With the exception of a checkbox allowing the researcher to indicate that the loaded face belongs to him, PimEyes does not do anything to enforce this purpose. Professor Helen Nissenbaum at Cornell University, who specialises in privacy issues, called this “absurd,” unless the site had a researcher presenting official identity, as Ms. Scarlett was required to do before she gave up.
A Face Search Engine Anyone Can Use is Alarmingly Accurate
Ms. Nissenbaum argued that “if it’s a valuable thing to do, to know where our faces are,” then a corporation that solely provides that service must be open and regulated.
Although PimEyes does not do such checks, Gobronidze has stated that an excessive number of searches per day (more than 1,000) will result in the site blocking the user’s access. He expects people to act ethically and has said that anyone who steals another person’s face without their consent is breaking European privacy law.
Those who use it “should be responsible,” he argued. We’re an instrument vendor, that’s all we do.
Ms. Scarlett said she had no intention of going public with what happened to her when she was 19 but felt compelled to do so after discovering the photographs had been leaked.
He remarked, “It would have been used against me.” I’m glad I was the one who discovered them, but I think my good fortune had a bigger role than PimEyes did. A thing like that has no business being in the world.
There are Always Exceptions to the Rule.
Mr. Gobronidze has stated that the sole acceptable use of PimEyes is for individual research, but he is open to other “ethical” applications. He endorsed the work of reporters doing in-depth investigations and the part performed by PimEyes in identifying the American group that attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The Times has internal guidelines for when and how its reporters might use facial recognition search engines in articles. To ensure that any requests to utilise facial recognition tools in reporting are in accordance with our standards and applicable legislation, we seek evaluation and approval from a senior member of the organisation and our legal department. The Times’s Spokesperson, Danielle Rhoades Ha, Said.
