PimEyes
PimEyes is a facial recognition search website that allows users to identify all images on the internet of a person given a sample image. The website is owned by EMEARobotics, a corporation based in Dubai. The owner and CEO of EMEARobotics and PimEye is Giorgi Gobronidze, who is based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
History[edit]
PimEyes was launched in 2017 by a Polish start-up owned by its creators, Polish software engineers Lucasz (also Lukasz) Kowalczyk and Denis Tatina.[1][2] In 2017, Giorgi Gobronidze, a Georgian law academic, met the website's creators at a university in Poland. He said he used the website for academic research.[2]
In 2020, the PimEyes brand was purchased by the shell corporation Face Recognition Solutions Ltd, moving the website's headquarter from Poland to Seychelles, a popular tax haven.[2][1] It was marketed as a cyberstalking tool to use on photos of celebrities.[3][4]
In December 2021, Gobronidze said he purchased the website from an anonymous owner, using a shell corporation he registered in Dubai that same month.[3][2][1]
According to a lawsuit filed in Edwardsville, Illinois alleging violations of the Biometric Information Privacy Act, corporations legally linked to the PimEyes brand include Pimeyes Sp. Z O.O, Transaction Cloud, Inc., Carribex LTD., and Public Mirror SP. Z O.O.[5] Carribex LTD is based in Belize, and is used as the contact for questions about PimEyes' rules.[6]
Legal inquiries and lawsuits[edit]
PimEyes has been the subject of legal inquiries and lawsuits in Europe and the United States. In November 2022, the privacy advocacy group Big Brother Watch filed a complaint with the United Kingdom's data and privacy watchdog.[7]
In December 2022, Germany's privacy watchdog opened proceedings against PimEyes.[8][9]
In May 2023, five plaintiffs filed a privacy lawsuit against PimEyes in Illinois.[5]
Criticism[edit]
Privacy of children[edit]
PimEyes has been criticized for the ability for users to search for children and the return of potential explicit material containing children. In October 2023, PimEyes launched age-detection algorithms blocking the search of images of children.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Harwell, Drew (2021-05-14). "This facial recognition website can turn anyone into a cop — or a stalker". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ a b c d Hill, Kashmir (May 26, 2022). "A Face Search Engine Anyone Can Use Is Alarmingly Accurate". The New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Hvistendahl, Mara (2022-07-16). "Facial Recognition Search Engine Pulls Up "Potentially Explicit" Photos of Kids". The Intercept. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ Laufer, Daniel; Sebastian (2020-07-10). "PimEyes: A Polish company is abolishing our anonymity". netzpolitik.org (in German). Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ a b Nghiem, Andy. "Illinois residents allege facial image search engine violates BIPA". Madison - St. Clair Record. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ Nash, | Jim (2022-11-08). "Complaint filed against PimEyes in UK as facial recognition web search options grow | Biometric Update". www.biometricupdate.com. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ Vallance, Chris (November 8, 2022). "Stalking fears over PimEyes facial search engine". BBC. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Morrish, Lydia. "A Face Recognition Site Crawled the Web for Dead People's Photos". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ Meldungen, Gepostet von Pressestelle | 21 Dezember 2022 | Aktuelle; Datenschutz; Pressemitteilungen; Slider (2022-12-21). "PimEyes: LfDI eröffnet Bußgeldverfahren - Der Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg" (in German). Retrieved 2023-12-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Hill, Kashmir (October 23, 2023). "Face Search Engine PimEyes Blocks Searches of Children's Faces".
- ^ Metz, Rachel (May 4, 2021). "Anyone can use this powerful facial-recognition tool — and that's a problem". CNN. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Harwell, Drew (May 14, 2021). "This facial recognition website can turn anyone into a cop — or a stalker". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Hines, Alice (February 2, 2021). "How Normal People Deployed Facial Recognition on Capitol Hill Protesters". Vice.
- ^ Mott, Nathaniel (May 27, 2022). "This Facial Recognition Site Is Creeping Everyone Out". PC Mag. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ Wakefield, Jane (June 11, 2020). "PimEyes facial recognition website 'could be used by stalkers'". BBC. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
External References[edit]
- PimEyes web site