PimEyes Opt Out 2026: How to Remove Your Face From Face Search

To opt out of PimEyes in 2026, go to pimeyes.com/en/opt-out-request-form, upload a clear frontal photo of your face, upload a redacted government ID (blur your name, address, DOB, and ID number — leave only your face visible), enter your email, and submit. PimEyes verifies your identity and blocks matching results within 3 to 7 business days in most cases (up to 45 days under CCPA). The process is completely free.

What Is PimEyes?

PimEyes is a publicly available reverse face search engine that crawls the internet and indexes photos containing human faces. Unlike Clearview AI, which is restricted to law enforcement, PimEyes is available to anyone with a subscription. Users upload a photo of any face and receive links to websites where that face appears — including social profiles, news articles, blog posts, dating apps, event pages, and obscure corners of the web you may have forgotten.

The service works by generating a biometric faceprint from each indexed photo and matching it against uploaded queries. PimEyes does not just store your photos — it stores a mathematical representation of your unique facial features, which is more sensitive than the photos themselves.

Why You Should Opt Out of PimEyes

The risks of a searchable face on PimEyes are real:

• Stalking and harassment — anyone with a public photo of you can locate your online presence and identity in seconds
• Doxxing — bad actors can connect your face to your real name, workplace, and social media accounts
• Identity theft — your photos can be used to impersonate you or bypass identity verification systems that rely on selfie liveness checks
• Loss of anonymity — even if you use pseudonyms online, PimEyes can link your anonymous profiles to your real identity through shared photos
• Deepfake material — high-resolution indexed photos of your face are exactly the training data deepfake tools consume

How to Opt Out of PimEyes: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Check If Your Face Is in PimEyes

Before submitting an opt-out, confirm that PimEyes has indexed your face. Go to pimeyes.com and use the free search feature to upload a clear photo of yourself. If results appear showing your face on various websites, your biometric data is in their system and you should proceed with the opt-out process.

Step 2: Visit the Official Opt-Out Form

Navigate to pimeyes.com/en/opt-out-request-form. This is the only legitimate way to request removal of your biometric data. Do not pay a third-party reputation service for PimEyes removal — they submit the exact same free form.

Step 3: Upload a Clear Photo of Your Face

Upload a high-quality photo of your face. For the best match rate:

• Use a well-lit, full-face photo with nothing covering your face or eyes
• Avoid sunglasses, masks, or heavy makeup that alters your appearance
• Submit multiple photos showing different angles, lighting, and time periods — one photo alone often will not match every indexed image of you

Step 4: Upload an Anonymized ID Document

PimEyes requires an anonymized scan of a government-issued ID (passport, driver's license, or national ID card) to verify that you are the person in the photos. Before uploading, use a photo editor or dedicated ID-redaction tool to:

• Blur or cover your full name
• Blur or cover your address
• Blur or cover your ID number, date of birth, and any barcodes or QR codes
• Leave only the photo on the ID visible

PimEyes states that ID documents are used solely for verification and retained no more than 96 hours — but redacting sensitive fields is still the right move, and reduces rejection risk if their reviewer flags exposed personal data.

Step 5: Provide Your Email Address

Enter a valid email you can access — you will receive confirmation when the process is complete and follow-up requests if PimEyes needs a clearer photo. Disposable email services often fail because the confirmation link expires within hours.

Step 6: Submit and Wait

After submitting, PimEyes verifies the face on your ID matches the uploaded photo, runs a search using your image, and adds every match above their similarity threshold to a permanent blocklist. Those results are removed from the search index. Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, PimEyes is legally required to complete the process within 45 days — but in practice most requests are processed in 3 to 7 business days. Busy periods can stretch to two to three weeks.

Why PimEyes Rejects Opt-Out Requests (and How to Avoid It)

The single most common complaint about the PimEyes opt-out is a request that comes back rejected or simply goes quiet. Nearly every rejection traces back to one of these five problems:

• Over-redacted ID. People blur the entire document, including the ID photo. The reviewer needs to compare the face on your ID to the face in your submitted photo — if the ID photo is blurred, the request fails. Redact the text fields, never the face.
• Mismatched photo and ID. A ten-year-old passport photo compared against a current selfie can fall below the matching threshold. Submit a photo taken close to the same era as your ID, or use a more recent ID.
• Low-quality or partial face photo. Group shots, profile angles, sunglasses, hats, and heavy shadows all reduce the match score. Use a straight-on, well-lit photo where your whole face is visible.
• Screenshots instead of documents. A phone photo of a screen, a heavily compressed image, or a cropped ID often gets flagged. Upload a flat, in-focus scan or photo of the physical document.
• Unreachable email. Disposable inboxes and aggressive spam filters swallow the confirmation and follow-up messages. Use a real inbox and check the spam folder for the first 72 hours.

If your request is rejected, you can resubmit immediately — there is no penalty or cooldown. Fix the flagged issue, attach a clearer photo, and reference your original request ID in the message field so the reviewer can see the history.

What Happens After You Opt Out?

Once processed, your face no longer appears in PimEyes search results. Matched URLs and image hashes go on a permanent blocklist, so both current and future searches by any user should not return your face.

Important limitations:

• Original images remain online. PimEyes only removes results from its own index. The actual photos still exist on the sites where they were originally posted.
• New photos may be indexed. If new images of your face are posted after your opt-out, they may be scraped and indexed again. Submit additional opt-outs every 6 to 12 months.
• Not all matches get caught in one pass. Different photos produce different index combinations, so some images may slip through a single request.
• The blocklist is not shared with other services. Opting out of PimEyes has no effect on Clearview AI, FaceCheck.ID, or any other facial-recognition search engine.

How Long Does the Opt-Out Take?

PimEyes retains uploaded verification data for no more than 96 hours while processing your request. Actual index removal typically takes 3 to 7 business days, with a legal ceiling of 45 days under CCPA. If you have not heard back after 14 days, follow up using the support address in the confirmation email — and reference your original request ID.

Additional Steps to Protect Your Facial Privacy

Opting out of PimEyes is one part of protecting your biometric privacy:

• Opt out of other facial recognition services. Clearview AI (via their CCPA request form) and FaceCheck.ID (via their opt-out portal) maintain separate databases. Submit removal requests to each.
• Reduce your online photo footprint. Set social media profiles to private, remove tagged photos, and ask friends and family not to post identifiable photos of you publicly.
• Reverse image search yourself. Use Google Images and TinEye to find where your photos appear online and request removal from those sites directly.
• Remove your data from people-search sites. Brokers like Spokeo, BeenVerified, and Radaris often display profile photos alongside personal information, making it easier for facial recognition systems to link a face to a name, address, and family tree.

How PrivacyOn Can Help

While PimEyes requires a direct opt-out request you have to handle yourself, most of the data that makes facial recognition dangerous comes from data broker and people-search sites that link your photos to your real name, address, and family members. PrivacyOn automates removal of your personal information from 100+ data broker sites, cutting off the data points facial recognition systems need to build a profile on you.

With continuous monitoring, automatic re-removal when your data reappears, and 24/7 dark web scanning, PrivacyOn is an ongoing layer that complements your direct opt-out with PimEyes. Plans start at $8.33/month and cover up to 5 family members. Run a free PrivacyOn scan to see where your exposure is today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is opting out of PimEyes free?

Yes. The official opt-out form at pimeyes.com/en/opt-out-request-form is completely free. Any third-party service charging you specifically for PimEyes removal is running the same free form on your behalf.

Do I have to give PimEyes my government ID to opt out?

Yes — PimEyes requires an anonymized ID scan to verify you are the person in the photos, which prevents malicious opt-outs of other people. Blur your name, address, date of birth, ID number, and any barcodes. Only your photo needs to be visible, and PimEyes retains the document for no more than 96 hours.

How long does PimEyes take to remove my results?

Most opt-out requests are processed within 3 to 7 business days. Busy periods can stretch to two to three weeks, and the CCPA legal ceiling is 45 days. Follow up via the confirmation email if you have not heard back after 14 days.

Will my face be added back to PimEyes later?

Possibly. PimEyes continuously crawls the web. New photos of you posted after your opt-out can be indexed unless the URL or image hash matches your existing blocklist. Rerun a PimEyes search on yourself every 6 to 12 months and submit fresh opt-outs if new results appear.

Why was my PimEyes opt-out request rejected?

Almost always because the reviewer could not match your face to your ID. The top causes are blurring the photo on your ID document (redact the text fields only), submitting a low-quality or angled face photo, or using an ID whose photo is far older than the photo you uploaded. You can resubmit right away with a clearer pair of images — there is no cooldown or limit.

Does opting out of PimEyes delete the photos from the websites they appear on?

No. The opt-out only blocks those images from PimEyes search results. The original photos stay live on the sites that host them. To remove them at the source, contact each website directly, and use Google's Remove Outdated Content tool for any pages that have already been taken down but still show in search.