Clearview AI: Difference between revisions

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|Description=AI facial recognition software company

|Logo=Clearview AI logo.svg}}

'''Clearview AI, Inc.''' is an American facial recognition company, providing software to law enforcement, government agencies, and (previously) private companies. The [[Artificial intelligence]] (AI)-software matches faces to a database of more than 20 billion images collected from the Internet, including social media applications. The company maintained a low profile until late 2019, when its usage by law enforcement was first reported.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=23 Jan 2020 |title=Clearview AI Says Its Facial Recognition Software Identified A Terrorism Suspect. The Cops Say That's Not True. |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-nypd-facial-recognition |website=Buzzfeed News}}</ref>

'''Clearview AI, Inc.''' is an American facial recognition company, providing software to law enforcement, government agencies, and (previously) private companies. The [[Artificial intelligence]] (AI)-software matches faces to a database of more than 20 billion images collected from the Internet, including social media applications. The company maintained a low profile until late 2019, when its usage by law enforcement was first reported.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=23 Jan 2020 |title=Clearview AI Says Its Facial Recognition Software Identified A Terrorism Suspect. The Cops Say That's Not True. |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-nypd-facial-recognition |website=Buzzfeed News |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260206115226/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-nypd-facial-recognition |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>

The software is purportedly as simple as taking a photo of someone in public, then searching Clearview AI's database of over 3 billion photos which retrieves social media accounts connected to that person from all across the web.<ref name=":0" />

Clearview AI was founded by Hoan Ton-That, Charles C. Johnson, and Richard Shwartz. Ton-That is a university dropout who began his career by creating phishing applications and computer worms and was subsequently investigated by police.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Owen |date=22 Jan 2020 |title=The person behind a privacy nightmare has a familiar face |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/The-person-behind-a-privacy-nightmare-has-a-14993625.php |website=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> Shwartz is a politician who worked for New York mayors Rudy Guiliani and Ed Koch among other politicians.{{Citation needed}} Johnson is a right-wing political activist and possible FBI informant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Mattathias |date=19 Oct 2023 |title=Exclusive: Tech billionaire Peter Thiel was an FBI informant |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/peter-thiel-fbi-informant-charles-johnson-johnathan-buma-chs-genius-2023-10 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>

Clearview AI was founded by Hoan Ton-That, Charles C. Johnson, and Richard Shwartz. Ton-That is a university dropout who began his career by creating phishing applications and computer worms and was subsequently investigated by police.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Owen |date=22 Jan 2020 |title=The person behind a privacy nightmare has a familiar face |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/The-person-behind-a-privacy-nightmare-has-a-14993625.php |website=San Francisco Chronicle |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260107120539/https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/The-person-behind-a-privacy-nightmare-has-a-14993625.php |archive-date=7 Jan 2026}}</ref> Shwartz is a politician who worked for New York mayors Rudy Guiliani and Ed Koch among other politicians.{{Citation needed}} Johnson is a right-wing political activist and possible FBI informant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Mattathias |date=19 Oct 2023 |title=Exclusive: Tech billionaire Peter Thiel was an FBI informant |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/peter-thiel-fbi-informant-charles-johnson-johnathan-buma-chs-genius-2023-10 |website=Business Insider |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260201171649/https://www.businessinsider.com/peter-thiel-fbi-informant-charles-johnson-johnathan-buma-chs-genius-2023-10 |archive-date=1 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==Consumer-impact summary==

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This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===Entities reported using Clearview AI (''2020'')===

In 2020, Buzzfeed News published a detailed report on the use of Clearview AI<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=27 Feb 2020 |title=Clearview’s Facial Recognition App Has Been Used By The Justice Department, ICE, Macy’s, Walmart, And The NBA |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-fbi-ice-global-law-enforcement |website=Buzzfeed News}}</ref>, one of the most notable publications that brought the facial recognition company into the public eye{{Citation needed}}. According to the documents, the software has been used by "people in more than 2,200 law enforcement departments, government agencies, and companies across 27 countries"<ref name=":1" />. The following entities were listed as users of Clearview AI at some point in time, some of which have been customers of the software while others without official accounts (e.g. trial periods)<ref name=":1" />.

In 2020, Buzzfeed News published a detailed report on the use of Clearview AI<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=27 Feb 2020 |title=Clearview’s Facial Recognition App Has Been Used By The Justice Department, ICE, Macy’s, Walmart, And The NBA |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-fbi-ice-global-law-enforcement |website=Buzzfeed News |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260206115226/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-fbi-ice-global-law-enforcement |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>, one of the most notable publications that brought the facial recognition company into the public eye{{Citation needed}}. According to the documents, the software has been used by "people in more than 2,200 law enforcement departments, government agencies, and companies across 27 countries"<ref name=":1" />. The following entities were listed as users of Clearview AI at some point in time, some of which have been customers of the software while others without official accounts (e.g. trial periods)<ref name=":1" />.

