Face recognition search engine PrimEyes bans Harward students behind Meta glasses surveillance demo

PimEyes has banned the accounts of two Harvard students after they showcased a disturbing demo using Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses to track people in real time. The students, AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio, created a system called I-XRAY, which utilizes facial recognition technology to instantly identify individuals, find personal information, and feed it back to a phone app.

Nguyen and Ardayfio released a video demonstrating how they used Meta’s smart glasses to capture live video on Instagram, then employed AI to detect faces. Their system scoured public databases for personal information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, and even relatives’ details. The duo said their intent was to raise awareness about the privacy risks posed by the easily accessible technology. Here’s a video of the demo:

This whole demo seems like something you’d see in a sci-fi movie, and it’s scary to know that this is already working in the real world. However, PimEyes, one of the services used in the demonstration, was not pleased. Giorgi Gobronidze, PimEyes’ director, expressed concern that the project could have irreversible consequences, by encouraging misuse of widely available tools. While PimEyes focuses on photographic analysis and not biometric facial recognition, Gobronidze pointed out that the students’ demo showed how PimEyes and other open-source technologies could be combined in harmful ways.

In response, PimEyes banned two accounts associated with the project and is investigating six more, as reported by Biometric Update. The company also announced it would be implementing stricter security measures to prevent future incidents. Although the students claim their project was designed to highlight potential privacy threats, PimEyes sees the demo as an example of how its technology could be weaponized.

Gobronidze emphasized that the misuse of PimEyes’ service goes against its terms of service, stating, “It is indeed frustrating to see someone misuse not only our technology but also other open-source tools and databases.” He further noted that more accurate facial recognition engines exist, and the problem is not limited to PimEyes. Similarly, responding to The Verge‘s request for comment, a Meta spokesperson simply highlighted the company’s terms of service which states the following:

You are also responsible for complying with all applicable laws when using MPT Products, including providing any notice to or obtaining any consents from other individuals who you interact with on your MPT Products as may be required under video recording, audio recording, biometric data, or other privacy or data protection laws.

This creepy demo has drawn attention to the growing privacy concerns surrounding smart glasses and facial recognition technology. As these tools become more accessible, questions about their potential misuse are becoming harder to ignore.