Clearview AI faces criminal heat for ignoring EU data fines

Privacy advocates at Noyb filed a criminal complaint against Clearview AI for scraping social media users' faces without consent to train its AI algorithms.

Austria-based Noyb (None of Your Business) is targeting the US company and its executives, arguing that if successful, individuals who authorized the data collection could face criminal penalties, including imprisonment.

The complaint focuses largely on Clearview's apparent disregard for fines from France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. Aside from the UK — where Clearview recently lost its appeal of a $10 million fine from the Information Commissioner's Office — the company has yet to pay other fines totaling more than $100 million, Noyb claims.

"EU data protection authorities did not come up with a way to enforce its fines and bans against the US company, allowing Clearview AI to effectively dodge the law," said Noyb in its announcement today.

Max Schrems, privacy lawyer and ...