#Clearview ai software software

by police have used the software to apprehend suspected criminals. Founded by Hoan Ton-That and Richard Schwartz, the company maintained a low profile until late 2019, when its usage by law enforcement was reported. The company's algorithm matches faces to a database of more than 20 billion images collected from the Internet, including social media applications. After a state court let that case proceed in August, Vera Eidelman, staff attorney with the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said that 'this ruling protects our clients' rights, and sends a strong message to lawmakers across the country that they can protect privacy without running afoul of the First Amendment.'Globally excluding EU, UK, NZ, Canada, AustraliaĬlearview AI Software Clearview AI Search EngineĬlearview AI is an American facial recognition company, providing software to law enforcement and government agencies and other organizations. “The 2021 letter, led by and called for the Biden administration to refrain from providing any new contracts to Clearview AI and to suspend its current and future use of the platform because of the threats they pose to BIPOC and immigrant communities.” - Just Futures Law Futures Law)īeyond 'inaccuracy issues,' the letters emphasize, 'communities of color are systematically subjected to over-policing, and the proliferation of biometric surveillance tools is, therefore, likely to disproportionately infringe upon the privacy of individuals in Black, Brown, and immigrant communities.'Ĭiting an August 2021 Government Accountability Office report detailing federal agencies' current use of facial recognition technology and plans for the future, the letters encourage department heads to ditch not only Clearview AI but also all other firms.Ĭlearview AI faces various legal challenges, including a lawsuit brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. 'Additionally, this technology poses unique threats to Black communities, other communities of color, and immigrant communities,' the letters note, pointing to research-as well as multiple arrests of the wrong person-demonstrating how facial recognition tools misidentify marginalized groups.

The letters reference studies showing that 'when individuals believe the government is surveilling them, they are likely to avoid engaging in activities protected by the First Amendment,' and warn that 'facial recognition technology runs the risk of deterring the public from participating in marches or rallies, or speaking out against injustice.' Reports indicate that use of this technology is already threatening to do so. In conjunction with the company's facial recognition capabilities, this trove of personal information is capable of fundamentally dismantling Americans' expectation that they can move, assemble, or simply appear in public without being identified. Clearview AI reportedly scrapes billions of photos from social media sites without permission from or notice to the pictured individuals. It reportedly allows users to capture and upload photos of strangers, analyze the photographed individuals' biometric information, and provide users with existing images and personal information of the photographed individuals found online. Warning that the firm's technology 'could eliminate public anonymity in the United States,' the Democrats explained:

'Facial recognition tools pose a serious threat to the public's civil liberties and privacy rights,' the lawmakers wrote, 'and Clearview AI's product is particularly dangerous.' Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) for the letters about Clearview AI and facial recognition tools more broadly, which were sent to the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, the Interior, Justice, and Health and Human Services. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) joined with Sens. company led by Australian entrepreneur Hoan Ton-That, boasts 'the largest known database of 10+ billion facial images sourced from public-only web sources, including news media, mugshot websites, public social media, and other open sources.' 'Facial recognition technology runs the risk of deterring the public from participating in marches or rallies, or speaking out against injustice.'Ĭlearview AI, a private U.S. departments Wednesday urging all federal agencies to end the use of Clearview AI's facial recognition technology. A quartet of progressives in Congress sent letters to five U.S.

Clearview ai software