PimEyes gets an update and new features

On July 12 PimEyes got a major update that might be considered as a game changer in facial recognition industry. The new search engine that has been launched significantly increases not only search speed, but accuracy. As a result, it is possible to say that PimEyes is worlds fastest and the most accurate facial recognition tool available to public. However, with bigger power comes increased responsibility and therefore PimEyes has not improved facial recognition capacity, but also added several features to user panel in order to ensure ethical usage of the engine.

The first novelty what the user will notice is totally redesigned upload and search mechanics. When the photo is uploaded, the system evaluates its quality and user knows if the suited to perform search, or not. Besides of the mentioned, user can upload multiple photo in order to create more complex set of index and therefore, increase search accuracy.

Alongside with the aforementioned PimEyes offers two types of search to free users. Now, user can select safe search, which excludes possible adult content from results. This feature is available for both, free and paid users and provides them an additional tool to control their data in PimEyes search results.

PimEyes doesn't label index material to identify individuals. As it is stated in the Privacy Policy of the company, PimEyes never attaches identity of users to the search, or index material. The AI has never been trained to determine age, sex, race, ethnic origin, or any other information of the people that are presented on search photos. The only thing what PimEyes searches for is the publicly available URL address, which might be hosting the image of the user. Accordingly, all that user gets is the information about his/her presence on the internet. In other words, user gets information about the public websites that use their images.

Notwithstanding the mentioned, PimEyes believes that every person has "right to be forgotten" and right to control data related to them. Therefore, alongside with opt-out form, which has been moved to more visible part of the web site interface, PimEyes has simplified feature to remove and permanently block a certain images from the search results. Before the update users had to copy the ID of a certain search result to the clipboard and paste in according form, which was publicly available on the web site.

After the update removal request became a single click feature. Like before, after the update user doesn't need account, or subscription to perform removal of the result. After free search is done, user will find under each result a button "exclude from public results".

However it is worth to mention that removal and blocking of a certain image from PimEyes' search results doesn't make the image to disappear from the internet. It still remains on its original source and is still accessible for public, but it is not picked up by the search engine.

Notwithstanding the fact that the company has been targeted multiple times, and has been accused in extortionist approach to the users (according to some media outlets and activists removal of certain images, or opt-out from the system is a part of PimEyes' paid services) these features have always been publicly available and they have always been free. As far as everyone has right to control their data and the possibility to exercise their rights can not be part of a service.