A face search engine anyone can use is alarmingly accurate

webecedarian · 10 Jun 2022, 10:54 AM

Since many of us here are interestied in privacy issues..

A face search engine anyone can use is alarmingly accurate
By Kashmir Hill

Unlike Clearview AI, a similar facial recognition tool available only to law enforcement, PimEyes does not include results from social media sites. The sometimes surprising images that PimEyes surfaced came instead from news articles, wedding photography pages, review sites, blogs and pornography sites. Most of the matches for the dozen journalists' faces were correct. For the women, the incorrect photos often came from pornography sites, which was unsettling in the suggestion that it could be them. (To be clear, it was not them.)...

"It's stalkerware by design no matter what they say," said Ella Jakubowska, a policy adviser at European Digital Rights, a privacy advocacy group.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/t...on-search.html

https://www.startribune.com/a-face-s...ate/600177603/

https://business-journal.in/technolo...iness-journal/

somdcomputerguy · 10 Jun 2022, 11:22 AM

This is interesting as well.

- bruce

Masonmax · 15 Apr 2026, 07:34 PM

I’ve played around with tools like face2social.com to double‑check where my own photos end up, and it was a bit of an eye-opener. It’s handy for spotting old accounts or reused pics, but it also reminds me how easy it is for this tech to be misused. Keeping an eye on what’s publicly searchable at least gives you a bit more control over your online footprint.

Bamb0 · 15 Apr 2026, 08:03 PM

Ya thats why AI is so bad!

Welcome to EMD

webecedarian · 2 May 2026, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masonmax

I?ve played around with tools like face2social.com to double‑check where my own photos end up, and it was a bit of an eye-opener. It?s handy for spotting old accounts or reused pics, but it also reminds me how easy it is for this tech to be misused. Keeping an eye on what?s publicly searchable at least gives you a bit more control over your online footprint.

I feel as if it's a given that almost all tech is going to be mis-used.

JeremyNicoll · 2 May 2026, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by webecedarian

I feel as if it's a given that almost all tech is going to be mis-used.

Imagine the furore when the innocents who invented the wheel realised it could be used to make war-chariots!!

10 Jun 2022, 10:54 AM	#1
webecedarian Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 564	A face search engine anyone can use is alarmingly accurate Since many of us here are interestied in privacy issues.. A face search engine anyone can use is alarmingly accurate By Kashmir Hill Unlike Clearview AI, a similar facial recognition tool available only to law enforcement, PimEyes does not include results from social media sites. The sometimes surprising images that PimEyes surfaced came instead from news articles, wedding photography pages, review sites, blogs and pornography sites. Most of the matches for the dozen journalists' faces were correct. For the women, the incorrect photos often came from pornography sites, which was unsettling in the suggestion that it could be them. (To be clear, it was not them.)... "It's stalkerware by design no matter what they say," said Ella Jakubowska, a policy adviser at European Digital Rights, a privacy advocacy group. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/t...on-search.html https://www.startribune.com/a-face-s...ate/600177603/ https://business-journal.in/technolo...iness-journal/

15 Apr 2026, 07:34 PM	#3
Masonmax Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2026 Posts: 0	I’ve played around with tools like face2social.com to double‑check where my own photos end up, and it was a bit of an eye-opener. It’s handy for spotting old accounts or reused pics, but it also reminds me how easy it is for this tech to be misused. Keeping an eye on what’s publicly searchable at least gives you a bit more control over your online footprint. Last edited by Masonmax : 25 Apr 2026 at 02:33 AM.

10 Jun 2022, 11:22 AM	#2
somdcomputerguy Cornerstone of the Community Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Rupert, WV Posts: 909	This is interesting as well. - bruce

15 Apr 2026, 08:03 PM	#4
Bamb0 The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: USA Posts: 2,376	Ya thats why AI is so bad! Welcome to EMD