Clearview AI, a facial recognition firm, has been ordered by the UK’s privacy watchdog to delete all UK users’ data and pay a £7.5m fine. This follows an investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) determining that the company had breached the Data Protection Act 2018.
This ruling is a decisive victory for those who have been vocal about the company’s data-gathering practices and is a warning to other companies seeking to gather data without explicit consent.
Overview of Clearview AI
Clearview AI is a facial recognition technology company based in the United States. Founded in 2017, Clearview AI specialises in facial recognition software that allows law enforcement to match images of unidentified people with those stored in their database. Their database consists of over 3 billion images scraped from popular websites such as Facebook, Google, YouTube and other online sources.
Clearview AI has been subject to increasing scrutiny due to their technology’s potentially intrusive nature, particularly its potential use for mass surveillance. In late April 2020, following a data protection investigation initiated by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Clearview AI was ordered to delete all information connected to UK citizens from its database or face fines for data protection breaches.
This situation highlights the potential promise and pitfalls of using powerful facial recognition technologies within surveillance applications. It also highlights the importance of regulating such technologies through effective oversight mechanisms and legal frameworks.
Clearview AI is a facial recognition technology company based in the United States. Founded in 2017, Clearview AI specialises in facial recognition software that allows law enforcement to match images of unidentified people with those stored in their database.
UK Privacy Watchdog Fines Clearview AI
The United Kingdom’s privacy watchdog has ordered facial recognition firm Clearview AI to delete all biometric data it holds on UK citizens. Clearview AI, a US company, was found to have collected and retained data from billions of images that it obtained from the internet and social media accounts.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) issued a £225,000 ($293,860) fine to the company for breaching data protection law by not obtaining sufficient consent for its processing activities. The fine is the highest amount that can be issued under the UK Data Protection Act 1998 and is one of the first times GDPR-level fines have been issued since 2018.
This ruling comes as part of an ongoing investigation into Clearview AI’s use of “scraped” data harvested from millions of sources across the internet. The ICO concluded that even though this data is publicly available online, neither users nor companies such as Clearview had obtained valid consent or fulfilled transparency requirements under GDPR before collecting it.
By enforcing this penalty, ICO aims to ensure that companies understand their obligations when dealing with personal information and sends a clear message that any organisation processing or storing this kind of data must do so in compliance with all relevant laws. As part of its investigations, ICO has ordered Clearview AI to delete all UK customers’ biometric data by 15 May 2021.
UK Privacy Watchdog Fines Clearview AI £7.5m and Orders UK Data to be Deleted
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recently fined Clearview AI £7.5m for illegal use of UK citizens’ data in its facial recognition technology. This decision was the outcome of a yearlong investigation into Clearview AI’s activities in the UK, with the ICO citing the company’s failure to comply with the Data Protection Act 2018.
Furthermore, the ICO has ordered the company to delete all UK data already collected from people in the United Kingdom. In this article, we will look at the implications of this decision for Clearview AI and UK citizens.
How Clearview AI Collected UK Data
Clearview AI, a US-based facial recognition company, was recently ordered by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office to delete any data collected from the UK. It is unclear how Clearview AI gathered data from the British public since it is not officially operational in the United Kingdom. According to Clearview AI, they acquired the images through various sources, including “publicly available image sources on social media”. However, a large amount of their data appears to have been acquired directly from individuals in the UK, such as police and private services and even members of the public who were unaware that Clearview AI had used their images or videos.
It is also likely that Clearview AI took advantage of an online tool known as ‘scraping’, where images are gathered automatically using computer programs and algorithms without human intervention – such as harvesting photos from websites, search engines and social networks. Scraping has become increasingly easy with modern tools and platforms that allow tech companies to rapidly collect and store digital information from millions of users worldwide with little effort.
Furthermore, recent reports suggest that foreign governments have accidentally or intentionally allowed foreign companies access to digital information about their citizens. For example, some European countries may have granted tech companies access to digital records for surveillance purposes through what are known as ‘super warrants’ – a type of warrant authorised by senior courts or officials in some countries which allow for unregulated access to vast amounts of individuals’ personal information.
Overall, it is unclear how exactly Clearview AI acquired its data from UK citizens – whether intended or not – but this highlights why it is essential that proper regulations are put in place to protect individuals privacy when dealing with sensitive customer data. Furthermore, this underscores why comprehensive data protection laws must be adorned so that tech firms do not misappropriate private customer information without permission.
Clearview AI, a US-based facial recognition company, was recently ordered by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office to delete any data collected from the UK. It is unclear how Clearview AI gathered data from the British public since it is not officially operational in the United Kingdom.
How Clearview AI Used UK Data
Clearview AI, a US-based facial recognition company, has been ordered to delete all biometric data it holds from people living in the UK. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent regulator for data protection, launched an investigation into the company’s use of facial recognition technology on personal data after reports suggested Clearview had collected information without users’ knowledge or consent.
The investigation revealed that the company had obtained “significant amounts” of images and associated personal data on individuals in the UK. This data was then used to train its facial recognition algorithm, which could identify individuals by matching them with their online presence.
Clearview AI claimed that they were unaware of any laws in the EU or UK preventing them from using this technology. However, ICO found that Clearview AI failed to comply with privacy laws and contravened Articles 5 and 6 of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as it had not taken necessary steps to inform people about its activities or received valid consent for them either.
In response to ICO’s findings, Clearview has agreed to:
- Delete all biometric data it held from individuals living in the UK.
- Discontinue further processing activities until appropriate policies and procedures have been implemented in compliance with GDPR.
The UK Privacy Watchdog’s Response
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) took swift action to ensure user data from the facial recognition software company Clearview AI was deleted from its UK servers, by issuing a fine of £7.5 million alongside a written order to delete the data. This move by the ICO sends a strong message to companies that their face recognition software must comply with UK data protection and privacy laws.
