Illinois court to continue proceedings against Clearview AI

In Illinois, a court denied Clearview AI’s motion to dismiss the suit brought under the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

BREAKING: Today a court held that our case challenging Clearview AI’s privacy-destroying conduct — the capture of millions of people’s unique identifying faceprints without their knowledge or consent — can proceed.

— ACLU (@ACLU) August 27, 2021

According to representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ruling allows the case to proceed and refutes Clearview AI’s argument that its business is protected from First Amendment regulation.

“The court’s decision shows that people can still exercise control over their personal information from Big Tech, and legislation such as BIPA is crucial,” said Rebecca Glenberg, Senior Policy Counsel for the ACLU in Illinois.

She said the organisation would continue to fight for citizens’ right to ‘protect privacy by controlling personal information’.

In May 2020, a group of civil rights advocates led by the ACLU filed suit against Clearview AI in Illinois court. In their view, the company violated residents’ right to privacy under BIPA. The statute requires businesses to notify people and obtain their consent before collecting biometric identifiers, including facial images.

The activists asked the court to order Clearview to delete information about residents of the state collected without their consent, and to stop collecting new data if it does not comply with BIPA consent procedures.

In late April, Senator Ron Wyden proposed to ban government agencies from purchasing data from facial recognition system vendors without a court order.

In April, civil rights advocates called on President Joe Biden to stop using Clearview AI.

In March, a group of activists filed a lawsuit in California seeking to halt the company’s activities in the state.

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