===='''Private companies'''====

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*[[T-Mobile]]

*[[wikipedia:Veritone|Veritone]] - an AI software company that tracks characteristics of individuals and vehicles among other AI capabilities{{Citation needed}}

*NEC's NeoFace WideNet - facial recognition software<ref>{{Cite web |title=NeoFace WideNet - Turn Your Images Into Evidence |url=https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/neoface-widenet-turn-your-images-into-evidence/143012279 |website=NEC on SlideShare}}</ref>

*NEC's NeoFace WideNet - facial recognition software<ref>{{Cite web |title=NeoFace WideNet - Turn Your Images Into Evidence |url=https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/neoface-widenet-turn-your-images-into-evidence/143012279 |website=NEC on SlideShare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223035054/https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/neoface-widenet-turn-your-images-into-evidence/143012279 |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===='''Law enforcement & government entities'''====

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====Foreign entities====

Clearview AI has consistently maintained its position that it focuses on consumers in the US and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haskins |first=Caroline |date=5 Feb 2020 |title=Clearview AI Wants To Sell Its Facial Recognition Software To Authoritarian Regimes Around The World |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/clearview-ai-facial-recognition-authoritarian-regimes-22 |website=Buzzfeed News}}</ref> Yet, included in Buzzfeed's report are entities in the following locations outside the US and Canada:

Clearview AI has consistently maintained its position that it focuses on consumers in the US and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haskins |first=Caroline |date=5 Feb 2020 |title=Clearview AI Wants To Sell Its Facial Recognition Software To Authoritarian Regimes Around The World |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/clearview-ai-facial-recognition-authoritarian-regimes-22 |website=Buzzfeed News |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260208134904/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/clearview-ai-facial-recognition-authoritarian-regimes-22 |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref> Yet, included in Buzzfeed's report are entities in the following locations outside the US and Canada:

