Controversial US Tech Firm Clearview AI Finds Itself In A Difficult Position Once Again



The controversial facial recognition service provider Clearview AI, which was recently linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, agreed to resolve an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lawsuit filed in 2020.

The lawsuit accused the firm of violating an Illinois law prohibiting the use of people's biometric data without their consent.

In a statement, Nathan Freed Wessler, a deputy director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project said: “By requiring Clearview to comply with Illinois’ pathbreaking biometric privacy law not just in the state, but across the country, this settlement demonstrates that strong privacy laws can provide real protections against abuse.”

“Clearview can no longer treat people’s unique biometric identifiers as an unrestricted source of profit. Other companies would be wise to take note, and other states should follow Illinois’ lead in enacting strong biometric privacy laws,” he added.

It should be noted that the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) safeguards the privacy of Illinois citizens, but the Clearview settlement shows how the statute can be used to strengthen consumer rights across the country.

The fact what makes this case more interesting is that Clearview will be prohibited from selling or giving away access to its facial recognition database to private organisations or individuals, under the terms of the settlement, which is still being completed by the court.

While government contractors are exempt – Clearview works with government agencies such as Homeland Security and the FBI in the United States – the firm is prohibited from selling its software to any government contractors or state or municipal government entities in Illinois for the next five years.

The tech company will also be required to maintain an opt-out system that will allow any Illinois citizen to have their likeness removed from the business's facial search results. Additionally, Clearview must also discontinue its contentious practice of providing free trials to police officers who do not have permission to test the software from their departments.

The restrictions may limit Clearview's ability to sell software access in the United States, but the corporation is also facing privacy concerns in other parts of the world such as the United Kingdom.

Clearview was fined $22.6 million by the Information Commissioner's Office in November last year for failing to get authorization from British residents before sweeping their photographs into its huge database.

Additionally, it has also violated privacy rules in Canada, France, and Australia, with some governments demanding the corporation to remove all data gathered without the consent of its citizens.

 

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