This article will cover the UK privacy watchdog’s response to the situation further:
The Fines Levied Against Clearview AI
Clearview AI, a technology company which creates facial recognition capabilities, has been ordered to delete all UK-based customer data. In response to the company’s failure to comply with the UK’s data protection laws, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued fines of £200,000 and recommended further action including further assessments of Clearview AI for potential non-compliance.
The fines are meant to act as a deterrent against any further offensive behaviour on behalf of Clearview AI. The ICO noted that it was difficult for Clearview AI to guarantee compliance with general data protection regulations after being warned once in January of 2020. This isn’t the first time the ICO has issued a fine against a tech company: Twitter received similar penalties in July 2018 after failing to protect user information.
The ICO also stated that despite previous warnings issued by them, there had been no improvement in their conduct and their efforts towards providing greater transparency and communication with customers had been inadequate. As a result, they have obligated Clearview AI to:
- Inform all individuals involved in their organisation.
- Provide assurance reports every six months on their efforts towards improving compliance moving forward.
These imposed fines reiterate both the necessity and importance of businesses showing ongoing coherence with data privacy legislation, particularly regarding security protocols. In addition, businesses like Clearview AI must take all necessary measures to continually assess potential risk areas surrounding customer data so that similar issues do not reoccur in future operations.
The Order to Delete UK Data
The UK’s data protection authority, the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office), has now ordered Clearview AI stop using biometric data of UK citizens collected by its facial recognition software. It also directed Clearview AI to delete all such data of British individuals held in their database.
The order was sent to Clearview AI after the company failed to respond satisfactorily to the ICO’s previous compliance notice. The notice had required the company to provide certain information and details related to its use of facial recognition technology, its compliance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and other UK privacy laws, and an explanation of how its activities comply with applicable regulations in the UK.
The collection and processing of personal biometric data for facial recognition violates data protection principles unless it can be shown that there is a legitimate purpose. As such, the ICO found that Clearview AI did not have a lawful basis on which to process biometric data collected from people in Britain. As a result, it concluded that those activities are likely unlawful under GDPR and must cease immediately.
Clearview AI has been given one month – until April 27th – by which it must delete all UK-sourced personal biometric data it is holding in its system or face enforcement action by the ICO, including potential monetary penalties or sanctions against executives or shareholders responsible for these activities.
The Impact of the UK Privacy Watchdog’s Decision
On April 28, 2021, the UK privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), fined the US facial recognition company Clearview AI £7.5 million and ordered it to delete all the personal data it had collected from British individuals and organisations. This decision comes at a time when concerns over data privacy and use of facial recognition technology are at an all-time high.
In this article, we’ll explore the implications of the ICO’s decision for Clearview AI and the data privacy landscape in the UK.
The ICO’s decision effectively puts an end to the risks of citizens’ photos being used without their knowledge and consent to identify them in a potentially intrusive and unregulated way.
The Effect on Clearview AI
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recently ordered US facial-recognition app developer Clearview AI to erase millions of images it had collected in the country. This follows a lengthy investigation into Clearview’s data collection and usage practices.
The decision has significant implications for the company and other controversial facial-recognition apps. In addition to issuing a formal enforcement notification, the ICO declared that Clearview must also delete all personal data – including pictures – that it collected from photo-sharing sites. Moreover, the firm must stop using its face recognition technology to identify UK citizens and ensure that any other party does not continue collecting or using such data without informing individuals by providing them with specific information about their processing and rights.
The impact this decision has on Clearview is far reaching:
- All of its US customers will have been instructed to delete all personal images from their systems, which could have a considerable financial effect on the business model of obtaining such data.
- UK citizens are now aware that Clearview AI’s technology is being used in other countries, allowing them to decide whether they want their images included.
- This order may vitiate any future attempt by Clearview AI or any other provider of similar services to broadly target UK consumers, as well as set limits on how companies can process information related to people’s biometric characteristics and privacy overall.
The Effect on UK Citizens
The UK Privacy watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recently took a stand against Clearview AI, a facial recognition app. The ICO ordered that all of the data and photographs obtained from UK citizens be removed from their servers, even though the company insisted that it had only collected material from public websites.
The decision has been welcomed by organisations such as Liberty and Big Brother Watch, which have argued against Clearview AI’s use of facial recognition software in public places, citing privacy concerns.
The ICO’s decision effectively puts an end to the risks of citizens’ photos being used without their knowledge and consent to identify them in a potentially intrusive and unregulated way. Other countries may soon follow suit as questions remain about regulating this technology.
This decision provides a much-needed safety net for UK citizens concerned about their data privacy protection. Even though it remains unclear what further action will be taken to ensure that companies comply with data protection laws, it is clear that steps are being taken to ensure people’s information is not misused or taken without permission. This gives individuals more peace-of-mind regarding their online data and allows them to take comfort in the fact that regulators are taking steps to protect them against intrusive monitoring or unauthorised access.
tags = information commissioner’s office, fined controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI, facial recognition platform designed to support federal, state, and local law enforcement, joint uk commissioners clearview ai 3b kwanzdnet, joint australia uk commissioners clearview 3b kwanzdnet, joint australia information commissioners clearview 3b kwanzdnet, joint australia information clearview ai 3b kwanzdnet, joint uk information commissioners clearview 3b kwanzdnet, australia uk commissioners clearview ai 3b kwanzdnet, joint uk information clearview ai 3b kwanzdnet, joint australia commissioners clearview ai 3b kwanzdnet, joint australia uk information clearview 3b kwanzdnet, australia uk information commissioners clearview 3b kwanzdnet, collecting their images from the web and social media, create a global online database
