A new app currently offered to law enforcement agencies and a handful of private companies can identify a stranger’s name and other personal information by uploading a photo of the person.
Clearview AI devised the facial recognition app, which is able to match a photo of a stranger to other photos of that same person found online, and provide links to where those photos appeared — such as Facebook or Venmo, according to a New York Times report.
Federal and state law enforcement officers said they’ve used Clearview’s app to help solve shoplifting, identity theft, credit card fraud, murder and child sexual exploitation cases.
Until the new app was introduced, tech companies capable of releasing a similar tool refrained from doing so because of the privacy issues it creates, according to the report.
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