The client list for Clearview AI, a controversial facial recognition app being used by US police to identify suspects and others, has been leaked. Customers include not only law enforcement agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Justice, but also companies such as retail giant Macy's, according to a Thursday report by BuzzFeed News, which cites internal documents obtained by the publication.
In an emailed statement, ICE confirmed its use of Clearview AI, saying it's primarily for agents with Homeland Security Investigations who are involved in child exploitation and cybercrime cases.
Clearview AI has also reportedly been used by some people working at the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, Interpol, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Best Buy, Eventbrite, Las Vegas Sands, Coinbase, Bank of America, Walmart and Kohl's.
"This list, if confirmed, is a privacy, security, and civil liberties nightmare," said Nathan Freed Wessler, staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. "Government agents should not be running our faces against a shadily assembled database of billions of our photos in secret and with no safeguards against abuse."
Clearview AI didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but the company's attorney said Wednesday that security is Clearview's "top priority." Tor Ekeland, Clearview AI attorney, was responding to the data breach that saw the customer list leaked along with information such as the number of searches those customers have made and how many accounts customers had set up.
The app identifies people by comparing photos to a database of images scraped from social media and other sites. It came under fire after a New York Times investigation into the software company last month, with Clearview AI being called a "chilling" privacy risk by Democratic Sen. Edward Markey in late January. Google, YouTube, Microsoft and Twitter have sent cease-and-desist letters to Clearview AI since, and the company is also facing multiple lawsuits.
"This is a crisis for our democracy," Evan Greer, deputy director of Fight for the Future, said in a statement. "Lawmakers need to get off their butts, do their jobs, and pass legislation to ban the use of facial recognition surveillance not just by government agencies but by corporations too."
Coinbase said it hasn't yet made a commitment to use Clearview AI.
"Our security and compliance teams tested Clearview AI to see if the service could meaningfully bolster our efforts to protect employees and offices against physical threats and investigate fraud," a Coinbase spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We have not tested nor would we use Clearview AI's service with our customer data. We maintain strict privacy controls that prevent customer data from being used in this manner."
The FBI declined to comment. Best Buy denied ever using or planning to use Clearview AI. Bank of America said it's not a customer.
ICE, the Department of Justice, Interpol, Customs and Border Protection, Macy's, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Eventbrite, Las Vegas Sands, Walmart and Kohl's didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
The report also said Clearview AI has expanded to law enforcement agencies in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, India, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Originally published Feb. 27, 2:11 p.m. PT.
Updates, 2:30 p.m.: Adds Best Buy denial, info on more companies, expansion globally; 2:35 p.m.: Adds Bank of America denial; 2:56 p.m.: Adds Coinbase statement; 3:05 p.m.: Adds statements from ACLU and Fight for the Future.
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