This new tool can hack millions of protected photos in seconds
Watermark Remover.io is a new free tool powered by AI that allows you to remove watermarks in moments from copyrighted images found on banks such as Shutterstock, Adobe Stock or Getty Images.
Since the launch of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s revolutionary conversational AI, everyone has focused on artificial intelligence and the potential exploits and consequences of this technology, which Microsoft says will become as important as the PC and the Internet.
Moreover, and according to the specialized company Translated, AI will surpass humans in 2028. To face these new challenges, France has already put in place dedicated structures. This is particularly the case of the CNIL, which announced the beginning of a new service of artificial intelligence, to provide a legal framework for the use of this technology.
Watermark Remover.io, the new image bank nightmare
And the needs in this area are already being felt. Watermark Remove.io, a brand new free tool powered by AI, is proof of this. All in all, this tool, offered by Pixelbin.io, removes watermarks from photos in seconds offered on paid banks such as Shutterstock, Adobe Stock or Getty Images.
Launched in December 2022, Watermark Remover.io is already provoking a lot of outcry from rights holders and organizations in charge of copyright protection. Of course, there are already solutions for removing watermarks, especially in Adobe Photoshop. However, these tools are mostly accessible in paid software and requires some experience to get a convincing result.
Amazing results in seconds
On the contrary, Watermark Remover.io is completely free and is available on the web and through the Android app. And icing on the cake, the process is within everyone’s reach as it is done with one click. Ironically, Shutterstock and Adobe Stock recently introduced AI shaped images. however, we suspect they are less than enthusiastic about the idea of seeing an AI used to steal their assets.
Especially when he is so effective. For the occasion, we conducted some tests with images from the image bank used by the editorial staff, namely 123RF. Admittedly, the result is quite impressive. Removing the watermark takes a few seconds. However, some artifacts remain.
As our colleagues from The Verge report, results vary however depending on the watermarks used by the platforms. Getty Images offers the most resistance to Watermark Remover.io. Note that the image bank has a different AI policy than that adopted by Shutterstock and Adobe, since then any AI generated content is strictly prohibitedespecially due to copyright concerns.
A legal loophole that takes advantage of Watermark Remover.io
But what about the legality of such a tool? If removing a watermark from a protected image without the rights owner’s permission is completely illegal in France as it is in the USA, using a tool to circumvent these restrictions like Watermark Remover.io does not. Furthermore, PixelBin takes advantage of this legal loophole, as evidenced by this statement:
“Users are free to remove watermarks as they wish, but we suggest that they do not do so for commercial purposes, or remove watermarks from copyrighted images. Users of this application are solely responsible for any complaints, damages, costs, expenses, lawsuits etc. brought by a third party in connection with the use of images resulting from the removal of watermarks”.
You will agree, with Watermark Remover.io, we are ahead of the curve a new example of how AI can be used to harm in image banks, but on a larger scale, in many professionals such as photographers.
