Clearview AI Agrees To Limit Sales of Facial Recognition Data In the US (engadget.com) 14
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Engadget: Notorious facial recognition company Clearview AI has agreed to permanently halt sales of its massive biometric database to all private companies and individuals in the United States as part of a legal settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union, per court records. Monday's announcement marks the close of a two-year legal dispute brought by the ACLU and privacy advocate groups in May of 2020 against the company over allegations that it had violated BIPA, the 2008 Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act. This act requires companies to obtain permission before harvesting a person's biometric information -- fingerprints, gait metrics, iris scans and faceprints for example -- and empowers users to sue the companies who do not.
In addition to the nationwide private party sales ban, Clearview will not offer any of its services to Illinois local and state law enforcement agencies (as well as all private parties) for the next five years. "This means that within Illinois, Clearview cannot take advantage of BIPA's exception for government contractors during that time," the ACLU points out, though Federal agencies, state and local law enforcement departments outside of Illinois will be unaffected. That's not all. Clearview must also end its free trial program for police officers, erect and maintain an opt-out page for Illinois residents, and spend $50,000 advertising it online. The settlement must still be approved by a federal judge before it takes effect. "Fourteen years ago, the ACLU of Illinois led the effort to enact BIPA -- a groundbreaking statute to deal with the growing use of sensitive biometric information without any notice and without meaningful consent," Rebecca Glenberg, staff attorney for the ACLU of Illinois, said in a statement. "BIPA was intended to curb exactly the kind of broad-based surveillance that Clearview's app enables. Today's agreement begins to ensure that Clearview complies with the law. This should be a strong signal to other state legislatures to adopt similar statutes."
In addition to the nationwide private party sales ban, Clearview will not offer any of its services to Illinois local and state law enforcement agencies (as well as all private parties) for the next five years. "This means that within Illinois, Clearview cannot take advantage of BIPA's exception for government contractors during that time," the ACLU points out, though Federal agencies, state and local law enforcement departments outside of Illinois will be unaffected. That's not all. Clearview must also end its free trial program for police officers, erect and maintain an opt-out page for Illinois residents, and spend $50,000 advertising it online. The settlement must still be approved by a federal judge before it takes effect. "Fourteen years ago, the ACLU of Illinois led the effort to enact BIPA -- a groundbreaking statute to deal with the growing use of sensitive biometric information without any notice and without meaningful consent," Rebecca Glenberg, staff attorney for the ACLU of Illinois, said in a statement. "BIPA was intended to curb exactly the kind of broad-based surveillance that Clearview's app enables. Today's agreement begins to ensure that Clearview complies with the law. This should be a strong signal to other state legislatures to adopt similar statutes."
"that's not all" (Score:2)
though Federal agencies, state and local law enforcement departments outside of Illinois will be unaffected. That's not all. Clearview must also end its free trial program for police officers
So...every state other than Illinois and the federal level can utilize biometric data collected without authorization to assist in spy on people, that's what this propaganda piece suggesting the ACLU got some major win for civil liberties is suggesting? Huh, maybe pedo-joe's ministry of truth has these propagandists scared straight enough to not outright lie.
Re: (Score:2)
The settlement is more expansive than if Clearview had not violated Illinois state law.
Clearview agreed to stop all sales in the US besides Federal agencies and law enforcement outside of Illinois. They also agreed to stop their free trial to law enforcement outside of Illinois, closing a major loophole in how it was used as it was common to use the free trial as a reason to use the software without public comment and then administratively convert the free trial into a paid subscription.
The ACLU got a lot m
Re: (Score:2)
It's not about privacy it's about freedom (Score:1)
Meaningless? (Score:1)
Reminds me of how the US government has their allies spy on us because they can't do it legally.
Re: (Score:2)
That was my initial impression, however the form to have Clearview remove your pictures from their database doesn't verify that you are an Illinois resident, so those that know, will be a bit less prone to being tracked by Clearview [onetrust.com]
I'll remember your name in the morning (Score:2)
Yet, thats their business, collecting your info.
Title correction: (Score:2)
Privacy Rapist Agrees To Limit Sales of Facial Recognition Data In the US
There FTFY.
subsidiary (Score:3)
No worries, the subsidiary in Antigua has no problem selling to the US.
From August 16, 2025 (Score:1)
Does US law prohibit the use of Chinese Software? (Score:2)
If not, how does this not hand the baton to the Chinese?
If you give a spook a toy, (Score:2)