Facial recognition firm, Clearview IA, was notified to delete data it holds on UK residents. The order was issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the country’s privacy watchdog. In addition, the company was fined more than 9 million dollars.
This is the fourth time Clearview has been asked to delete all personal data. The United Kingdom joined in the injunction and fine that were issued by Australia, France and Italy. The company confirmed having extracted some 20 billion images. Their main sources are social networks such as Instagram and Facebook.
Facial recognition at center stage
The firm’s software sold data of private users and even companies. In view of this, the United States agreed to restrict its sale only to federal agencies and police departments. This followed the filing of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Within the United Kingdom, the services offered by Clearview have been used for law enforcement by various government crime agencies. ICO has already informed that this company will not be offering its services within the United Kingdom. However, it has pointed out that other customers in foreign countries may use those images extracted from British residents.
