Facial Recognition Company That Scraped Facebook Data Is Now Creating Surveillance Tools

Clearview AI is a controversial third-party facial recognition app that has built an enormous database of biometric data using billions of photos from Facebook and Instagram. The company landed in hot water last month after it was revealed that it has quietly been doing this without consent. Now, reports this week suggest the company is using its facial recognition software to create surveillance cameras and augmented reality glasses.

Although Clearview AI has publicly claimed that it is only working with law enforcement agencies, it has in fact been selling its services to the private sector — including Macy’s, Kohl’s, Bank of America and more. And while it’s unclear how this technology could be used to match up with facial data in Clearview’s database, it’s pretty certain that this isn’t a win for user privacy.

“They’re claiming that this technology can do all kinds of stuff and institutions are easily dazzled by that,” privacy advocate Evan Greer said. “But it’s relatively new technology for applications like this and it’s totally untested. We know that there are better ways to keep people safe that don’t violate their rights.”

For once, Facebook isn’t at fault for this privacy problem. However, it’s still indicative of just how much of our info the social media giant controls.




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