The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has demanded that the developer of the Clearview AI facial-recognition system stop collecting citizens’ photographs and destroy the data it already holds.
The regulator said the company had obtained Australians’ confidential information without their consent and without verifying the accuracy of matches, violating local laws.
According to Information Commissioner Angelene Falk, Clearview AI’s actions “have not lived up to Australians’ expectations” and carry a “significant risk of harm to individuals whose images are in the service’s database.”
“The secret collection of such confidential information is unduly intrusive and unfair,” she added.
The company’s lawyer, Mark Lav, said they would seek a review of the decision in court. He said the commissioner had misunderstood the specifics of their business.
Not only did the commissioner’s decision have no effect on how Clearview AI operates, but the commissioner has no authority,” he said.
The investigation also involves the Australian Federal Police, which, according to the agency, used the facial-recognition system from October 2019 to March 2020.
In October, Clearview AI CEO Hoan Ton-That said that the facial-recognition system’s database had grown to 10 billion images.
In April, a U.S. senator proposed legislation to ban government agencies from purchasing biometric data from private companies without a court order.
In February, Canadian regulators accused Clearview AI of unlawful data collection of citizens and “recommended” that it cease providing services in the country.
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