S.T.O.P. Warns FBI To Not Buy Stolen Biometric Data

The civil rights group condemned the FBI for pursuing contracts with controversial firms like Clearview AI.

View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Warns FBI To Not Buy Stolen Biometric Data (New York, NY, 9/18/2024) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a privacy and civil rights group, warned the FBI to not buy stolen biometric data after the agency initiated a request for information on facial recognition vendors that collect data from public platforms and open sources. The civil rights group condemned the FBI for pursuing contracts with controversial firms like Clearview AI, which has drawn widespread scrutiny for scraping the open internet and social media sites without consent to build its biometric database. SEE: Biometric Update - FBI seeks options for facial recognition searches against online images https://www.biometricupdate.com/202409/fbi-seeks-options-for-facial-recognition-searches-against-online-images   “The FBI should be investigating crooks, not doing business with them,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “Companies like Clearview AI have built their product with our body, scouring the internet for billions of images they can take without consent. This is theft, pure and simple, so what does it say if America’s top law enforcement agency is putting them under contract instead of in cuffs?” In 2021, the civil rights group condemned the FBI for entering an $18,000 contract with Clearview AI, expanding the agency’s relationship with the controversial facial recognition vendor. SEE: Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns FBI Facial Recognition With Clearview AI https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2022/1/11/stop-condemns-fbi-facial-recognition-with-clearview-ai The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color. --END-- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn  Copyright © 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.