Clearview Explored Security Camera, Smart Glasses Applications of Facial Recognition Tech

In addition to its internet-scraping facial recognition service, Clearview AI has also been working on implementing its biometric technology into surveillance cameras and smart glasses, according to a new report from Buzzfeed.

The hardware-focused efforts were marketed under a sister brand called Insight Camera. While Insight Camera’s website made no mention of its connection with Clearview AI, Buzzfeed says that its login page shared multiple references to Clearview servers that could also be found on the latter’s login page.

After contacting Clearview AI for comment, Buzzfeed found that Insight Camera’s website had been deleted.

Clearview has been the cause of a great deal of controversy in recent weeks after a New York Times report exposed its practice of trawling the internet, including social media pages, for images used in a comprehensive database that Clearview said it had been marketing toward law enforcement agencies. Just a month later came the news that Clearview’s list of clients had been stolen, which was immediately followed by revelations that Clearview’s services had been used by a few thousand entities including banks and retailers.

So far, it appears that Insight Camera only netted two clients: the United Federation of Teachers and a real estate firm called Rudin Management. The former confirmed in a statement that it had used Insight Camera “in a self-contained, closed system that relied exclusively on images generated on site” in order to help security staff identify people who had threatened employees, while Rudin Management said it had tested the technology and ultimately opted not to use it.

Clearview has also been experimenting with Augment Reality smart glasses from Vuzix, whose Director of Business Development, Matt Margolis, confirmed to Buzzfeed that his company had sent smart glasses to Clearview for testing.

Clearview, meanwhile, has not responded to Buzzfeed’s requests for comment.

Source: Buzzfeed News

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March 2, 2020 – by Alex Perala