Canadian privacy authorities calls Clearview AI's facial recognition app illegal

Source: Clearview AI

Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner wants controversial facial recognition startup Clearview AI to delete Canadian faces from its database, saying it violates Canadian privacy laws by collecting its citizens' photos without their knowledge or consent. 

Clearview drew heavy criticism and lawsuits after the New York-based company claimed it collected over three billion photos of people's faces on the internet and boasted its connection to law enforcement. It also scraped images from sources like social media sites without their permission, which resulted in the company getting cease and desist letters from the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

"What Clearview does is mass surveillance, and it is illegal," Commissioner Daniel Therrien said at a news conference.

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Federal Privacy Commissioner investigates Tim Hortons app's detailed location data gathering

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The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada recently announced plans to investigate the Tim Hortons mobile app. A comprehensive media report released mid-June prompted this investigation. It brought up concerns about how the company collects data from its users and the amount of information it receives—even without the customers being on the app. 

The federal Privacy Commissioner will be working with three of its provincial counterparts in Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta to determine whether the app complies with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). PIPEDA is Canada's federal private sector privacy law.

They want to determine if Tim Hortons received "meaningful consent" from app users, meaning companies can only collect information if they receive consent from the individuals affected. 

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