French regulator imposes a penalty on ClearView for not removing photos

The French regulator CNIL has imposed a penalty of 5.2 million euros on ClearView AI, a company that makes facial recognition software. The company did not pay the fine and did not show that it removed Fransen from its database.

This penalty is therefore on top of the previous fine of 20 million euros, reports CNIL. Clearview AI has not shown that it has removed all of Fransen’s photos from its database, despite having had two months to do so. The penalty is intended to ensure that the company would.

The software has a database of 30 billion photos of individuals that it collected online without permission. Police services and other government services can use that database for a fee, for example to track down suspects.

ClearView AI has not responded to the new penalty. Due to the unlawful use of those photos and violation of privacy, the company has already received high fines in several countries. The Italian privacy regulator imposed a fine of 20 million euros on the company in March. Fines from the British and Greek privacy watchdogs followed later.

Clearview AI. Source: CBS News