Shadow Steward

Privacy

Last updated 24 October 2026

Shadow Steward is run by Christopher Ross from Fort Erie, Ontario. This page explains what happens to information when you use the free checks. It follows Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

Who is responsible

Christopher Ross, operating as Shadow Steward is responsible for the information described here. Write to hello@shadowsteward.com or by mail at 210 Gilmore Road, Fort Erie, Ontario L2A 2M3, Canada.

The image check

  • Your picture is prepared in your own browser. The copy that is sent for analysis is smaller and has all hidden data (such as location) removed.
  • That smaller copy is sent to an AI service to be described. It is used for that one request and is not kept. Nothing from your picture is stored on Shadow Steward's servers.
  • The optimised copy you can download is made in your browser and never leaves your device.
  • The optional note you type about the picture is sent with it for the same single request and is not kept.

What is kept

  • Technical logs. Cloudflare, which delivers this site, keeps standard request logs such as IP address, time and page requested, to keep the site secure and working.
  • Visit counts. Cloudflare Web Analytics counts page visits and the type of device, without cookies and without following you across other sites.
  • Security check. Cloudflare Turnstile checks that a visitor is a person. It may process technical information about your browser for that purpose.
  • Usage counts. We record that a check ran, which model answered, how long it took and what it cost, with no picture and no text from it. This helps us run the service and prevent abuse.
  • Messages. If you write to us by email or the contact form, we keep your message and our reply so we can help you.
  • Newsletter. If you subscribe, we keep your email address, the page you signed up on, the time and the wording you agreed to. Every email will have an unsubscribe link, and unsubscribing stops all newsletters.

Accounts are optional and only needed to use the API. If you have one, we keep your email address, your projects and API keys (keys are stored only as a one-way fingerprint), your credit balance and a record of each API call: when it ran, which tool, how many credits it cost and whether it worked, with none of the text or pictures you sent. Sign-in uses a one-time emailed link and a cookie that keeps you signed in for 14 days. There is no advertising.

The wpShadow WordPress plugin

If you use the wpShadow plugin, Shadow Steward runs its free checks for your site. Nothing is sent until you press Run in your WordPress dashboard.

  • Kept about a connected site: its address, the plugin and WordPress versions, when it connected and was last used, a one-way fingerprint of its connection token, and a count of the free checks run (which check and when) to apply fair-use limits.
  • Not kept: the pages checked and the results. Each free check reads one public page of your own site, and the result goes back to your dashboard.
  • Removed: disconnecting in the plugin, or deleting it, deletes the site and its counts.

The paid checks in the plugin use your Shadow Steward account and key, and follow the account and API rules above.

The advisor

The dashboard has an advisor you can chat with. What you type is sent to an AI model, through Vortops, to write an answer. The advisor cannot see your website or account. Your chats (your questions and the answers) are saved on your account so you can come back to them, and are kept until you delete them from the Advisor page. We also record that you asked, when, and what it cost in credits, so your first free questions can be counted and your credits balance is right. Do not put passwords, card numbers or other secrets in a chat.

Who else handles information

  • Cloudflare hosts the site and runs the AI models used to describe pictures. Cloudflare states that it does not keep the content of these requests and does not use it to train AI models.
  • Stripe takes card payments if you buy credits or a plan. Your card details go straight to Stripe and never reach us. We keep your Stripe customer reference, what you bought and your invoices.
  • Vortops, an AI service also operated by Christopher Ross, receives each request on the way to the model and records the usage counts above. It does not keep your picture.

Some of these services process information in the United States or other countries, where authorities may be able to access it under local law.

Your choices

You can ask what we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, or withdraw your consent, by writing to the address above. If you are not satisfied you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Children

Shadow Steward is for adults and is not directed at children.

Changes

If this page changes in a way that matters, the date above changes too.