Clearview picks up another police facial recognition contract, settles a lawsuit

Police in Albuquerque, New Mexico have licensed Clearview AI’s facial recognition platform to generate leads in criminal investigations. The agreement extends for three years, and covers 75 users, local outlet KOAT reports.

The American Civil Liberties Union is not happy about the adoption of Clearview, with a representative stating that “(i)t sort of goes against this idea that you’re not going to be surveilled by the government unless you’re suspected of a crime.”

Clearview has made significant inroads in New Mexico, where its facial recognition is used by police departments in Las Cruces, Rio Rancho and Española, and by the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office.

Eddy County Sheriff’s Office Det. Capt. Eric Threlkeld told KOAT that his organization is aware of the limitations of facial recognition, which is “why we use it as just one tool among many to help identify suspects.”

Settling and unsettled

More than a thousand people have opted out of a class action settlement with Clearview, according to an announcement from Just Futures Law.

The group was among several others that ran the “Clearview Cop Out” campaign, which encouraged members of the plaintiff class to request their exclusion. They argued that the settlement does not address the fundamental harm to civil rights and data privacy posed by the way Clearview collects and uses biometric data.

Now, Just Futures Law says it will file an objection on behalf of one of those who opted out who resides in California.

Reuters notes that there was only one formal objection, as of September 12, from Illinois’ resident Jessica Wang.

Lead Class Counsel in the case, Loevy & Loevy, meanwhile, estimated in a fee petition earlier this month that the settlement fund could amount to over $51 million, with attorneys taking 39.1 percent, or $19.9 million.

The settlement is unusual not just in that it grants equity in the company, but that Clearview is not publicly traded.

A separate lawsuit, in which two former sales employees of Clearview accused the company of age discrimination, has been settled. A notice of settlement and an order of dismissal were both filed with the federal court for the Southern District of New York this week.

Article Topics

biometric matching  |  biometrics  |  Clearview AI  |  criminal ID  |  data privacy  |  facial recognition  |  lawsuits  |  New Mexico  |  police  |  social media