CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Over 600 U.S. law enforcement agencies are using Clearview AI’s technology, according to The New York Times. Google, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook have sent cease-and-desist letters to Clearview AI after they learned it was scraping images from their platforms.

Detailed explanation-2: -The company’s algorithm matches faces to a database of more than 20 billion images indexed from the Internet, including social media applications. Founded by Hoan Ton-That and Richard Schwartz, the company maintained a low profile until late 2019, when its usage by law enforcement was reported on.

Detailed explanation-3: -The NIST tests confirmed Clearview AI’s algorithm correctly matched mugshot photos to an accuracy rate of 99.85 percent (12 million photo sample) and correctly matched VISA borders photos to an accuracy rate of 99.86 percent (1.6 million photo sample).

Detailed explanation-4: -For the last few years, Clearview AI’s tool has been largely restricted to law enforcement, but the company now plans to offer access to public defenders.

Detailed explanation-5: -The latest U.S law enforcement sign up for Clearview AI’s facial recognition-as-a-service app is a modest $18, 000, one-year contract, spotted by Jack Poulson of Tech Inquiry, but is noteworthy for the customer.