Clearview AI's Facial Recognition Tech is Being Used by US Justice Department, ICE, and the FBI
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for Bytram:
Clearview AI's Facial Recognition Tech Is Being Used By The Justice Department, ICE, And The FBI:
When BuzzFeed News reported earlier this month that Clearview AI had used marketing materials that suggested it was pursuing a "rapid international expansion," the company was dismissive, noting that it was focused on the US and Canada.
The company's client list suggests otherwise. It shows that Clearview AI has expanded to at least 26 countries outside the US, engaging national law enforcement agencies, government bodies, and police forces in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, India, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The log also has an entry for Interpol, which ran more than 320 searches. Reached for comment, the worldwide policing agency confirmed that "a small number of officers" in its Crimes Against Children unit had used Clearview's facial recognition app with a 30-day free trial account. That trial has now ended and "there is no formal relationship between Interpol and Clearview," the Interpol General Secretariat said in a statement.
It's unclear how Clearview is vetting potential international clients, particularly in countries with records of human rights violations or authoritarian regimes. In an interview with PBS, Ton-That said Clearview would never sell to countries "adverse to the US," including China, Iran, and North Korea. Asked by PBS if he would sell to countries where being gay is a crime, he didn't answer, stating once again that the company's focus is on the US and Canada.
Clearview, however, has already provided its software to organizations in countries that have laws against LGBTQ individuals, according to its documents. In Saudi Arabia, for example, the documents indicate that Clearview gave access to the Thakaa Center, also known as the AI Center of Advanced Studies, a Riyadh-based research center whose clients include Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment. Thakaa, which did not respond to a request for comment, was given access to the software earlier this month, according to the documents.
Previously:
Clearview AI Reports Entire Client List Was Stolen
Canadian Privacy Commissioners to Investigate "Creepy" Facial Recognition Firm Clearview AI
Clearview AI Hit with Cease-And-Desist from Google, Facebook Over Facial Recognition Collection
Clearview App Lets Strangers Find Your Name, Info with Snap of a Photo, Report Says
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