Australia: OAIC and ICO conclude investigation into Clearview AI for failure to comply with privacy rules

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and the United Kingdom Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have concluded their joint investigation into Clearview AI's conformity with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988. Clearview AI provides a facial recognition search tool which allows user input to be compared to a database of over 3 billion images. The OAIC has determined that Clearview AI has failed to take reasonable steps to implement the necessary procedures to ensure compliance with the APPs, and that, further, it has interfered with the privacy of Australians by failing to: obtain consent for the collection of sensitive information, collect information by lawful means, give proper notification of the collection of data, and ensure that collected information was accurate and up-to-date. The OAIC has declared that Clearview AI must cease the collection of images in breach of APPs and delete existing images so collected from Australians.