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NDP calls for moratorium on Clearview AI facial recognition software

Mar 9, 2020 | 10:46 AM

OTTAWA — NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus wants the Liberal government to issue a moratorium on the use of controversial facial-recognition software by the RCMP.

The U.S. firm Clearview AI claims to allow law enforcement officials to compare images from crime scenes to a database of publicly available images.

But media reports have raised concerns about whether the company is collecting and using personal information without consent.

The House of Commons access to information, privacy and ethics committee is scrutinizing the tool and so is the federal privacy commissioner.

Angus called on the Liberals to ban the technology in Canada until more is known and there can be some kind of judicial oversight on its use.

He calls the technology “dystopian,” and says it’s rife with potential for abuse.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2020.

The Canadian Press