The move included the indefinite suspension of Clearview AI’s contract with the RCMP, its last remaining client in Canada. In an open letter to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair last July, they called the technology “highly problematic,” given its lack of accuracy and invasive nature, and say it poses a threat to Canadians’ fundamental rights. Conservative MP Michael Barrett tweeted Wednesday that Clearview AI should appear before the House of Commons information, privacy and ethics committee “to be held accountable for their actions.”. It wasn’t until a leak of Clearview AI’s client list last year that the Canadian public learned that police forces across Canada were using Clearview’s facial recognition technology. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Therrien and his provincial counterparts are developing guidance for law-enforcement agencies on the use of facial-recognition technologies. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. The RCMP put out a statement Thursday confirming it has used the technology in 15 child exploitation investigations over the past four months, resulting in the identification and rescue of two children. The RCMP became a paying customer and a total of 48 accounts were created for law enforcement and other organizations across the country, the commissioners said. Clearview AI told the investigators that Canadian privacy laws do not apply to its activities because the company does not have a “real and substantial connection” to Canada, and that consent was not needed because the information was publicly available. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. Technology company Clearview's artificial intelligence (AI) scraping of billions of images of people from across the internet represented mass surveillance and was a clear violation of the privacy rights of Canadians, an investigation has found. The Clearview scandal revealed last year that dozens of Canadian police departments — most notably the RCMP — have used the company’s software to … CBC News has asked for further information about the RCMP's use of Clearview AI, including where and how it was employed, but has yet to receive a response. The Ottawa Police Service tested another system from NeoFace Reveal last year, but said no longer uses it. The database of photos the uploaded one is matched with, according to the Times, is a batch of more than three billion images Clearview vacuumed up from social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and more. The RCMP said Thursday that its National Child Exploitation Crime Centre has been "using and evaluating Clearview AI's software" for roughly four months, and that "a few units in the RCMP" have also been using it "on a trial basis" with respect to criminal investigations. Please try again. In July, Therrien’s office confirmed the RCMP’s contract with Clearview was being suspended indefinitely. The commissioners want the company to go further and commit to ceasing the collection or use of images of Canadians, and to delete those images already in its possession. So, what now? Calgary police say they regularly use facial recognition technology. Comments are welcome while open. Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien is investigating the RCMP’s use of Clearview AI’s technology. Clearview AI's powerful technology can unearth items of personal information — including a person's name, phone number, address or occupation — based on nothing more than a photo. Clearview AI is an app that essentially allows a user to take a photo of someone, upload it and see a list of public photos of that person and links to where those photos came from. OTTAWA — Privacy watchdogs say U.S. firm Clearview AI’s facial-recognition technology resulted in mass surveillance of Canadians and violated federal and provincial laws governing personal information. "It seems that decision making about the use of intrusive technologies is happening entirely in the shadows, without any public oversight ..." he said. Clearview AI conducted mass surveillance and is a threat to the privacy rights of Canadians, an investigation reveals. Fraser said he hopes Therrien's findings prompt a larger political discussion. In total, Clearview has "over three billion images of faces and corresponding biometric identifiers, including those of a vast number of individuals in Canada, including children". Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. The watchdogs found Clearview AI not only collected the images of Canadians but actively marketed its services to law-enforcement agencies in Canada.