Sign up to save tools and stay up to date with the latest in AI
bg
bg
1

Massive facial recognition search engine now blocks searches for children’s faces

Oct 23, 2023 - theverge.com
PimEyes, a public search engine that uses facial recognition to match online photos of people, has banned searches of minors due to concerns about child safety. The company's new detection system uses age detection AI to identify if the person is a child, but it struggles to identify children photographed at certain angles and often fails to accurately detect teenagers. The feature was fully deployed after a New York Times article highlighted the threat AI poses to children. Human rights organizations can continue to search for minors, while all other searches will produce images that block children's faces.

The New York Times article also revealed that PimEyes had banned over 200 accounts for inappropriate searches of children. The service has been criticized for privacy violations, with one parent discovering unseen photos of her children on the site. To find the source of the image, users must pay a $29.99 monthly subscription fee. PimEyes is among several facial recognition engines under scrutiny for privacy violations, including Clearview AI, which is used by hundreds of law enforcement organizations with little oversight.

Key takeaways:

  • PimEyes, a public search engine using facial recognition, has banned searches of minors due to concerns about endangering children.
  • The company's new age detection AI system, designed to identify if a person is a child, is still in development and has been found to struggle with identifying children from certain angles or accurately detecting teenagers.
  • CEO Giorgi Gobronidze stated that human rights organizations working to help minors can continue to search for them, while all other searches will produce images that block children’s faces.
  • The service has previously banned over 200 accounts for inappropriate searches of children, and has been criticized for its lack of safeguards for children's privacy.
View Full Article

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment!