Introthem
Web and SaaS
people search engine
SHOW HN2024
28points
34comments
#1,652of 3,515 in 2024
Top 47%of 2024 by points
How HN took it
RoastedHalf or more of the comments are critical
0 positive, 4 neutral or asking, 2 mixed, 15 critical, out of 21 comments about the project. Thread score -0.58.
Privacy: 0 for, 10 againstExecution: 0 for, 4 againstIdea: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Novel idea and solid product
From 2 comments
Though novel, this is pretty unethical.
popalchemist on HNPretty solid product but you definitely need to check your face recognition feature, whether it complies with laws.
georgehill on HN
Objections
Biometric and face recognition processing may be illegal (GDPR, Illinois BIPA)
From 4 comments
Using biometric data without permission may be illegal. Facebook was sued in Illinois over this.
cosmotic on HNHow much have you investigated the legality of this? In the EU biometric data is 'special category data' under the GDPR [0] and can only be processed in very limited…
matteason on HN100% this is illegal in Illinois. They have specific biometric data protections. Probably also a crime elsewhere.
josefritzishere on HNYou might want to look up Clearview AI, who also took publicly available images, performed biometric recognition on them and ended up with a €30.5 million fine:…
matteason on HN
Seen as enabling stalking and profiling people by appearance
From 4 comments
I think you need a FAQ. In the FAQ you could explain how its not going to be a useful tool for stalkers because that's where my mind goes, maybe I watch too many DateLines.
sfmz on HN> The Problem: Researching individuals - whether for hiring or personalizing outreach So you're helping people profile others based on how they look? Aren't we trying to move…
dgfitz on HN“Researching individuals for personalized outreach” is the creepiest sentence I’ve read this month
pimlottc on HNThis product is moderately terrifying. I hope it's illegal to be honest.
josefritzishere on HN
Signup and search fail with out-of-credits errors
From 4 comments
I have tried to use it, but as soon as I search for someone after log-in, it says that I ran out of credits.
TudorAndrei on HNI tried the first link in the demo & it immediately just said I was out of credits. Brave Browser on Android.
pogue on HNI tried signing up for the free version, but I keep getting an error toast.
NaolGBasaye on HNSo I tried to search myself just to see how terrible/awesome this product is. On attempting to use the free plan: Error: Failed to subscribe to the plan. You ran out of credits.…
bottom999mottob on HN
Requests
Add a FAQ explaining privacy and misuse limits
From 1 comment
I think you need a FAQ. In the FAQ you could explain how its not going to be a useful tool for stalkers because that's where my mind goes, maybe I watch too many DateLines.
sfmz on HN
Check legal compliance for face recognition
From 2 comments
Pretty solid product but you definitely need to check your face recognition feature, whether it complies with laws.
georgehill on HNYou should definitely find out if you are breaking any laws.
mathgeek on HN
Questions
How is the data harvested and is it accurate?
From 2 comments
how are you harvesting all this data?
connor11528 on HNdoesn't seem to be doing that. It's essentially a glorified google reverse image where the input is a face, then it probably uses the metadata gleaned from that search to look up…
clueless on HN
Is the face recognition legal in the EU and US states?
From 2 comments
How much have you investigated the legality of this? In the EU biometric data is 'special category data' under the GDPR [0] and can only be processed in very limited…
matteason on HNNot only the EU, but you will have to check with each of the 50 US states as they all have a patchwork of laws. Illinois was one of the first, but I don't know much about it; I…
1659447091 on HN
Alternatives named
Clearview AI
From 1 comment
You might want to look up Clearview AI, who also took publicly available images, performed biometric recognition on them and ended up with a €30.5 million fine:…
matteason on HN
Google reverse image search
From 1 comment
doesn't seem to be doing that. It's essentially a glorified google reverse image where the input is a face, then it probably uses the metadata gleaned from that search to look up…
clueless on HN
Perplexity
From 1 comment
No, we don't. I think my copy might have been confusing. We are simply Perplexity for people - we just summarize a person's internet presence.
vignesh_warar on HN