Definition[]
Content-based image retrieval is a technology that can match features, such as identifying aspects of a room (e.g., a painting) in very large databases, thereby increasing the possibilities for determining the location of an individual.
Overview[]
CBIR was originally developed for digital forensics.
It opens up the possibility of deducing location data from apparently anonymous profiles containing images of users’ homes. This can lead to stalking, unwanted marketing, blackmail and all the other threats associated with unwanted disclosure of location data. It can also assist blackmailers looking for specific types of image which might later be used as part of a digital dossier. Not only can it help them to find compromising material, by targeting specific profiles for download, it could also help them to circumvent "spider throttling" mechanisms which limit the number of successive page-loads in a specific time-window from a given IP address.