PimEyes

Tool Description : Facial recognition and reverse image search tool.

PimEyes

Quick Overview

URL

https://pimeyes.com/en

What it does

Searches the web for images of a person using facial recognition.

How to use it

Upload face, search, then review matches.

Cost

Partially free.

Account required

No for basic use. Yes for full functionality.

A mix of functional session cookies and high-level cross-platform tracking cookies.

Ownership

Owned and acquired by Georgian security scholar & academic Giorgi Gobronidze in 2021, operated through Dubai based company EMEARobotics.

Use in Reporting

Useful for identification and verification with strict ethical considerations.

What does PimEyes do?

PimEyes uses facial recognition technology to scan the internet for images that match a submitted face. It identifies visually similar faces across publicly available images, helping users find where a person appears online, even across different contexts or time periods.

The lowdown: It’s a powerful facial recognition tool for finding where a person appears online, best used for targeted investigations.

Note: Despite ownership's stance on ethical use, the service has been heavily criticized for potential misuse as "stalkerware" because it allows users to search for anyone’s face.

How to Use:

1. Upload a clear image of a face and run the search to review matching results.

2. Analyse links and sources to verify identity or image usage. You’ll need to upgrade to paid.

Cost

Free
Partially Free
Paid

Free for basic use. Paid subscriptions for full results, links, and alerts.

Data Processing

Account Required:

No for basic use. Yes for full functionality.

Cookies:

Cookies used are mainly third-party tracking and session identifiers from major platforms (Google, Twitter/X, Facebook), used to manage logins, remember user preferences, and track behaviour across sites. The PimEyes-specific ttcsid cookies handle session tracking and user interaction on the platform, while others (like SSID, UULE, xs) enable cross-site tracking, personalization, and ad targeting.

Overall, this is a mix of functional session cookies and high-level cross-platform tracking cookies.

Use in Reporting

PimEyes is useful to:

Identify individuals across multiple online sources.
Verify whether images of a person are authentic or reused.
Track online presence of individuals (journalists, suspects, public figures).
Support investigations into impersonation, fraud, or misinformation.

As a real-world example, PimEyes was used by a journalist to help locate Daniela Klette (RAF fugitive) after decades on the run. It’s also controversially been used by the Met Police to help identify suspects or persons of interest.

Note: It’s a high-risk tool that requires strong editorial and ethical oversight.

Capabilities

Limitations

Advanced facial recognition search.

Ethical and legal concerns around privacy, consent and misuse.

Finds visually similar faces across the web.

Not always accurate. False positives possible.

Works even with different angles, lighting, or ageing.

Limited access without payment.

Can uncover hidden or lesser-known image sources.

Does not confirm identity, only similarity.

Alerting/monitoring features on the paid version.

Some regions/platforms may block or limit results.

Summary

PimEyes is most effective in the OSINT workflow during verification and identification, after initial discovery but before deeper analysis. However, it carries significant ethical, legal, and accuracy considerations.

Ownership

PimEyes is owned by Giorgi Gobronidze, a Georgian security scholar and academic who acquired the facial recognition search engine in 2021. The platform is operated through EMEARobotics, a company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.