Artificial Intelligence has greatly impacted how we interact with the technologies available for years. For example, AI face recognition can now mimic human capabilities to identify human faces in digital photographs. What would you say if you could track down all your pictures online with just a single click? Thanks to PimEyes, this is now a reality.
In this age of the internet and social media, we often upload pictures on several websites, losing track of where they’ve been shared. Also, due to poor security measures and privacy protocols, digital photographs can be subjected to online leaks, unauthorized use, and exploitation.
Let’s face it: Can you be certain that your photos aren’t circulating online without your knowledge? Don’t worry; with PimEyes, you can find it out easily.
So, let’s dissect this unique AI sensation and determine whether it does what it claims. PimEyes review will also give you a better perspective on the potential misuse of the platform.
What is PimEyes? Overview:
PimEyes is a reverse image search engine platform that can locate pictures online using a reference photo. Users can upload their pictures, and the tool will conduct a deep search across the entire online space to find out the places where your pictures have been published.
PimEyes uses AI facial recognition technology to achieve this goal, which analyzes certain facial attributes in the uploaded photo and compares them with millions of pictures online. Based on the matched facial traits and measurements, it digs down the images bearing the closest resemblance.
PimEyes was created to allow people to manage their online presence effectively and safeguard their privacy. The platform uses cutting-edge machine-learning algorithms to identify the most accurate matches for a given photograph. According to the creators, PimEyes can help you combat the unauthorized use of personal images, scamming, and identity theft.
How Does PimEyes Work?
You must be wondering how PimEyes works. Well, it doesn’t maintain a database of online photos, nor has it been trained using internet-based images. Instead, it employs AI and Machine Learning to scan the extensive pool of publicly available online images.
All you need to do is upload a picture or pictures of the individual you wish to look up. Within seconds, PimEyes will present a selection of images bearing a strong resemblance, among which you can pinpoint your target.
Once you find the picture, here are the actions you can take:
- Open website – You can visit the website where this image has been posted.
- Open image – With the free version, you get a partially blurred version, but you can access the full picture with a premium account.
- Perform a search with this image – There is also an option to start a fresh search using the selected photo from the current results.
- Copy Result ID – You can save the result ID for future consideration.
- Exclude from public results – You can exclude the selected picture from the PimEyes public search.
It’s important to note that PimEyes only has access to images on the open web, excluding social media and video platforms. Also, it will not show the images protected by the privacy features of particular websites.
For instance, it won’t display images from private Instagram or Facebook accounts. Nevertheless, the platform does retain facial measurements obtained from the images it has surveyed on the internet.
Does PimEyes Work?
Now, the main question is whether PimEyes does the job. According to hundreds of PimEyes Reddit and Twitter reviews, the website is astonishingly accurate, and 9 out of 10 times, it can successfully locate the correct picture.
In my testing, I performed 9 searches using pictures of different individuals, including a baby, a man, a woman, and an elderly gentleman with distinctive facial wrinkles.
While most of the results were filled with irrelevant images, in six instances, I could locate at least one correct image of the person, even in the case of the old man. The output was even more accurate when I picked up an image from the primary result and conducted a new search.
I tested it using a professional portrait of myself from 2017 without facial hair. Since I don’t have any social media presence, I wasn’t expecting to find any of my pictures.
Shockingly, I found a photograph of me in a crowd at a public gathering 2018. What’s even more surprising is that the resulting image wasn’t even closely matched, as I had quite a lot of facial hair in that one.
According to the website, PimEye’s reverse search mechanism focuses on facial features rather than the whole picture. As a result, it will find your face wherever it appears, whether you’re in the background, among a crowd, or sporting a different hairstyle.
Features of PimEyes:
Here are some key features of PimEyes that can help you secure your internet presence:
1. Reverse Face Search:
PimEyes uses advanced AI face recognition technology to compare your picture’s smallest possible facial details with millions of photos online. Using deep learning models and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), PimEyes learns hierarchical features from images. The platform has been extensively trained to recognize patterns and attributes that differentiate one face from another.
2. Control Your Online Landscape:
Based on the details in the given photo, PimEyes conducts a deep search across the vast online landscape to identify precise matches. This allows you to track down the web destinations where your pictures are being used without your permission.
This is an effective approach to fighting the illegal use of digital imagery, which has become a common practice in online advertising. With just a few clicks, you can protect your privacy and maintain anonymity on the internet.
3. Exclude Yourself from PimEyes Search:
But what about the people who don’t wish to be found even on the PimEyes? PimEyes gives you an option to eliminate your photos from its search results. All you have to do is fill out a simple Opt-Out request form, upload a clear photo of yourself, and provide identity proof to wipe out your data from the platform.
The tool will conduct an internal reverse search using the facial details stored within its servers to locate all your images and remove them permanently (if available). As a result, your photos will never appear in any PimEyes search results.
4. Set Future Alerts:
The platform also offers a unique feature where you can set alerts for future detections in case PimEyes identifies any new photo with your face. Depending on your premium plan, you can configure 3, 15, or 500 PimEyes monthly alerts. Whenever the tool detects an image that resembles yours, it will send you an email notification—a great way to future-proof your online safety.
