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Clearview AI is a controversial facial recognition technology company that has sparked heated debates over privacy rights and ethical use of AI. At the heart of Clearview AI’s product is a massive database of more than 10 billion images scraped from public social media sites and websites without permission. This allows law enforcement officers to upload a photo of a person and instantly view all public photos of that person online, along with links to the resources.
Although Clearview AI has claimed that its technology is intended solely for law enforcement, concerns have been raised about the potential for mass surveillance and erosion of privacy if deployed more broadly. Is this powerful and invasive facial recognition software actually available to ordinary citizens?
Clearview markets itself as solely for law enforcement
According to Clearview AI’s website and public statements, their technology is solely intended to support law enforcement agencies. Their website states that their facial search engine is only available to law enforcement and select security professionals to assist with criminal investigations.
Clearview founder and CEO Hoan Ton-That has consistently emphasized in media interviews that the technology is intended for law enforcement use only, and not for public or commercial use. “We are 100% focused on law enforcement. We have no plans for a consumer product,” Ton-That said.
This stated focus on the use of law enforcement is intended solely to counter criticism that Clearview’s practices enable a mass surveillance state. By claiming that the tool is only used to solve crimes after the fact, Clearview hopes to avoid thorny issues such as real-time public tracking.
Not a Clearview Consumer app – but in terms of marketing language
Despite Clearview’s claims, early reporting on the company caused alarm by exposing internal company documents in alarming language. In a New York Times investigation, marketing materials showed that the technology could allow users to “run wild” looking for anyone, including family members, celebrity crushes and exes.
This led to concerns that Clearview was using the law enforcement angle publicly while envisioning and enabling a much broader use among entities granted access. However, Clearview vocally disputed this interpretation, saying the language was inaccurate marketing exaggeration. No consumer app or public self-service access has been created.
Private sector, international controversies
Clearview has caused controversy not only over the use of law enforcement in the US, but also in other industries and countries:
- According to a Buzzfeed report, Clearview had more than 2,200 users across private companies, educational institutions and individuals. The company claimed these were free processes and later said it was cutting off access from non-law enforcement agencies.
- Clearview has aggressively sought international expansion. After the media exposed these efforts, data watchdogs in Canada, Australia, France and other countries opened investigations or issued fines.
- In Britain, the Information Commissioner’s Office fined Clearview £7.5 million for illegally collecting images of British citizens and ordered it to delete all British data.
This international spread raised alarm about unregulated use and surveillance by oppressive regimes. But Clearview has disputed that any laws were broken.
Settlements restrict private sector sales and biometric use
To settle lawsuits over its practices, Clearview AI agreed to restrictions on sales of its facial recognition software:
- A May 2022 settlement in Illinois bars Clearview from selling its software to customers in the state, including law enforcement agencies, for five years. This aims to stop the collection of biometric data on Illinois citizens without consent.
- A separate settlement will ban Clearview from supplying its technology to private entities in the US but allow sales to law enforcement agencies.
These settlements demonstrate Clearview’s sole focus on the law enforcement sector in light of public and regulatory scrutiny.
Is Clearview AI available to the public?
No, Clearview AI is not available for use by the general public. The company has consistently stated that its facial recognition technology is intended solely for law enforcement and government agencies, and not for public consumption. Despite some alarming early marketing language, Clearview hasn’t created a consumer app or self-service access for everyday citizens to use its tools. Although Clearview is widely used in the public sector, multiple legal settlements now prohibit the company from selling access to private entities or individuals in the United States. Ongoing controversies make a future public release unlikely. In summary, the powerful Clearview AI system remains limited to law enforcement use and is not available to the public at this time.
Ongoing controversies surrounding privacy and accuracy
Clearview AI continues to spark debates about the balance between public safety and civil liberties. Key issues include:
- Privacy advocates are protesting Clearview’s practices as an illegal violation of privacy rights by enabling covert, mass biometric surveillance. They object to billions of images collected without notice or consent.
- False matches raise concerns about accuracy and wrongful accusations or arrests, especially for minorities who are already subject to disproportionate surveillance.
- There are fears that deployment as a public tool would actually make it possible to find anyone anywhere, destroying personal privacy.
- Clearview responds that their practices are legal and that they only keep public images that people have chosen to post. They mention tools to ensure responsible use by law enforcement.
The accessibility and ethics of powerful new technologies like Clearview will continue to be at the center of policy debates in the future. But for now, Clearview’s controversial system remains limited to government agencies and not for general public use. The company is facing a series of legal challenges and restrictions that appear to have stopped any potential public release in the near future.
Conclusion
Based on Clearview AI’s own statements, legal settlements, and lack of a consumer product, the powerful and controversial facial recognition software is currently unavailable for use by the general public. While Clearview technology has found widespread adoption in law enforcement, the increased restrictions aim to limit its availability solely for public safety applications in the government sector. Barring an unexpected policy change, a possible future public release seems highly unlikely, amid the ongoing legal and ethical scrutiny Clearview AI is facing worldwide.