How to retain audit records for image content security?

To retain audit records for image content security, you need a systematic approach to capture, store, and manage logs related to image scanning, user interactions, and security incidents. Here’s how to do it:

1. Capture Audit Logs

Log all activities related to image content security, including:

Image uploads: Record metadata (e.g., file name, size, upload time, user ID).
Scanning results: Store details of content moderation (e.g., detected objects, labels, violations).
User actions: Track approvals, rejections, or manual overrides by moderators.
System events: Log errors, policy changes, or updates to moderation rules.

Example: When a user uploads an image, log the timestamp, user ID, and the AI moderation result (e.g., "Detected explicit content: Yes/No").

2. Store Logs Securely

Use immutable storage to prevent tampering (e.g., write-once-read-many (WORM) storage).
Encrypt logs at rest and in transit.
Retain logs for compliance (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, or industry-specific regulations may require 6 months to several years).

Example: Store logs in a secure object storage service with versioning enabled, ensuring deleted logs are retained for auditing.

3. Centralize Log Management

Aggregate logs from multiple sources (e.g., moderation APIs, user dashboards, admin actions) into a centralized system for analysis.

Example: Use a log management tool to correlate image scan results with user reports and moderator decisions.

4. Automate Retention Policies

Define retention rules based on legal requirements and business needs. Automatically purge old logs after the retention period.

Example: Keep high-risk violation logs for 5 years, while routine scans are retained for 1 year.

5. Enable Auditing & Reporting

Generate periodic reports for compliance teams.
Allow authorized personnel to query logs for investigations.