CBP Inks Agreement with Clearview AI: Bringing a Touch of Hollywood Spy Thrills to ‘Tactical Targeting’ with Facial Recognition Tech
“CBP Signs Clearview AI Deal to Use Face Recognition for ‘Tactical Targeting’”
“As part of a recently signed contract, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is set to use Clearview AI’s face recognition tech. The agency plans to apply the technology to ‘tactical targeting,’ according to the contract description.”
Ah, Clearview AI. That absolutely non-controversial, squeaky-clean tech firm that has been totally upfront about pulling pictures from places like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to inflate their library with over 3 billion people’s faces. They are back in the feeds with a prestigious contract with US Customs and Border Protection. Let’s do a golf clap for that.
There has been a slight alteration in their methodology this time. Apparently, Clearview AI is now veering toward ‘tactical targeting.’ Tactical targeting – a phrase so vague and broad that could be flexible enough to encompass anything ranging from Christmas shopping to alien invasion.
And just like a beautiful salad, there’s more to this story. Clearview AI, once again pushing the envelope of how much hot water a company can handle, has recently weathered controversy. But that clearly didn’t deter the CBP from inking a deal. One wonders if they possess some kind of magical waterproof ink.
Oh, the fascinating world of tech. It seems you can play merry hell with privacy and make more than a few questionable ethics choices, but as long as you’ve got an algorithm that can pick a face out of the crowd faster than a hawk spotting lunch, there’s a contract waiting with your name on it.
Looks like Clearview AI continues to see clearly its path of massive data collection, even as ethical questions loom in the periphery. Meanwhile, those playing watchdog are left asking: How did this become the norm? The answer may be as clear as AI – incredibly complicated and a tad disturbing. And that, my friends, is the ‘clear view’ from here. Tune in next time when we will no doubt have yet another head-scratcher from the intertwined worlds of tech and government.