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'.

Transparency, accountability 🙈

Pimeyes is seen to suffer from several key transparency and accountability limitations:

• Algorithmic black box. The company refuses to reveal how its algorithms work.

• Data collection and protection. PimEyes scrapes billions of images from across the internet without obtaining consent from the individuals in those photos. The company claims to only use uploaded photos temporarily for 48 hours, but there is little transparency around their data retention and protection practices.

• Legal accountability. PimEyes is legally based in Belize, likely to avoid stricter regulations in other jurisdictions. This makes it difficult to hold the company accountable under privacy laws like the EU's GDPR.

• Corporate governance. PimEyes appears reluctant to discuss its governance, including naming its directors and investors.

Risks, harms 🛑

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 since its launch for issues including the ease with which its system can be misused for harassment, stalking and surveillance. 

Research, advocacy 🧮

• Chan G. (2021). Towards a calibrated trust-based approach to the use of facial recognition technology

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://ipvm.com/reports/pimeyes-profile

• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13108627/I-tried-AI-face-scanning-app-dubbed-disturbing-site-internet-hunts-photos-never-knew-existed.html

• https://www.npr.org/2023/10/11/1204822946/facial-recognition-search-engine-ai-pim-eyes-google

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/05/14/pimeyes-facial-recognition-search-secrecy/