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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →How do I opt out of facial recognition? It depends on which service has your face. A request to suppress results in one provider’s search index is different from removing the photo from the website hosting it, and both are different from trying to limit how future recognition models learn from images. PimEyes, Clearview AI, and Fawkes address those separate problems; none is a web-wide deletion switch.
What does “opt out” mean here?
Facial-recognition tools can act on different parts of the process. A face-search provider may block results inside its own system, a website may remove the original photograph it hosts, and image-cloaking software may try to affect model training if used before images enter the relevant data. Those actions are not interchangeable.
- Suppress a search result: ask the service that returned it to block your face within that service.
- Remove the source photo: contact the website hosting the image. Changing a face-search index does not itself remove that image.
- Limit some future model training: apply image-cloaking software before images are included in training data; this is not a request to remove existing search results.
How do I remove my face from PimEyes search results?
PimEyes says it searches facial images on publicly accessible websites that allow indexing, while excluding social media and professional networks. It links to external sites and says it neither hosts nor controls the source content; see its Privacy & Ethics page.
Request an opt-out from PimEyes
PimEyes describes a free opt-out process that asks for a clear face photo, an anonymized image of a government-issued ID for identity verification, and an email address. The company says a successful request excludes the face from its search results. These are PimEyes’ stated requirements and outcome, not an independently verified test. Its instructions say that multiple requests may sometimes be useful because image and index combinations can differ; consult its current removal instructions for the process.
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PimEyes states that uploaded search photos are retained temporarily for no more than 48 hours and then automatically deleted. That is the company’s policy statement, not an independent audit finding. Review the current request requirements and decide whether you are comfortable providing the requested photo and identification before submitting.
What the PimEyes request does not do
PimEyes says an opt-out from its search results does not take the image off the website where it appears. In its words, “PimEyes does not automatically remove images from the internet.” To seek removal of a source image, contact the hosting website separately; whether it removes the image depends on its policies and applicable jurisdiction. A result disappearing from PimEyes therefore does not establish that the photo has been removed or that other services will stop finding it.
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What Clearview AI’s privacy routes cover
Clearview AI describes an automated opt-out form for Illinois residents. The company says Illinois-associated biometric information will be blocked from future searches through its app, but retained as long as required for legal information-preservation obligations. The stated route should not be read as a promise that every record is deleted; see Clearview’s Privacy & Requests page.
The same page lists access, deletion or opt-out, do-not-sell, correction, profiling opt-out, and appeal routes for residents of several named states. Eligibility and available choices depend on the applicable route, so check the company’s current page rather than assuming there is one opt-out procedure for everyone in the United States. Clearview’s described Illinois route concerns its app’s future searches; it is not a request to remove photos from the websites that host them.
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What Fawkes does—and why timing matters
Fawkes is software, not an opt-out form. Its authors describe a process that applies pixel-level “cloaks” locally to images, with the aim of disrupting recognition models trained using those images. The method depends on cloaked images being present before they enter the relevant training data; it does not ask a search provider to remove a face or an already-indexed result. See the authors’ 2020 paper, Fawkes: Protecting Privacy against Unauthorized Deep Learning Models.
The paper’s authors reported 95%+ protection in specified experiments and 80%+ protection in an experiment where some uncloaked images were available to the tracker. These are results from the paper’s 2020 test conditions, not guarantees for every recognition system, current commercial service, or image already processed elsewhere. They do not establish that cloaking will undo a previous upload or prevent all future recognition.
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Compare the three approaches
| Approach | Where it applies | What the user provides or does | Stated effect | What it leaves untouched | Evidence and limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PimEyes opt-out | PimEyes’ face-search results | Clear face photo, anonymized government ID image, and email, according to the company’s instructions | PimEyes says a successful request excludes the face from its results | The source image on its host website and results in other services | Provider-described process and outcome; not independently tested here |
| Clearview AI privacy request | For the described Illinois route, future searches through Clearview AI’s app involving Illinois-associated biometric information | Use the applicable privacy route; check the company’s current page for eligibility and request details | Clearview says the information will be blocked from future app searches | Information retained as required for legal preservation obligations; source photos on external websites | Provider statement; the listed routes and eligibility vary by state |
| Fawkes image cloaking | Images cloaked before they enter relevant model-training data | Apply the software locally to images before sharing or before their use in relevant training data | Its authors report experimental disruption of recognition models | Already-indexed search results and images processed without the cloak | Authors’ 2020 experiments; outcomes depend on the evaluated data and model conditions |
Choose the action that matches the problem
- Identify the service. If you saw a face-search result, note which provider displayed it. An opt-out at one company does not automatically apply to another.
- Use that provider’s current privacy or opt-out route. Check who qualifies, what information is requested, and whether the stated action blocks results, limits processing, or does something else.
- Decide whether the verification trade-off is acceptable. For PimEyes, the company describes a face photo and anonymized government-issued ID image as part of its request process.
- Contact the original host if you want the photograph removed. Find the linked source page and make a separate request to the website hosting the image. A face-search opt-out does not make that site delete its copy.
- Treat cloaking as preventive, not corrective. Fawkes is intended for images cloaked before relevant training data is assembled, and its published results are experimental rather than a universal guarantee.
What you can reasonably expect
These approaches solve different, limited problems. A platform opt-out changes visibility or processing within the provider’s system as that provider describes it; source-image removal must be pursued with the site that hosts the photo. A request may require sensitive verification information, and geographic eligibility can matter. Fawkes offers a research-based, forward-looking approach for prepared images, not a way to erase images already online or to guarantee immunity from recognition.
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