Australian regulator orders US software company Clearview AI to delete collected data – JURIST – News
An Australian regulator on Wednesday ordered US software company Clearview AI to stop collecting facial images from people on the internet and destroy the collected data. Australian Information Commissioner’s Office (OAIC) and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk discovered Clearview AI violated Australian privacy laws by secretly collecting information biometrics on the Internet and then incorporating them into a facial recognition tool.
According to the regulator, Clearview AI has collected sensitive information about Australians without their consent and sold the technology that uses that information to law enforcement agencies in Australia. Police forces have reportedly used facial recognition technology to search for individuals in Australia.
In addition to the non-consensual collection of information, the OAIC found that Clearview AI violated Australian privacy laws by failing to take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information disclosed was accurate with respect to the purpose of their disclosure. According to Commissioner Falk, Clearview AI’s practices carry “a significant risk of harm to individuals, including vulnerable groups such as children and victims of crime, whose images can be searched in the database of Clearview AI ”. This information “cannot be reissued or canceled and may also be reproduced and used for identity theft.”
This is not the first time Clearview AI has come under scrutiny by regulators. An Illinois court dismissed the company’s motion to dismiss an ACLU privacy lawsuit, alleging that the privacy risks to individuals outweigh the rights of Clearview AI’s First Amendment associated with data collection. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office has investigated Clearview AI’s activities in the UK and is in the process of issuing a decision.
Previously, Canada’s Privacy Commissioner took a similar path to Australia’s and asked Clearview AI “to stop the collection, use and disclosure of collected biometric facial images and networks from people in Canada ”and delete the collected images. Clearview AI has since ceased operations in Canada.
Concerns about the inappropriate use of AI facial recognition technology have increased since Clearview AI first introduced the technology to the public in late 2019. Cities like San Francisco have banned the use of the technology outright. facial recognition by AI, and the EU recently approved a resolution urging its member states to ban the technology as well. MP Peter Vitanov said at the time that “the technology has proven ineffective and often leads to discriminatory results”.
Clearview AI intends to appeal the OAIC’s decision to the Australian Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
