

But Clearview’s technology represents a frightening step toward an all-powerful system that the world hasn’t seen before. Law enforcement has been using facial recognition for several years now, and companies, schools, and other organizations are increasingly making use of the AI-powered software. The very existence of facial recognition technology has always been a source of debate. The controversy surrounding Clearview has since prompted probes from US senators.

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Documents identified by BuzzFeed News indicate that the company also provided the technology to users in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, including to clients with ties to those countries’ governments.Īnd, earlier this year, we learned from a New York Times report that Clearview AI’s leaders had even offered up its tech for those connected with the company to try, and that one billionaire used the software to identify a man who was dating his daughter. And the startup still faces a slew of other lawsuits.Ĭlearview exaggerated the role its technology has played in assisting law enforcement in their investigations while also telling Recode that it had only arranged contracts for its technology with customers in the United States and Canada. Edward Markey, who sent a letter to the company’s CEO earlier this week demanding more information. Nevertheless, Clearview has also found a new potential source of business: using its facial recognition as a way to assist Covid-19-related contract tracing efforts. In early May, however, BuzzFeed followed up with a report that Clearview promised to cease all of its contracts with private companies, as well as any Illinois entities, in an attempt to make moot a lawsuit alleging the company had violated the state’s powerful biometric privacy law. Reporting from BuzzFeed News showed that the company had a client list that went far beyond law enforcement and included the NBA, Best Buy, and Macy’s, though some of these companies distanced themselves from the facial recognition startup.
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(If you’re a resident of California or the European Union, feel free to request the data Clearview has on you here, but note you’ll likely need to send them a copy of government-issued photo ID.) Facial recognition is an incredibly powerful tool, and Clearview’s tech is trafficking in highly personal information - including, potentially, yours. Now the company seems to be reversing its position, again. But it later became clear that the company has consistently misrepresented both the extent of its work and the breadth of its aspirations. At first, Clearview AI maintained that its tool was only meant to be used by law enforcement and a few private companies. This scenario appears to be possible thanks to a shady startup called Clearview AI which, as a New York Times investigation earlier this year revealed, has been mining your pictures online to build a vast facial recognition database. How would you like it if anyone armed with an iPhone could figure out a slew of information about you, pull up any Facebook or Instagram picture you’ve ever been in, and see any other image of you that’s been posted publicly online?
