CBP Signs Clearview AI Deal to Use Face Recognition for ‘Tactical Targeting’ | WIRED
Summary
US Customs and Border Protection has signed a $225,000 deal with Clearview AI to access its facial recognition technology for intelligence operations, raising concerns over privacy and civil liberties.
Why It Matters
This agreement highlights the growing reliance on facial recognition technology by government agencies, which raises significant ethical and privacy concerns. The use of such technology without clear regulations or public consent could set a precedent for surveillance practices that infringe on civil liberties.
Key Takeaways
- CBP will use Clearview AI's facial recognition for tactical targeting and intelligence analysis.
- The contract allows access to over 60 billion images scraped from the internet, raising privacy concerns.
- Legislation is being proposed to limit the use of facial recognition by federal agencies due to civil liberties issues.
- Clearview's business model relies on scraping public images without consent, which has drawn scrutiny.
- Testing indicates that facial recognition systems can struggle with non-ideal images, impacting accuracy.
Save StorySave this storySave StorySave this storyUnited States Customs and Border Protection plans to spend $225,000 for a year of access to Clearview AI, a face recognition tool that compares photos against billions of images scraped from the internet.The deal extends access to Clearview tools to Border Patrol’s headquarters intelligence division (INTEL) and the National Targeting Center, units that collect and analyze data as part of what CBP calls a coordinated effort to “disrupt, degrade, and dismantle” people and networks viewed as security threats.The contract states that Clearview provides access to “over 60+ billion publicly available images” and will be used for “tactical targeting” and “strategic counter-network analysis,” indicating the service is intended to be embedded in analysts’ day-to-day intelligence work rather than reserved for isolated investigations. CBP says its intelligence units draw from a “variety of sources,” including commercially available tools and publicly available data, to identify people and map their connections for national security and immigration operations.The agreement anticipates analysts handling sensitive personal data, including biometric identifiers such as face images, and requires nondisclosure agreements for contractors who have access. It does not specify what kinds of photos agents will upload, whether searches may include US citizens, or how long uploaded images or search results will be retained.The Clearview contract l...
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