The United States’ primary immigration enforcement agency is the Department of Justice. Macy’s and Best Buy retailers and a sovereign wealth fund in the United Arab Emirates, alongside the Department of Justice, are among the thousands of private businesses and government entities around the world listed as clients of the controversial facial recognition startup. The startup of billions of photos database scraped from the web and social media.
Twitter, Google, and Facebook are legally threatening the startup, Clearview AI. As well there are calls scrutiny and regulations in the United States.
Clearview AI has the quest to create the global biometric identification system for spanning both private and public sectors. Thus, Clearview has signed paid contracts with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Macy’s, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, according to the document obtained by BuzzFeed News. Clearview AI has credentialed users at hundreds of local police departments, Interpol, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and FBI. Thus, the company has taken a flood-the-zone approach to seeking out new clients, providing access not just to Organizations. Clearview AI also allows access to individuals who are within those organizations. Sometimes there is little or no oversight or awareness at all from their management.
Clearview’s software uses online images culled from millions of sites to match photos of persons of interest. The company claims that more than 2,200 companies, government agencies, and enforcement departments across 27 countries are using face recognition app according to the documents.
The United States and Facial Recognition Software
The data is providing the complete picture to date of who has been using the controversial technology. Moreover, it is revealing what some observers have previously feared: facial recognition of Clearview AI has been deployed at every level of American society and is making its way around the world.
The New York-based startup claims that its controversial technology intended as a tool to help police. Moreover, it adds that it prioritizes business in North America. Hoan Ton-That is the CEO of Clearview. Earlier this month, he said that it is strictly for law enforcement. On February 5, he talked with BuzzFeed News. Ton-That noted that the company focuses on doing business in Canada and the United States of America. Nevertheless, in reality, Clearview AI was also aggressively pursuing clients in industries such as gaming, banking, retail, and law. Also, it pushes into the international markets in the Middle East, Asia Pacific, South America, and Europe.
Tor Ekeland is the Clearview attorney. He replied at an extensive list of questions. Ekeland said that there are numerous inaccuracies in this illegally obtained information. He also added that he wouldn’t have any further comments, because there is an ongoing federal investigation.
Clearview attracted enormous attention. It was because the company claimed it had built unprecedented facial recognition. Clearview says that it has on an ever-increasing database of more than 3 billion photos ripped from Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and other websites.
Let’s wait and see how the investigation will finish.