PimEyes facial recognition search engine

PimEyes is a tool that enables users to upload and search for matching images on the web . It uses facial recognition technology to create geometric 'faceprints' of images submitted and found online. Created in 2017 by Polish software developers Łukasz Kowalczyk and Denis Tatina, PimEyes was commercialised in 2020 and purchased in 2021 by Georgian academic Giorgi Gobronidze. The tool started life as a way for stalkers and others to pry into the lives of celebrities, before pivoting to become a product marketed as a way for people to protect themselves against 'scammers, identity thieves, or people who use your image illegally'. PimEyes may market itself as a way to protect privacy but it is also seen as a privacy threat . The company's facial recognition system has been dogged by controversy s ince its launch for issues including the ease with which its system can be misused for harassment , stalking and surveillance. September 2023. PimEyes used to identify anonymous porn stars May 2023. PimEyes sued in Illinois, USA, for privacy violations March 2023. PimEyes steals images of dead people to train facial recognition system December 2022. German privacy watchdog investigates PimEyes for privacy abuse November 2022. UK pressure group accuses PimEyes of surveillance, privacy abuse July 2022. PimEyes includes 'potentially explicit' kids photos in search results May 2022. PimEyes can identify people wearing sunglasses, hats and face masks May 2022. PimEyes scrapes and uses non-consensual, explicit photos June 2020. PimEyes scrapes facial images from social media platforms

Organisation involved

PimEyes

Product, system or model

PimEyes

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