Finland's National Bureau of Investigation used the controversial facial recognition app Clearview AI without proper authorization to conduct approximately 120 searches for identifying victims of child sexual abuse, resulting in a data protection violation and regulatory reprimand.
In early 2020, Finland's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) unit responsible for combating child sexual exploitation tested the US-based facial recognition service Clearview AI without proper authorization from the National Police Board. The unit conducted approximately 120 searches using the software, which processes images scraped from social media platforms, to identify potential victims of sexual abuse. During the trial period, there was one 'hit' that led to cooperation with social authorities, though no criminal investigation was launched. The incident was discovered in April 2021 when BuzzFeed News contacted the NBI about their use of the software. Initially, the NBI incorrectly denied using Clearview AI, but later confirmed the usage after BuzzFeed provided evidence of approximately 120 searches. The matter was reported to Finland's Data Protection Ombudsman, who issued a statutory reprimand to the National Police Board in September 2021 for illegal processing of special categories of personal data. The ombudsman found that the police had not ensured proper data protection compliance and had processed biometric data without understanding how Clearview AI stored or shared the information. The NBI was ordered to notify affected individuals and request deletion of data from Clearview AI's systems.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
AI systems that memorize and leak sensitive personal data or infer private information about individuals without their consent. Unexpected or unauthorized sharing of data and information can compromise user expectation of privacy, assist identity theft, or cause loss of confidential intellectual property.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Unintentional
Due to an unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed