London (AFP)
British and Australian data protection regulators have announced a joint investigation into the American start-up Clearview AI, whose facial recognition technology is causing concern.
The two bodies "have opened a joint investigation into Clearwiew AI's practices in the processing of personal data, focusing on the use made by the company of + deleted + biometric data and elements", announced the British regulator on his website Thursday.
In January, an investigation by the New York Times had lifted the veil on the Californian company Clearview AI, whose practices could, according to the American daily, "end privacy".
Its founder, Australian thirties Hoan Ton-That, claimed to have saved more than three billion images gleaned from social networks without the consent of their owners, and to be able to search from a simple photo directly on a smartphone, thanks to its facial recognition technology.
Twitter, Facebook, Youtube or LinkedIn have since condemned this exploitation of their users' images and ordered Clearview AI to delete this data, without success for the moment.
Facial recognition is increasingly used by police forces and customs officials around the world, but also to "identify" people on social networks or unlock smartphones and cars. According to Clearview AI, 600 police forces around the world are already among its users.
In late January, London police announced that they would start using facial recognition in targeted locations to identify the perpetrators of serious crimes, using a system provided by the Japanese group NEC.
Another investigation is already targeting Clearview AI, the Canadian regulator investigating since February the use by the federal police of its facial recognition technology.
© 2020 AFP