Non-profit
noyb (None of Your Business)
noyb is a Vienna-based privacy non-profit founded by Max Schrems in 2017. It files strategic complaints and lawsuits under the GDPR, including the 2021 complaints against Clearview AI with partner groups in five countries and, in April 2026, a lawsuit against the Hamburg data protection authority for failing to act against PimEyes after more than five years.
Updated November 6, 2026 · 2 min read · reviewed November 6, 2026
What is noyb?
noyb was founded in Vienna in 2017 and started operating in 2018, funded by members and foundations, to enforce the GDPR through complaints and litigation. Its founder Max Schrems is the complainant behind the two Court of Justice rulings that struck down the Safe Harbour and Privacy Shield data transfer frameworks. The organisation represents individuals before data protection authorities and courts rather than lobbying for new law.
What has it done about face search?
- Clearview AI, May 2021: with Privacy International, Hermes Center, Homo Digitalis and others, noyb filed coordinated complaints in Austria, France, Greece, Italy and the United Kingdom. Those complaints fed the decisions documented in CNIL v Clearview, Garante v Clearview, Hellenic DPA v Clearview and ICO v Clearview.
- PimEyes, 2020 to 2026: a complaint against PimEyes was filed with the Hamburg authority in July 2020 and later taken over by noyb. On 30 April 2026 noyb sued the Hamburg authority at the administrative court for failing to decide the complaint, saying the regulator had found PimEyes' practice unlawful but refused to act because the company appeared to be based outside the EU.
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2017-11
noyb founded
Crowdfunded launch; operations begin in 2018.
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2020-07
First PimEyes complaint in Hamburg
Filed by an individual; later represented by noyb.
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2021-05-27
Clearview complaints in five countries
Coordinated filings with Privacy International and partners.
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2026-04-30
Lawsuit against the Hamburg DPA
Action for failure to act on the PimEyes complaint after more than five years.
How do you use noyb?
noyb takes cases it selects for strategic value; it does not run a general complaints service. Its site publishes templates for access and erasure requests, a tracker of GDPR enforcement, and details of open cases that people affected can join. For an individual complaint about a face search engine, the route is the national data protection authority; noyb's cases show what those complaints can lead to and how long they take.
Questions
What is the PimEyes lawsuit about?
Not PimEyes directly. noyb sued the Hamburg data protection authority in April 2026 for failing to decide a 2020 complaint, arguing the regulator cannot leave an unlawful practice unaddressed because the company moved its seat abroad.
Did noyb's Clearview complaints succeed?
They contributed to fines of 20 million euros each in France, Italy and Greece and the UK enforcement notice, all documented under cases. Collection of those fines from a US company is a separate matter.
Can noyb help me get my photos out of a face search engine?
Not individually. Use the engine's own opt-out, listed in the opt-out routes directory, and your national authority for a complaint.
Sources
- 1.noyb: No action taken against PimEyes, noyb lawsuit against Hamburg DPA (30 April 2026) (checked November 6, 2026)
- 2.MLex: Noyb sues Hamburg data watchdog over lack of action against PimEyes (checked November 6, 2026)
- 3.Privacy International: Challenge against Clearview AI in Europe (May 2021) (checked November 6, 2026)
Entry reviewed November 6, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.
Related entries
- Case Baden-Wurttemberg data protection authority v PimEyes (Germany) Baden-Wurttemberg's LfDI inquiry into PimEyes: opened 2021, fine proceeding from December 2022, the move to the Seychelles, and no published decision by 2026.
- Case CNIL v Clearview AI (France) CNIL v Clearview AI: the 2021 formal notice, the EUR 20 million fine of October 2022, the EUR 5.2 million overdue penalty of 2023, and the enforcement gap.
- Engine PimEyes PimEyes, the best-known face search engine: what it indexes, what the free search shows, plan prices, how the opt-out works, and the regulator actions against it.
- Engine Clearview AI Clearview AI: the law-enforcement face search built on scraped web images, its 100-billion-image claim, who may use it, and fines and orders from seven countries.
- Law General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and biometric data GDPR and face search: Article 9 biometric data, the household exemption, territorial reach under Article 3(2), fines up to 4%, and the Clearview and PimEyes cases.
- Organisation Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) The US digital rights group: its litigation and campaigns on face recognition, the Atlas of Surveillance, BIPA briefs, and its self-defence guides.
Cite this entry
FaceSearch Wiki editors. "noyb (None of Your Business)". FaceSearch Wiki, updated November 6, 2026. https://facesearch.wiki/organisations/noyb/