Violation of the AI Act

The EU’s AI Act clearly states the following regarding facial recognition: “AI systems that create or expand databases for facial recognition by indiscriminately harvesting facial images from the internet or from surveillance footage.”

That’s exactly what the company PimEyes does, and apparently no one cares. We, too, have already reported critically on this company — which is now owned by a Georgian entrepreneur — on several occasions. On PimEyes, anyone who agrees to the terms of service can search for any photos of faces. This strips everyone of their privacy. No one can prevent themselves from appearing in any photos that someone else has posted online.

The aforementioned ban has been in effect since February 2, 2025, but no one in the EU feels obligated to enforce it. Since the summer of 2026, Germany has had a law that gives the Federal Network Agency the authority to address violations of the AI Act. However, when asked by Netzpolitik.org, the agency simply states: “Please understand that we do not comment on planned or ongoing proceedings.”

A first step would be to simply request information from PimEyes about its activities. After all, the first thing to determine is whether — as we assume — there has been a violation of the AI Act...

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Read more https://netzpolitik.org/2026/gesichtersuchmaschine-pimeyes-ein-verbot-das-niemand-durchsetzt/

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