Clearview AI faces criminal heat for ignoring EU data fines

Austria-based Noyb (None of Your Business) is targeting the US company and its executives, arguing that if successful, individuals who authorized the data collection could face criminal penalties, including imprisonment.

The complaint focuses largely on Clearview’s apparent disregard for fines from France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. Aside from the UK — where Clearview recently lost its appeal of a $10 million fine from the Information Commissioner’s Office — the company has yet to pay other fines totaling more than $100 million, Noyb claims.

Scraping data is not inherently illegal; however, Clearview’s sweeping collection of social media photos for commercial gain has repeatedly violated GDPR regulations across Europe. Austria ruled the company’s practices illegal in 2023, though it imposed no fine. Noyb is using a provision in Austria’s own implementation of the GDPR that allows criminal proceedings to be brought against managers of organizations that flout data protection laws.

To read the complete article see: The Register