How is this different than the original PhotoDNA technology?

PhotoDNA Cloud Service helps make it easier and less expensive for companies to implement the technology. Before this service, PhotoDNA was only available as technology that would need to be integrated into on premise solutions and required multiple external integrations as well as an in-house IT administrator and engineering team to manage and operate the technology.

How much does PhotoDNA Cloud Service cost?

PhotoDNA Cloud Service is a free service for qualified customers and developers.

PhotoDNA only works on still photos. Not videos. Is this true?

Microsoft recently announced a new technique that enables PhotoDNA to detect videos in addition to still images. The PhotoDNA Cloud Service cloud is limited to images at this time, but we are exploring expanding the capability to cover video content. If you are interested, please let us know by using the Contact Us page and mention the video capability.

My content is currently hosted on another platform. Does my content need to be on Azure for me to use this service?

No. PhotoDNA Cloud Service runs on Azure and it is a great way to experience the power and scalability of Azure, but you do not need to make changes to your current platforms to use this service. PhotoDNA Cloud Service is accessed via a REST API and therefore is platform agnostic in terms of where the content is being hosted.

Do you keep the image that I send you?

No. Your content remains your content. Images are instantly converted into secure hashed and cannot be reverse engineered.

Can I use PhotoDNA for scenarios other than fighting child exploitation?

PhotoDNA Cloud Service is currently exclusively used to identify child exploitation images. Services like Azure AI Content Safety may be better suited for other scenarios.

Are you storing or transmitting know illegal material by providing this service?

Illegal images should be reported to the authorities and should not be sent through this service. The intent of this service is to programmatically evaluate unknown content so that it can be handled appropriately. This service does not store customer images at any time.

How can a customer test the service, since it's illegal to have the real content?

We have an integration environment with a database of benign images, which you can use to simulate a 'hit' in your response handling system.

Who can get PhotoDNA Cloud Service, and how?

Intended users are trusted online service providers and businesses hosting user-generated content. This service is not intended for use by law enforcement at this time. Service applicants will submit an online form and subscriptions are approved on a case-by-case basis. This evaluation process is performed by a third party and involves careful consideration of organization-specific attributes and other relevant qualifications.

How can law enforcement access PhotoDNA technology

Since its inception, PhotoDNA technology has been widely adopted into innovative visual image and forensic tools exceptionally used by law enforcement today. These tools range from free forensic and image review tools to large scale law enforcement platforms used by entire countries on server platforms. This is great news for law enforcement as they no longer need to take raw code and hire IT staff to work the code into a tool or platform. As a result, law enforcement should ask their current tool providers if they are using PhotoDNA technology. If not, they can contact pdnarequests@microsoft.com to start the PhotoDNA on-premise licensing procedures.

How will customers connect to the service?

Approved enterprises will connect through a REST API. API keys are provided to subscribers of the PhotoDNA Cloud Service after vetting has occurred.

Can Microsoft report matches for customers of the service?

The PhotoDNA Cloud Service provides an API which we recommend all customers use to submit reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Alternatively, customers may choose to report directly to NCMEC. Customers based outside the USA will need to self-determine other reporting requirements based on local law. To help ensure that the PhotoDNA Cloud Service is used solely for the purposes of preventing the spread of child sexual abuse content and supporting related investigations, customers of the PhotoDNA Cloud Service authorize Microsoft to take steps to monitor and audit their usage of the PhotoDNA Cloud Service. Customers authorize Microsoft to provide aggregate reports to NCMEC that summarize the number of images (matched to signatures of known child pornography images) a customer uploaded on to the PhotoDNA Cloud Service. By using the PhotoDNA Cloud Service, the customer understands that such reports do not relieve them of any legal requirements that may arise during their use of the PhotoDNA Cloud Service, including, but not limited to, any legal obligation a customer has to directly file NCMEC reports. For more information, please refer to the PhotoDNA Cloud Service Terms of Use .

PhotoDNA FAQ

PhotoDNA Cloud Service helps make it easier and less expensive for companies to implement the technology. Before this service, PhotoDNA was only available as technology that would need to be integrated into on premise solutions and required multiple external integrations as well as an in-house IT administrator and engineering team to manage and operate the technology.
PhotoDNA Cloud Service is a free service for qualified customers and developers.
Microsoft recently announced a new technique that enables PhotoDNA to detect videos in addition to still images. The PhotoDNA Cloud Service cloud is limited to images at this time, but we are exploring expanding the capability to cover video content. If you are interested, please let us know by using the Contact Us page and mention the video capability.
No. PhotoDNA Cloud Service runs on Azure and it is a great way to experience the power and scalability of Azure, but you do not need to make changes to your current platforms to use this service. PhotoDNA Cloud Service is accessed via a REST API and therefore is platform agnostic in terms of where the content is being hosted.
No. Your content remains your content. Images are instantly converted into secure hashed and cannot be reverse engineered.
PhotoDNA Cloud Service is currently exclusively used to identify child exploitation images. Services like Azure AI Content Safety may be better suited for other scenarios.
Illegal images should be reported to the authorities and should not be sent through this service. The intent of this service is to programmatically evaluate unknown content so that it can be handled appropriately. This service does not store customer images at any time.
We have an integration environment with a database of benign images, which you can use to simulate a 'hit' in your response handling system.
Intended users are trusted online service providers and businesses hosting user-generated content. This service is not intended for use by law enforcement at this time. Service applicants will submit an online form and subscriptions are approved on a case-by-case basis. This evaluation process is performed by a third party and involves careful consideration of organization-specific attributes and other relevant qualifications.
Since its inception, PhotoDNA technology has been widely adopted into innovative visual image and forensic tools exceptionally used by law enforcement today. These tools range from free forensic and image review tools to large scale law enforcement platforms used by entire countries on server platforms. This is great news for law enforcement as they no longer need to take raw code and hire IT staff to work the code into a tool or platform. As a result, law enforcement should ask their current tool providers if they are using PhotoDNA technology. If not, they can contact pdnarequests@microsoft.com to start the PhotoDNA on-premise licensing procedures.
Approved enterprises will connect through a REST API. API keys are provided to subscribers of the PhotoDNA Cloud Service after vetting has occurred.
The PhotoDNA Cloud Service provides an API which we recommend all customers use to submit reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Alternatively, customers may choose to report directly to NCMEC. Customers based outside the USA will need to self-determine other reporting requirements based on local law.

To help ensure that the PhotoDNA Cloud Service is used solely for the purposes of preventing the spread of child sexual abuse content and supporting related investigations, customers of the PhotoDNA Cloud Service authorize Microsoft to take steps to monitor and audit their usage of the PhotoDNA Cloud Service. Customers authorize Microsoft to provide aggregate reports to NCMEC that summarize the number of images (matched to signatures of known child pornography images) a customer uploaded on to the PhotoDNA Cloud Service. By using the PhotoDNA Cloud Service, the customer understands that such reports do not relieve them of any legal requirements that may arise during their use of the PhotoDNA Cloud Service, including, but not limited to, any legal obligation a customer has to directly file NCMEC reports. For more information, please refer to the PhotoDNA Cloud Service Terms of Use.