*Australia

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 |Description=AI facial recognition software company
 |Logo=Clearview AI logo.svg}}
-'''Clearview AI, Inc.''' is an American facial recognition company, providing software to law enforcement, government agencies, and (previously) private companies. The [[Artificial intelligence]] (AI)-software matches faces to a database of more than 20 billion images collected from the Internet, including social media applications. The company maintained a low profile until late 2019, when its usage by law enforcement was first reported.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=23 Jan 2020 |title=Clearview AI Says Its Facial Recognition Software Identified A Terrorism Suspect. The Cops Say That's Not True. |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-nypd-facial-recognition |website=Buzzfeed News}}</ref>
+'''Clearview AI, Inc.''' is an American facial recognition company, providing software to law enforcement, government agencies, and (previously) private companies. The [[Artificial intelligence]] (AI)-software matches faces to a database of more than 20 billion images collected from the Internet, including social media applications. The company maintained a low profile until late 2019, when its usage by law enforcement was first reported.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=23 Jan 2020 |title=Clearview AI Says Its Facial Recognition Software Identified A Terrorism Suspect. The Cops Say That's Not True. |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-nypd-facial-recognition |website=Buzzfeed News |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260206115226/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-nypd-facial-recognition |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>
 The software is purportedly as simple as taking a photo of someone in public, then searching Clearview AI's database of over 3 billion photos which retrieves social media accounts connected to that person from all across the web.<ref name=":0" />
-Clearview AI was founded by Hoan Ton-That, Charles C. Johnson, and Richard Shwartz. Ton-That is a university dropout who began his career by creating phishing applications and computer worms and was subsequently investigated by police.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Owen |date=22 Jan 2020 |title=The person behind a privacy nightmare has a familiar face |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/The-person-behind-a-privacy-nightmare-has-a-14993625.php |website=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> Shwartz is a politician who worked for New York mayors Rudy Guiliani and Ed Koch among other politicians.{{Citation needed}} Johnson is a right-wing political activist and possible FBI informant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Mattathias |date=19 Oct 2023 |title=Exclusive: Tech billionaire Peter Thiel was an FBI informant |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/peter-thiel-fbi-informant-charles-johnson-johnathan-buma-chs-genius-2023-10 |website=Business Insider}}</ref>
+Clearview AI was founded by Hoan Ton-That, Charles C. Johnson, and Richard Shwartz. Ton-That is a university dropout who began his career by creating phishing applications and computer worms and was subsequently investigated by police.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Owen |date=22 Jan 2020 |title=The person behind a privacy nightmare has a familiar face |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/The-person-behind-a-privacy-nightmare-has-a-14993625.php |website=San Francisco Chronicle |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260107120539/https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/The-person-behind-a-privacy-nightmare-has-a-14993625.php |archive-date=7 Jan 2026}}</ref> Shwartz is a politician who worked for New York mayors Rudy Guiliani and Ed Koch among other politicians.{{Citation needed}} Johnson is a right-wing political activist and possible FBI informant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Mattathias |date=19 Oct 2023 |title=Exclusive: Tech billionaire Peter Thiel was an FBI informant |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/peter-thiel-fbi-informant-charles-johnson-johnathan-buma-chs-genius-2023-10 |website=Business Insider |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260201171649/https://www.businessinsider.com/peter-thiel-fbi-informant-charles-johnson-johnathan-buma-chs-genius-2023-10 |archive-date=1 Feb 2026}}</ref>
 ==Consumer-impact summary==
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
 ===Entities reported using Clearview AI (''2020'')===
-In 2020, Buzzfeed News published a detailed report on the use of Clearview AI<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=27 Feb 2020 |title=Clearview’s Facial Recognition App Has Been Used By The Justice Department, ICE, Macy’s, Walmart, And The NBA |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-fbi-ice-global-law-enforcement |website=Buzzfeed News}}</ref>, one of the most notable publications that brought the facial recognition company into the public eye{{Citation needed}}. According to the documents, the software has been used by "people in more than 2,200 law enforcement departments, government agencies, and companies across 27 countries"<ref name=":1" />. The following entities were listed as users of Clearview AI at some point in time, some of which have been customers of the software while others without official accounts (e.g. trial periods)<ref name=":1" />.
+In 2020, Buzzfeed News published a detailed report on the use of Clearview AI<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=27 Feb 2020 |title=Clearview’s Facial Recognition App Has Been Used By The Justice Department, ICE, Macy’s, Walmart, And The NBA |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-fbi-ice-global-law-enforcement |website=Buzzfeed News |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260206115226/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/clearview-ai-fbi-ice-global-law-enforcement |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref>, one of the most notable publications that brought the facial recognition company into the public eye{{Citation needed}}. According to the documents, the software has been used by "people in more than 2,200 law enforcement departments, government agencies, and companies across 27 countries"<ref name=":1" />. The following entities were listed as users of Clearview AI at some point in time, some of which have been customers of the software while others without official accounts (e.g. trial periods)<ref name=":1" />.
 ===='''Private companies'''====
@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 *[[T-Mobile]]
 *[[wikipedia:Veritone|Veritone]] - an AI software company that tracks characteristics of individuals and vehicles among other AI capabilities{{Citation needed}}
-*NEC's NeoFace WideNet - facial recognition software<ref>{{Cite web |title=NeoFace WideNet - Turn Your Images Into Evidence |url=https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/neoface-widenet-turn-your-images-into-evidence/143012279 |website=NEC on SlideShare}}</ref>
+*NEC's NeoFace WideNet - facial recognition software<ref>{{Cite web |title=NeoFace WideNet - Turn Your Images Into Evidence |url=https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/neoface-widenet-turn-your-images-into-evidence/143012279 |website=NEC on SlideShare |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223035054/https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/neoface-widenet-turn-your-images-into-evidence/143012279 |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>
 ===='''Law enforcement & government entities'''====
@@ Line 97: / Line 97: @@
 ====Foreign entities====
-Clearview AI has consistently maintained its position that it focuses on consumers in the US and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haskins |first=Caroline |date=5 Feb 2020 |title=Clearview AI Wants To Sell Its Facial Recognition Software To Authoritarian Regimes Around The World |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/clearview-ai-facial-recognition-authoritarian-regimes-22 |website=Buzzfeed News}}</ref> Yet, included in Buzzfeed's report are entities in the following locations outside the US and Canada:
+Clearview AI has consistently maintained its position that it focuses on consumers in the US and Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haskins |first=Caroline |date=5 Feb 2020 |title=Clearview AI Wants To Sell Its Facial Recognition Software To Authoritarian Regimes Around The World |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/clearview-ai-facial-recognition-authoritarian-regimes-22 |website=Buzzfeed News |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260208134904/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinehaskins1/clearview-ai-facial-recognition-authoritarian-regimes-22 |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</ref> Yet, included in Buzzfeed's report are entities in the following locations outside the US and Canada:
 *Australia