😱Dutch Slam Facial Recognition AI!

Clearview AI hit with record €30.5 million GDPR fine in Europe

Key Points 

• Clearview AI has been fined €30.5 million by the Netherlands for violating GDPR with an unauthorized facial recognition database.

• The company could face an additional €5.1 million penalty if it continues its GDPR violations, potentially reaching a total of €35.6 million.

• Clearview AI has accumulated about €100 million in unpaid GDPR fines across Europe and remains uncooperative.

• The Dutch authority is exploring holding Clearview AI’s directors personally responsible to ensure GDPR compliance.

♨️News - Clearview AI, a contentious U.S.-based facial recognition startup, has been issued its largest privacy fine in Europe yet. 

The Netherlands' data protection authority, Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP), imposed a €30.5 million penalty (approximately $33.7 million) on Clearview AI. This follows findings that the company violated the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by compiling a database of 30 billion images sourced from internet selfies, without consent from individuals, including Dutch citizens. This fine surpasses previous GDPR penalties levied by authorities in France, Italy, Greece, and the U.K. in 2022.

🫨What's more? In a press release, the Netherlands' data protection authority (AP) announced that Clearview AI could face an additional penalty of up to €5.1 million if it continues to violate GDPR regulations. This extra fine is being imposed because Clearview AI has not ceased its GDPR breaches following the investigation's conclusion, potentially bringing the total penalty to €35.6 million. 

The AP is also sanctioning Clearview AI for significant GDPR violations, such as creating a database by unlawfully collecting people's biometric data and failing to meet transparency requirements.

😲What's the most important point? Clearview AI has accumulated around €100 million in GDPR fines from various European authorities over the years, but these penalties have largely gone uncollected. The U.S.-based company remains uncooperative, failing to appoint a legal representative in the EU and continuing to violate GDPR rules with little consequence due to its location outside Europe. 

The Dutch data protection authority (AP) is particularly concerned about this ongoing non-compliance and is exploring options to force Clearview AI to follow the law, including potentially holding the company’s directors personally responsible. In this context, the recent arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France over illegal content on his platform highlights the possibility that targeting Clearview AI’s leadership could be a more effective strategy for ensuring compliance.