Clearview AI’s facial recognition database shut down in Canada amid privacy probe
Former Australian schoolboy Hoan Ton-That’s controversial facial recognition company has hit a major roadblock in Canada and shut its operations as investigations by authorities continue.
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Controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI has ceased its operations in Canada after federal and provincial authorities launched investigations into its activities.
The New York-based company, run by former Australian schoolboy Hoan Ton-That, has amassed a database of three billion photos scraped without permission from social media profiles, and sold access to law enforcement and private companies across the globe.
It has been the subject of a number of US and UK investigations and Australian police forces distanced themselves from the company after its client list was leaked and it was discovered a number of jurisdictions and individual officers had signed up to use the company’s database.
Canada’s Federal Privacy Commission said this week that the company had advised it that it would cease offering its facial recognition services in Canada.
Its last remaining Canadian client, the RCMP, would “indefinitely suspend’’ its contract with the company.
“The investigation of Clearview by privacy protection authorities for Canada, Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec remains open,’’ the office of Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien said in a press release.
“The authorities still plan to issue findings in this matter given the importance of the issue for the privacy rights of Canadians.’’
The privacy commission would continue to examine the deletion of Canadians’ personal information which had already been collected by Clearview.
The Australian Privacy Commissioner continues to investigate Clearview AI, run by former Canberra schoolboy Ton-That, after it was discovered a number of Australian Federal Police officers had signed up to use the database.
The company has since disabled its operations in Australia.
Its actions have been reviewed in London, and several jurisdictions in the US have taken legal action against the company, while Twitter, Facebook and Google have served it with cease-and-desist letters over the taking of social media pictures. Apple has blocked the Clearview app from its store.
Cyber security expert Dr Suranga Seneviratne from the University of Sydney told News Corp in May that Clearview’s activities amounted to a “big privacy scandal’’ because of the way the company had collected the photos.
Clearview’s lawyer Tor Ekeland has said the company was “committed to abiding by all laws applicable to it.’’
Originally published as Clearview AI’s facial recognition database shut down in Canada amid privacy probe