Ethical Hacking News
Clearview AI faces criminal heat for ignoring EU fines, as an Austrian advocacy group accuses the US company of disregarding data protection regulations and exploiting loopholes in the law. The controversy raises questions about corporate accountability and transparency in the face of rapidly evolving global data protection laws.
Austria's data protection authorities have deemed Clearview AI's practices illegal, despite repeated violations of GDPR regulations. Noyb has filed a criminal complaint against Clearview AI and its executives, alleging the company disregarded EU fines and collected personal data without consent. Clearview AI claims its primary goal is to assist law enforcement, but scraped social media photos for commercial gain repeatedly violated GDPR regulations. Critics argue that Clearview AI's actions demonstrate a lack of accountability and transparency. Regulatory loopholes have allowed US companies like Clearview AI to exploit gaps in the law, making it difficult for EU authorities to enforce fines.
Clearview AI, a US-based facial recognition company, has found itself at the center of a storm surrounding its handling of personal data. According to reports, Austria's data protection authorities have deemed the company's practices illegal in 2023, with no fine imposed despite repeated violations of GDPR regulations. Noyb, an Austrian advocacy group, has filed a criminal complaint against Clearview AI and its executives, alleging that the company disregarded EU fines and continued to collect personal data without consent.
At the heart of this controversy is Article 84 of the GDPR, which grants EU member states the power to seek proportionate punishments for data protection violations through criminal proceedings. Noyb's complaint hinges on this provision, arguing that Clearview AI's actions demonstrate a blatant disregard for EU fundamental rights and authority. The company's alleged failure to pay fines totaling over $100 million, aside from a recent fine of $10 million in the UK, has led Noyb to accuse it of "spitting in the face" of EU authorities.
Clearview AI claims that its primary goal is to assist law enforcement agencies by improving facial recognition technology. It asserts that scraping data for this purpose is not inherently illegal, but the company's sweeping collection of social media photos for commercial gain has repeatedly violated GDPR regulations across Europe. The firm reportedly collected over 60 billion images from various sources.
While Clearview AI maintains its compliance with data protection laws, critics argue that the company's actions demonstrate a lack of accountability and transparency. Noyb highlights that EU data protection authorities have been unable to enforce fines against US companies like Clearview AI due to regulatory loopholes. As a result, companies like Clearview AI often exploit these gaps in the law.
Max Schrems, founder of Noyb and a prominent privacy advocate, voiced his displeasure at Clearview AI's actions: "Clearview AI seems to simply ignore EU fundamental rights and just spits in the face of EU authorities." This sentiment reflects widespread concerns over data protection and corporate accountability. As global regulations evolve to address these issues, it remains to be seen whether Clearview AI will finally comply with its obligations under GDPR or if it will continue to operate with a sense of impunity.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Clearview-AI-Fined-for-Repeated-Data-Protection-Violations-Amid-EU-Scrutiny-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/10/28/noyb_criminal_charges_clearview/
https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/28/noyb_criminal_charges_clearview/
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/society-equity/clearview-ai-faces-criminal-complaint-austria-suspected-privacy-violations-2025-10-28/
Published: Tue Oct 28 11:09:24 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
