Clearview AI fined for illegally storing images of Brits’ faces
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Clearview AI, a New York-headquartered facial recognition company, has been fined £7.5 million ($9.4 million) by a U.K. privacy regulator.
The firm has gathered images on the internet and from social media over the years to build a worldwide online database for facial recognition that law enforcement can use.
Office of the Information Commission said MondayThe company violated U.K. privacy laws.
Clearview has been ordered by the ICO not to collect any additional data on U.K. residents. Clearview didn’t immediately reply to CNBC’s request for comment.
Clearview states on their website that they have collected over 20 billion images of facial features from users around the world. Clearview collects images posted on social media sites like Facebook. FacebookInstagram as well news media, news media, and mugshot websites, and many other open sources. The individuals are not informed or asked for permission.
Clearview allows law enforcement agencies the ability to upload photographs of people and compare them with Clearview photos.
John Edwards is the U.K. information commissioner. He stated in a statement that “the company not only allows identification of these people but also effectively monitors and offers them as a service commercially. This is not acceptable.
He stated that all people have the right to know their privacy, regardless of their location.
Clearview was also fined in France, Italy, and Australia by the regulators.
After a joint investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the ICO enforces its rights.
Clearview does not publish names of clients but BuzzFeed News reportedIt had already worked with over 2,200 law enforcement agencies and companies worldwide. According to reports, the service was used by Macy’s Macy’s Walmart Bank of America Target and Bank of America. CNBC couldn’t independently verify these reports.
This will be in May 2020 Clearview said it would stop working with non–law enforcement entities and private companies amid regulatory scrutiny and potential lawsuits.
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