How face-search engines find your photos
Face-search engines collect photos from publicly accessible web pages, convert each face into a numeric signature, and keep those signatures in a searchable index. When someone uploads a photo, the engine compares its signature with the index and returns links to pages showing similar faces. PimEyes and FaceCheck.ID both offer opt-out forms. An opt-out changes the engine's results, not the websites that host the photos.
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General information, not legal advice. This page has not yet been reviewed by a lawyer; check the linked primary sources before relying on it.
Key takeaways
- A face-search engine matches faces, not names, so a photo can be found even when your name is not on the page.
- The engine stores a numeric signature of each face and links back to the page where the photo was found.
- PimEyes and FaceCheck.ID have opt-out forms that require a photo of your face and proof that it is you.
- Clearview AI is offered to investigative agencies and accepts privacy requests from residents of certain US states.
- Opting out does not remove the original photo. Only the hosting website can do that.
From a photo on a web page to a search result
- Collection. The engine gathers images from publicly reachable web pages. PimEyes says it operates only on publicly available content that is allowed to be indexed, and FaceCheck.ID says its images are indexed from public web pages.
- Conversion. Software converts each face into a set of numbers. PimEyes calls these face fingerprints and says they are the only data it stores. The Dutch data protection authority describes Clearview AI as converting each photo into a unique biometric code per face.
- Search. A user uploads a photo, and the engine compares its signature with the index. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology evaluates this as one-to-many (1:N) identification: a search image is compared with the templates of images enrolled in a gallery.
- Results. The engine shows the closest matches and links to the source pages. PimEyes notes that the images it links to are hosted on external websites.
Because the match is made on the face, the page does not need to mention your name. A group photo on a club website or an old news article can be found from one clear picture of you.
Who runs these engines and who can use them
PimEyes and FaceCheck.ID are open to the public. Clearview AI works differently. According to the Dutch data protection authority, Clearview offers its service to intelligence and investigative agencies, and built a database of more than 30 billion photos by scraping them automatically from the internet. In September 2024 the authority fined Clearview 30.5 million euros, finding that it should never have built the database and was not transparent with the people in it.
Why the law treats a face signature differently from a photo
A photo is an image. A face signature is a measurement used to tell one person from another, which is why several laws regulate it more strictly. The Dutch authority compared Clearview's face codes to fingerprints and classed them as biometric data. In the United States, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act lists a scan of face geometry as a biometric identifier, while stating that photographs are not, and requires a private entity to inform a person in writing before collecting one. This is general information, not legal advice.
How to opt out
- PimEyes. The opt-out form asks for a clear photo of your face, an anonymised scan of your ID or passport, and an email address. PimEyes recommends more than one photo to cover different angles, and says the photo is not used beyond the opt-out request and its legal obligations.
- FaceCheck.ID. On the removal page, you search with your own photo, select the results that show you, and confirm with a selfie or, if you cannot take one, an anonymised ID document. FaceCheck.ID says removal is free and that selected photos are hidden immediately.
- Clearview AI. The privacy request page lists forms by US state. Illinois residents can opt out of appearing in Clearview search results. Residents of California and several other states, including Colorado, Connecticut and Virginia, can submit access and deletion requests.
Opting out means giving the engine a photo of your face and, for PimEyes, an ID with everything except your photo and name covered. Decide whether that trade is acceptable to you before you start.
What an opt-out does not do
- It does not remove the original photo. PimEyes states that it cannot take a photo down from the website where it was posted.
- It applies to one engine. Each engine keeps its own index and needs its own request.
- It works only on what the engine can match, so it is worth searching again after a few months.
What you can do yourself
These steps are free and do not need UltoPulto.
- Search for your own face on the public engines. PimEyes says free searches show that matches exist but limit access to the source links.
- For each result, ask the source website to remove the photo, or remove it yourself if you control the account.
- Submit the PimEyes opt-out form with several photos and a redacted ID.
- Use FaceCheck.ID's Remove My Photos page to select and remove your results.
- If you live in Illinois, California or another listed state, use Clearview AI's request forms.
- Make social profiles private where you can, and search again every few months.
What UltoPulto can do
- Guide you through the PimEyes and FaceCheck.ID opt-outs step by step. Their terms forbid automation and require your own photo, so you submit the request and we track the case.
- Re-check after you submit, to confirm the result is gone and to catch re-listing.
- Re-scan on a schedule and alert you to anything new.
- Create your face signature in your own browser, so the photo stays on your device. The models are being added to the public build.
- Image cloaking for photos before you post them.
What UltoPulto cannot do
- Submit a PimEyes or FaceCheck.ID opt-out for you. Their terms require you to do it with your own photo.
- Remove the original photo from a website that refuses to take it down.
- Check engines that are closed to the public, such as Clearview AI, to see whether you are in them.
- Guarantee that a photo published in future will not be indexed.
Sources
- 1Opt-Out Request FormPimEyes
- 2PimEyes FAQPimEyes
- 3How to Delete Your Photos from FaceCheck.ID Search EngineFaceCheck.ID
- 4Privacy & RequestsClearview AI
- 5Dutch DPA imposes a fine on Clearview because of illegal data collection for facial recognitionAutoriteit Persoonsgegevens (Dutch Data Protection Authority)
- 6Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14)Illinois General Assembly
- 7Face Recognition Technology Evaluation (FRTE) 1:N IdentificationNational Institute of Standards and Technology
Questions
Can a face-search engine find me if my name is not on the photo?
Yes. The match is made by comparing a numeric signature of your face with signatures in the engine's index, so a name is not needed.
Do face-search engines store my photos?
It depends on the engine. PimEyes says the only data it stores is face fingerprints of photos found on publicly available websites, and that it links to images hosted on external sites.
Does opting out delete the photo from the internet?
No. An opt-out removes or blocks results in that engine. The photo stays on the website that hosts it until that website removes it.
Is face search legal?
It depends on the place. The Dutch data protection authority fined Clearview AI 30.5 million euros in 2024 under the GDPR, and Illinois law requires written notice before a private entity collects a scan of face geometry.