5. Take Down Your Photos:
With PimEyes, you not only find your pictures online, but in case of unauthorized use, you can also remove them from these websites. You can directly send takedown notices on your behalf by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in the United States and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union to request the removal of your photographs.
PimEyes offers a professional service where a representative from the company manages the takedown process for you. This service includes:
- Tracing the website administrators or owners where your images are being used.
- Drafting and dispatching multiple DMCA/GDPR takedown requests under your name.
- Monitoring the process and ensuring that the photos have been removed.
Note – You must be on a PROtect plan to use this feature.
How to use PimEyes?
Using PimEyes is extremely straightforward. All you have to do is go to the official website and register using your email account. Alternatively, you can sign in directly using a Google, Twitter, or Facebook account. Please note that you must be above 18 years of age to use the PimEyes website legally.
Upon successful registration, you will be redirected to the homepage, where you can start searching for images, change the platform language, manage your profile, initiate the Opt-Out process, etc. Interestingly, PimEyes is available in six languages – English, Spanish, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, and Japanese.
To access your profile, click on the My Account icon in the top-right corner. From here, you can:
- View and modify your account details
- Monitor your PimEyes search activities
- Access the search history and navigate to any previous result you want
- Set alerts for future image detection
- Manage your PROtect membership
- Modify account details
- Fill out the Takedown request form and send it for verification.
- Export search results
To initiate the search:
- Simply select the Search option from the homepage, upload the images you wish to examine, and let the AI do the magic.
- You can also take a picture using your camera, turn on Safe Search to exclude adult content from the results, and initiate Deep Search for advanced scanning.
- In a few seconds, all the related images will be highlighted on the screen, where you can choose the appropriate action, as discussed earlier in this guide.
Note – If the person’s face is not clearly in the picture, the tool will not accept it and will prompt you to reupload it. Ensure the image you upload is high quality, with every facial detail visible.
How Much Does PimEyes Cost?
PimEyes offers three premium plans to its users – Open Plus, Protect, and Advanced. Unfortunately, there is no PimEyes free trial. However, you can check out its search capabilities with a free account. But to access the output images and their source, you must have a premium account. Here is the price breakdown:
1. OpenPlus – $35.39/month:
- 25 image searches/day
- Locate the images and websites where the images have been published
- Up to 3 PimEyes alerts/month for future detections
- Dedicated customer support
2. PROtect – $47.19/month:
- 25 image searches every day
- Access the full images and the source of the images (Websites, blogs, etc.)
- Up to 15 PimEyes future alerts/month
- Priority support
- Manage current and future results
- Compose and dispatch up to 80 DMCA and GDPR Takedown Notices on your behalf.
3. Advanced – $353.99/month:
- Unlimited searches every day
- Locate the source of the output images
- Up to 500 PimEyes alerts for future detections
- Dedicated support
- Deep search for more advanced results
- Export your results in CSV and PDF
- Manage current and future results
- Send up to 80 DMCA and GDPR Takedown Notices on your behalf
Note – Many websites on the internet claim to provide PimEyes mod APKs for Android and various PimEyes free hacks. It’s advisable not to download any third-party software onto your device, as these websites could potentially attempt to access your data. Use PimEyes only through its official website.
Is PimEyes Legal?
Coming to the very important topic – Is using a platform like PimEyes legally acceptable? Unsurprisingly, the platform is being used mostly for unethical purposes. Anyone can submit a picture of an individual and gain access to information about them online.
Creators claim that they are doing everything to curb the abuse of the platform, but the reality is that every day, thousands of people upload pictures of others, trying to find their whereabouts.
Online face recognition is considered unlawful, as it allows people to stalk others and access their photos without consent. In short, PimEyes is a highly dangerous platform that can be a big threat to the privacy of millions of people around the world.
Notably, in November, the privacy advocacy group Big Brother Watch submitted a complaint to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), alleging that PimEyes is letting people stalk on millions of UK citizens. As of now, we haven’t seen any legal actions against the platform, but the future of the website is uncertain.
Frequently asked questions:
Yes. You can use the free PimEyes version to track down your photos online. However, you only get 5 searches/day.
PimEyes offers a deep search feature with its Advanced plan, where the crawler thoroughly searches millions of websites to find your photos.
It’s simple. Sign up using your email to search for the images immediately. Please beware of the websites offering PimEyes mod APKs or PimEyes free hacks, as they might try to take advantage.
TinEye and Google Lens are the two best free alternatives to PimEyes. However, the quality of their outputs might not be on par with PimEyes.
PimEyes uses AI face recognition technology to identify specific facial attributes and measurements, which helps it to discover exactly similar images on the internet.
If you don’t wish your images not to surface in PimEyes’ search results, you can fill out a PimEyes Opt-Out form, and all your images will be removed from the website’s servers.
Conclusion:
PimEyes proves at least one thing – AI is scarcely dangerous. While on paper, the tool doesn’t violate any privacy guidelines, as it scans pictures that are available on the open web and not covered by any privacy features, avoiding certain social media platforms.
However, in my testing, I located some photos from the lesser-known social networking and microblogging sites, which raises serious safety concerns. From a personal security standpoint, you can hunt down your pictures that are being used without your permission, but the tool has made it very easy for stalkers to trace any individual.
I am an engineer by education, tech writer by profession, and a motor sport fan by heart.