person decides instead — quickly, and with the reason in front of them.

Urgent requests

Some photographs should not wait for a queue. We hide these before review, as soon as we see the request, and review afterwards:

a child who is identifiable; a photograph that puts someone's safety at risk, including harassment, stalking or domestic violence; anything intimate or medically sensitive; and any order from a court or the police. Email privacy@sihebs.co.tz with URGENT in the subject line and we will act on it ahead of everything else.

What we usually agree to

That you appear in the photograph and do not want it public. That it was taken somewhere you could reasonably expect privacy. That it shows you in a way that is misleading or damaging. That it was published by someone who did not have the right to publish it.

What we may decline

Requests for a photograph you do not appear in and are not the subject of; requests made on behalf of someone who has not asked for one; and repeat requests for a photograph we have already reviewed and decided, unless something material has changed. If we decline, we tell you why, and you can reply to the decision to have it looked at again.

If the problem is that a photograph is filed under the wrong bib number, use Incorrect match rather than removal. We correct the number and the photograph stays where it belongs.

If we agree

The photograph leaves the public gallery, the search results and the photographer's storefront, and can no longer be bought. We keep a record of the request and the decision so the outcome is auditable.

One thing we cannot undo: if somebody bought and downloaded the photograph before it was removed, that copy is already on their device and outside our reach. We would rather say so plainly than imply a removal reaches further than it does.

Photographers

A photographer may hide or delete their own photograph at any time, without asking us and without waiting for a review. When a removal request is filed against one of their photographs they are told, so they can make that call themselves.

Contact

For anything about a request you have already made, including an appeal, quote your reference and write to privacy@sihebs.co.tz.

This policy supports our obligations under Tanzania's Personal Data Protection Act, 2022, and is operated by Sihebs Technologies Co. Ltd.