As you might know, the City of Minnesota is looking into banning the use of facial recognition tech for their municipal employees. The reason that they want to do this is because there is a possibility that it may be used to break into some people’s personal data. If that were to happen, it would be a huge security breach.
Source code exposed
Clearview AI is a company that sells facial recognition technology for law enforcement. The software allows users to upload photos and match them to a database of three billion images. It can also help identify people using public-facing internet services.
Recently, a cybersecurity firm found that a misconfigured server at Clearview had exposed the company’s source code. In addition, it found that the server had also been configured to allow anyone to register. This meant that the company’s entire database was available to anyone with a browser.
Aside from the source code, the security firm also found that the company had stored copies of finished apps and credentials for accessing cloud storage. Additionally, the company had also stored Slack tokens that could have allowed hackers to gain access to its internal communications.
Earlier this year, New Jersey’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against Clearview. Among other allegations, the plaintiffs say the company had “repeatedly concealed and failed to notify its customers of the data it was collecting.” They claim the company failed to comply with the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Security lapse exposed
A security flaw at Clearview AI, a company that offers facial recognition software for law enforcement, has been uncovered. The company has been accused of scraping billions of social media images to build its own database, which the company uses to match photos uploaded by its users with suspects.
Clearview claims that it has worked with over 1,000 independent law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and even Walmart. However, the company has been slammed by privacy advocates for its dubious claims. In particular, the company has been accused of violating the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, which prohibits companies from collecting biometric information without the consent of their customers.
Although the company has claimed to have the most advanced facial recognition technology on the market, its technology has yet to be tested and vetted. Despite its claims, it has been slammed for allegedly attempting to match images uploaded by its users with a database of 3 billion public images.
Face recognition tech is a dream come true
Face recognition technology is becoming more and more popular with both consumers and businesses. This type of technology helps individuals and businesses to identify people in a crowd and track their attendance. It also allows for a more secure payment system.
The US is one of the leading countries when it comes to facial recognition technology. In fact, the government has plans to put this technology into use at airports.
Although the technology is still in development, it could make life easier for some. For example, the tech could help retailers and other businesses prevent unauthorized access to their buildings. That would allow them to make more personalized offers to customers.
It can also be used to help the visually impaired detect emotions. In some cases, these apps send vibrations to alert users of their emotions.
While face recognition technology can be useful for security and marketing, it has also raised concerns about privacy. Some civil liberties groups argue that the technology is an invasion of personal privacy.
Minnesota city council considers banning facial recognition tech
If the Minneapolis City Council passes an ordinance banning facial recognition technology, the city will join a growing list of US cities with local restrictions on the controversial technology. A proposal has been discussed quietly for months by progressive groups.
Facial recognition software is used by law enforcement, but has been criticized for a number of issues. It has been found to have a tendency to misidentify people of color, and its accuracy varies greatly from person to person.
The American Civil Liberties Union has called for a ban on the technology, and privacy rights activists say that it poses a serious ethical danger. But in the United States, facial recognition technology is being deployed by law enforcement agencies, both local and federal. Some police departments are turning to FBI officials for assistance, while others are using in-house face recognition systems.
The Minnesota Police Department is one of those agencies. When Minneapolis police officer George Floyd was killed last year, a motion to ban facial recognition software was proposed. However, the mayor, Jacob Frey, failed to sign the bill.
