Sign up to save tools and stay up to date with the latest in AI
bg
bg
1

A secretive startup’s quest to end privacy through facial recognition

Nov 04, 2023 - fastcompany.com
Kashmir Hill, a technology and privacy reporter, shares insights from her new book, "Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup’s Quest to End Privacy as We Know It". She discusses Clearview AI, a company that has scraped billions of photos from the internet to create a facial recognition app. Hill argues that this is not a technological breakthrough, but an ethical issue, as Clearview AI was willing to do what others deemed taboo. She also discusses how Google and Facebook have developed similar technology but chose not to release it, and how personal information is increasingly being linked to biometric data.

Hill emphasizes the need to rethink what we make publicly available on the internet, as this data can be used in unpredictable ways by AI. She also highlights the effectiveness of laws in protecting privacy, citing the example of Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act. She concludes by posing questions about the extent to which we want facial recognition technology to be widespread and how it could change our experiences in public spaces.

Key takeaways:

  • Clearview AI's facial recognition technology was not a technological breakthrough, but an ethical arbitrage, as they were willing to do what others weren't in terms of gathering photos and creating a tool that other companies deemed taboo.
  • Google and Facebook had developed similar technology years ago but chose not to release it due to privacy concerns. However, they are culpable for allowing their photos to be scraped by companies like Clearview AI.
  • Personal information is increasingly being linked to biometric information like faces and voiceprints, which will drastically change how we navigate the public world.
  • There is a need to rethink what we make publicly available on the internet, as anything public is likely to be scraped and used by AI in unpredictable ways. Laws that protect biometric information, like Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, are effective and necessary.
View Full Article

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment!