PimEyes Face Finder: This website is causing discussions

As technology advances, new frontiers are constantly being reached - and sometimes crossed, even if the risks are definitely worth mentioning. The latest example of this is called PimEyes.

Anonymity at risk? The way PimEyes works is still likely to make high waves.

PimEyes originates from Poland and has existed for several years, but has grown constantly and is only now reaching a level of awareness that is causing public debate.

PimEyes: That's why the Face Finder is being sharply criticized

PimEyes is a so-called Face Finder. This is a search engine that searches the web for photos of the same face by uploading a face photo. And it is precisely this that calls many critics to the scene:

• For example, anyone who wants to keep their professional and private lives separate, such as through social media profiles without clear names, this separation may be jeopardized by PimEyes. Because the assignment of a Xing account to a Facebook profile with a different name, but recognizably similar photos, is easily possible with PimEyes.
• The risk of unwanted "outings" is thus not to be dismissed out of hand. At the same time, the significance of photos, no matter on which channels, gets a whole new dimension, and that even in the negative. For example, piquant private photos posted many years ago under a pseudonym can be linked to real names.
• PimEyes is permanently searching the net for more photos, so that the biometric database is constantly growing. Already today, the search for faces on PimEyes is more productive than on Goole.
• Officially, PimEyes rejects all accusations and argues that the search engine would be a means of digital self-defense, since people can use it to find out in which places on the Internet their face can be found.

However, since every user can also upload strangers' faces for searching, this argumentation is theoretical at best. There is practically no mechanism that prevents unauthorized or unwanted searches for other people's faces. The fact that the official explanation is probably only flimsy is also suggested by the payment models, with which users can start several hundred million queries per month in some cases. To what extent such volumes should only be credible for the search for one's own face may at least be questioned.