Clearview AI will impose a £ 17 million fine for violating data protection laws in the UK

The Office of the UK Information Commissioner (ICO) has paying a temporary fine face recognition company Clearview AI £ 17 million ($ 22.6 million) for data breaches in the UK. It also alleges that Clearview allegedly failed to inform citizens that it was collecting billions of their photos, among other offenses. It has also ordered (again, on a temporary basis) to suspend the privacy of its residents.

The supervisor said Clearview appeared to have failed to process people’s information “in the way they expected or in a fair way.” He further added that the company failed to provide a valid reason for collecting data, failed to meet GDPR standards for biometric data, failed to develop a system that prevented data retention permanently and failed to inform UK citizens of what was happening to them. data.

The ICO also stated that Clearview services were used for free testing by a number of UK security agencies, “but that the trial was terminated and Clearview AI Inc services are no longer offered in the UK.”

The images in the Clearview AI Inc database are supposed to include information about more people from the UK and may have been collected without the public’s knowledge from the information available to the public, including social media platforms.

UK and Australia opened up a joint study of Clearview AI last year. Supervisors were involved in Clearview’s system of extracting data and collecting images from social networking sites such as Facebook. It sells This information is provided to law enforcement agencies, which allows them to identify criminals or victims. However, corporate business practices have improved considerably privacy concerns.

Clearview AI said it was considering the appeal, according to The New York Times. “[Clearview only] provides public information online to law enforcement agencies, “said Company Attorney Kelly Hagedorn in a statement. , ”added Clearview AI CEO Hoan Ton-That in a statement.

Earlier this month, an Australian firm issued a similar ruling, alleging that Clearview AI violated residents’ privacy by deleting their biometric information. The OAIC commissioner has instructed Clearview to “stop collecting face pictures and biometric templates from Australians and destroy all collected face and biometric images.”

In the US, ACLU soon prosecuted Clearview for violating Illinois laws. Twitter, Google and YouTube have both sent leave-and-leave letters to the company, claiming that it violates their rules. Facebook too he asked that Clearview stops analyzing its data.

The fine may be the first Clearview experience, the company told reporters NOW. It can still appeal the decision by the Commissioner, so that fines and pressures “could change,” wrote the ICO. The ICO expects to make a final decision by mid-2022.