The Metropolitan Police has compelled a facial recognition company to delete billions of Facebook photos and imposed a £7.5 million fine on them for violating data protection laws. Clearview AI surreptitiously obtained images from social media accounts without the consent or knowledge of the owners and utilized them to train its computer algorithms in facial recognition. With a database containing over 20 billion faces, Clearview AI’s service is employed for person identification and tracking.
The Information Commissioner criticized Clearview’s business model as “unacceptable.” John Edwards stated, “It not only facilitates the identification of individuals but also effectively monitors their behavior and offers it as a commercial service.” Consequently, Clearview was ordered to cease collecting photos from platforms like Facebook and Twitter, remove all UK residents’ facial images from their servers, and pay a fine of £7,552,800.
Various law enforcement agencies including the Met, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Suffolk, Surrey, the Ministry of Defence, and the National Crime Agency have all availed Clearview AI’s technology. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) revealed that these agencies were given access to the technology via a “free trial.”
Although Clearview has exited the UK market, the ICO disclosed that the company continues to employ pictures of British individuals for services offered to other countries. Mr. Edwards added, “People expect their personal information to be respected no matter where their data is being used. That’s why global companies require international enforcement.”
Last November, the data regulator contemplated imposing a £17 million fine on Clearview AI but granted the company an opportunity to present arguments regarding the penalty’s magnitude. Previous instances have seen data protection fines significantly reduced, such as when British Airways paid a £20 million penalty in 2020 after initial indications suggested a fine of £183 million by former Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham.
The ICO collaborated with its Australian counterparts to investigate Clearview AI, and the fine has been imposed in conjunction with them. Privacy International, an advocacy organization, asserted that facial recognition companies need more robust regulation and regarded the ICO investigation as merely applying existing privacy safeguards to a burgeoning issue.
Clearview AI’s CEO, Hoan Ton-That, expressed deep disappointment in the UK Information Commissioner’s misinterpretation of his technology and intentions. He clarified, “We collect only public data from the open internet and comply with all privacy and legal standards.” Clearview AI’s legal team argued that the fine is “legally incorrect” and contended that the company falls outside the ICO’s jurisdiction.
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