Clearview AI Reports Breach of Customer List (vice.com) 14
Facial recognition company Clearview AI notified customers that an intruder had gained "unauthorized access" to its entire list of customers, The Daily Beast reports. From a report: Clearview gained widespread attention in recent weeks after a wave of media coverage, starting with The New York Times in January. The company stands out from others due to its use of a database of over 3 billion photos the firm constructed by scraping images from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social networks and websites. Clearview sells its product to law enforcement clients particularly in the U.S. The company's app allows a customer to point their phone's camera at a subject, or upload a photo into the system. Then, the system provides links to other photos and related social media profiles of the suspected person online.
Something something irony (Score:5, Insightful)
Aren't these public records anyway? (Score:2)
Figure this response out, "AI"... (Score:2)
"If they say to you, 'Where did you come from?', say to them, 'We came from the light, the place where the light came into being on its own accord and established itself and became manifest through their image.' If they say to you, 'Is it you?', say, 'We are its children, we are the elect of the living father.' If they ask you, 'What is the sign of your father in you?', say to them, 'It is movement and repose.'"
Serves them right (Score:4, Insightful)
Clearview has a strong dystopian vibe to them. They not only scrape other's content (not illegal according to the courts but definitely unethical) but misuse other people's likenesses for facial recognition services for law enforcement. That smells like a 4th amendment violation to me but its one of the more abused parts of the bill of rights at this time.
There is no room for a company like clearview in a free society.
Re: (Score:2)
See, people call me "paranoid", or "insane", or other not-so-nice things when I refuse to let them take pictures of me. I also have exactly ZERO pictures of me on the Internet. There aren't even any pics of me in the company directory like there is with everyone else. Obviously, there are pics of me in the DMV database, stuff like that. But nothing accessible to the general public. Hell, I don't even let the family include pics of me in holiday gatherings. Instead, I take the picture.
Hell, I don't eve
Uh... (Score:3)
Copyright infringement much?
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Uh... (Score:4, Interesting)
The actual person (and it has to be a person, random macaque monkeys don't count) taking the photo is always the copyright holder. When you upload the image you still retain copyright, you're merely allowing the online service free license to use that copyright. Clearview has no such license with you when they scraped the data.
Which... means that all people could possibly issue a massive (US$5T would be a nice round number) class-action lawsuit for violation of copyright.
But then again, IANAL.
Re: (Score:2)
This is incorrect. Read the terms of service of FB some time. By uploading ANYTHING their platform, you grant them the legal right to use it as they see fit. This includes selling it to 3rd party companies.
Legally you may "own" a pic you take, but when you CHOOSE to upload it to platforms like FB, you are CHOOSING to accept their ToS. That often includes transfer of ownership, unconditional right to use, etc.
Clearview AI Reports Breach of Customer List (Score:1)
Oooops! - Looks like we got hacked ! ! !
Guess this is a sure-fire way to 'leak' the database to dark web corporate insider 'friends', who can then MARKET the dataset - - - without fear of reprisal or legal consequences - - - - - a guaranteed WIN$$$ for management!
Got to give them credit for an ingenious strategy for 'getting out in front' of the lawsuits headed their way from privacy advocates.
Re: (Score:1)
Are you stupid? The customer list is the one thing most businesses do NOT want leaked.
Clickbait (Score:2)
I only clicked on it because the title suggests that the _AI_ alerted customers that its company had been hacked.
Alas it's just the usual crappy firm with stupid security.
Those fuckers again (Score:2)
Well, they painted a big, shiny target on their backs by their despicable behavior. It seems they are incompetent with regards to security as well. Any hacker stealing their stuff can feel good about themselves.