AI is everywhere these days, and there's a controversial website that uses it to track down every photo that exists of you on the internet.
Before you go running off to see if it works, perhaps read on and take note of the warnings first.
PimEyes is an AI-powered tool that first emerged as a hobby project in 2017 and became commercialized in 2019.
It can scan the entire web for any photo of a person, simply by uploading a picture of their face.
While the service claims to help users protect themselves from identity theft and unauthorized use of their images, it has drawn intense backlash for its potential to be exploited for malicious purposes.
PimEyes operates similarly to Google’s reverse image search, but uses advanced AI to speed up the process and provide more comprehensive results.
For a monthly subscription, ranging from £30.99 ($42) to £300.99 ($407), users are granted access to this powerful tool, which also offers services like drafting takedown notices to remove images found without consent.
Despite the seemingly protective nature of the website, many critics argue that it has a darker side, particularly when it comes to stalkers, cybercriminals, and doxxing.
A key point of contention is how easily PimEyes could be used to track and harass individuals.
As one prominent software engineer and former Apple developer, Cher Scarlett, shared her experience: “Just last week, someone PimEyes'd me and threatened me," per CNN.
She explained that her face was found in a sex trafficking video from 2005, which had resurfaced thanks to the website.
"This company is a privacy and security mess,” Scarlett added. PimEyes has been dubbed a “stalker’s dream,” with critics saying the platform's ability to identify people from a single image could be used to facilitate harassment, doxxing, or worse.
In response to this growing backlash, Giorgi Gobronidze, the owner of PimEyes since its acquisition in 2022, has defended the website, stating that it’s the responsibility of users, not the platform, to be aware of the risks, per German outlet Netzpolitik.
"If I am stalking someone I will do it with or without PimEyes," he argued. “It is the user who is the stalker, not the search engine."
Gobronidze further explained that PimEyes now operates behind a paywall and offers an opt-out feature, allowing individuals to have their images removed from the database.
However, privacy watchdogs in the UK, Germany, and the U.S. remain critical of the site, with some calling it a tool that could fundamentally alter privacy as we know it.
In addition to its troubles with privacy groups, PimEyes has had run-ins with governments.
For instance, Germany fined the site for "massive endangerment of the rights and freedoms of citizens" due to its failure to meet data protection regulations under the GDPR.
Despite the scrutiny, Gobronidze remains defiant, telling The Sun that no privacy violations were found by authorities in the U.S. and UK, adding: "I would really like to know what is the real motive of so-called vigilant activists."
While some influencers, like Kristen Ruby, have admitted that PimEyes serves as a useful tool for identifying where their images are being used without permission, the broader implications of its use remain a cause for concern.
Ruby stated: “The tool is controversial — but it is one of the best tools for finding who has used my face without my consent. I then send takedown notices... It’s disturbing but extremely valuable.”