If you are concerned that sophisticated AI-driven facial recognition technologies will enable third parties to easily pinpoint your identity through publicly available photos, you can make use of a free application called [Fawkes](https://sandlab.cs.uchicago.edu/fawkes/) to obscure your appearance. This free download was developed by researchers at the University of Chicago’s Sand Labs, with its initial version launched in August 2020. Fawkes remains accessible several years later, compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
The app was developed at a time when services such as Clearview AI posed a significant privacy threat. The facial recognition platform amassed over three billion images of individuals by extracting data from the internet and social media. As highlighted by Sand Labs, Clearview created facial recognition algorithms for millions of individuals without acquiring consent. Fawkes empowers users to blend into their surroundings by complicating the ability of facial recognition applications to match Fawkes-camouflaged images to those stored in their databases.
Fawkes debuted years prior to the advent of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, which are equipped with advanced image creation and analysis functions. The software received its last update in May 2022, just a few months ahead of ChatGPT’s surge in popularity that initiated the ongoing AI boom. By early 2026, AI image generation models are capable of producing lifelike visuals. Tools like [Google’s Nano Banana Pro](https://www.bgr.com/2032501/nano-banana-pro-viral-infographics/) can modify actual images of individuals and generate AI visuals based on uploaded photographs. [Chatbot applications such as Copilot and Gemini](https://www.bgr.com/2065020/google-gemini-vs-copilot-which-chatbot-best/) can also interpret image content. Some AI solutions are able to analyze video and real-time feeds. In this context, it might be perceived that Fawkes has become even more beneficial since its initial launch. However, it remains uncertain if the app retains its effectiveness against contemporary [AI systems that could potentially track you without visual recognition](https://www.bgr.com/tech/scary-new-ai-can-track-you-in-surveillance-videos-without-even-seeing-your-face/).
### How Fawkes operates
The video embedded above illustrates Fawkes in operation on a Windows 11 device, starting from the moment you download the application to its usage. On that note, ensure you obtain the correct app from the [Sand Labs website](https://sandlab.cs.uchicago.edu/fawkes/#code). Make sure to choose the appropriate version for your system, whether it’s Windows or macOS. The same source also provides installers for Windows, Mac, and Linux binaries, which include support for additional features.
The Windows application shown in the demonstration possesses a straightforward interface that allows you to choose a photo or selection of images you wish to obscure. Following this, you’ll initiate the protection process by clicking a button. The underlying mechanics are relatively uncomplicated. Fawkes introduces nearly invisible pixels to a photo to “poison” it, as the researchers described in their 2020 release. “Fawkes takes your personal images and implements subtle, pixel-level alterations that are undetectable to the human eye, in a method we refer to as image cloaking,” they conveyed. The aforementioned video demonstration illustrates that while these modifications are nearly unnoticeable, they can be discerned when contrasting the cloaked image with the original. The subsequent video, created by the Fawkes development team, elaborates further on the procedure of how the app cloaks images.
Once Fawkes generates the cloaked images, you can utilize them online. You can set them as profile pictures on social media platforms and share them with friends. In essence, you can handle these photos the same way you would typical images taken with your smartphone for online sharing. Nevertheless, when a facial recognition system attempts to identify you by comparing the cloaked images to any relevant images it might have been trained with, it will fail to recognize you.
### The drawbacks of using Fawkes for privacy protection
Upon the release of Fawkes by Emily Wenger and Shawn Shan, they noted that the app had been “extensively” tested, demonstrating “effectiveness in various settings and […] 100% efficacy against leading facial recognition systems (Microsoft Azure Face API, Amazon Rekognition, and Face++).” However, in early 2021, the researchers revealed instances of adversarial training targeting Fawkes in Microsoft Azure, which they swiftly remedied.
By April 2021, the application had been downloaded over 500,000 times, indicating a strong public interest in privacy preservation. A total of more than 840,000 downloads were recorded by early May 2022. The researchers have not updated this statistic since that time. Nonetheless, the app remains available for download as of early 2026.
Currently, there are two concerns regarding the use of Fawkes. Firstly, it is uncertain whether other AI companies have developed methods to bypass its cloaking techniques.