Clearview AI

Clearview AI is a facial recognition company founded around 2017 that scraped billions of images from social media platforms, mugshot databases, and other public sources to build a searchable facial recognition database. The company marketed its services primarily to law enforcement agencies in the United States, claiming to help identify suspects and missing persons. Beginning in 2020, Clearview faced significant regulatory scrutiny and legal challenges across Europe and North America. The company was fined by the UK Information Commissioner's Office (£17.5 million in 2024), faced GDPR violations in multiple European jurisdictions, and settled with the US Federal Trade Commission. Despite regulatory pressure internationally, Clearview has continued operating and maintaining relationships with US law enforcement agencies, making it a focal point in debates over facial recognition technology, privacy, and government surveillance.