Remove yourself from face-search engines
Face-search engines index your photos and tie them to everything else published about you. Delist finds where your face appears, files removals, and keeps checking for new matches.
Run my free exposure scan →How face-search works, and why it's another exposure surface
For most of internet history, finding someone required a name. Face-search engines changed that. Upload one photo of a person, from a social profile or a news article, and within seconds you get other photos of them indexed across the open web, often tied to a workplace, a neighborhood, and the people around them. No name required. One photo is enough.
Consumer face-search services arrived around 2020. Three matter today: PimEyes, the largest consumer index; FaceCheck.id, positioned for "verification" use cases; and Clearview AI, originally sold as law-enforcement-only, though reporting has documented broader use by agencies including ICE and the IRS.
Each runs a removal process. They're inconsistent and slow, and some ask you to upload a government ID. They're still worth doing. Delist files the requests and watches for your photos to resurface.
The three face-search services that matter
These removal flows change often. We keep our process current.
PimEyes
Searches billions of indexed photos. Free tier returns matches; the paid PROtect plan actively monitors and flags new matches as they're indexed.
A free opt-out form exists, but PimEyes steers you toward the paid plan to use it. ID verification required for the opt-out path.
PimEyes removal guide →FaceCheck.id
Markets itself for "checking who someone really is." Smaller index than PimEyes but growing. The consent framing is weaker than what PimEyes claims.
Removal request via their privacy page. Documentation requirements are heavier than PimEyes. Response time varies.
FaceCheck.id privacy page →Clearview AI
Originally marketed as law-enforcement-only. The 2022 IL BIPA settlement restricted Clearview's ability to sell its database to private US entities. Later reporting on ICE and IRS access showed use was broader than claimed.
Consumer privacy requests go through Clearview's privacy-and-requests page, but the opt-out is offered mainly to residents of states with privacy laws rather than to everyone. How well it works in practice is unclear given the litigation around the company.
Clearview privacy requests →Images on people-search sites
People-search sites sometimes include photos pulled from public social profiles alongside the text record. They don't index by face geometry, but they expose your photo in the same searchable result.
The fix is the same as any broker listing: opt out at the source, which takes down the text record and the attached image together. The data-brokers hub covers this.
One image-specific extra step: if a Google or Bing image result still shows your photo days after a broker removal, file a separate Google removal request citing the image URL specifically.
The BIPA litigation context
Illinois's Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) is the strongest biometric-privacy law in the US. It requires written consent before a company captures, stores, or shares biometric identifiers, including face geometry.
BIPA cases have produced major biometric-privacy settlements:
- Clearview AI: a settlement valued at about $51.75 million won final approval in March 2025.
- Facebook (Meta): a $650 million settlement in 2021 over photo face-tagging without consent.
If you're an Illinois resident, BIPA gives your removal demands materially stronger legal standing than residents of states without a similar law. Face-search services know this and tend to respond faster to requests that cite Illinois residency.
What Delist does
Face-search removal is more fragmented than text-based broker removal. Here's what we do on your behalf:
- File removal requests with PimEyes, FaceCheck.id, and Clearview AI when your scan finds face-search exposure.
- Re-check each service for new matches, and re-file when your photos resurface.
- Cite BIPA when you're an Illinois resident.
- Remove image results on people-search sites through the same broker opt-out flow.
We won't claim we can remove your face from the whole open web. Once a photo is published, it can be mirrored and re-indexed anywhere. What we can do is work every consent-based opt-out channel and keep each one current.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop my photo from showing up in Google image search?
Can I remove my face from facial-recognition search engines like PimEyes?
How do I find out what photos of me are online?
Why does a face-search site still show my photo after I opted out?
Start by seeing what's out there
The free scan covers data-broker exposure and image results on the major people-search sites. PimEyes, FaceCheck.id, and Clearview AI checks are included with the paid plan.
Run my free exposure scan →