CEO Exits Controversial Facial Data Firm Clearview

Facial recognition company Clearview AI has lost its CEO. Co-founder Hoan Ton-That confirmed his resignation in various communications following an enquiry last week by news publication Forbes, and has been replaced by co-CEOs Hal Lambert, an early investor, and co-founder Richard Schwartz.

Ton-That shifted to President in December, and has now left the company's employment but will remain a Board member. He told Forbes he was leaving to start the 'next chapter of [his] life' but did not give further details.

New York-based Clearview created a database of tens of billions of 'faceprints' - unique biometric identifiers akin to a fingerprint or DNA profile - drawn from personal photos on users' social media accounts and elsewhere online, and was sued in 2020 by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who considered it a 'threat to privacy, safety and security'. Tech giants including Twitter, YouTube and Facebook all also wrote to the company that year requiring it to cease collection and delete its data, saying it was collected without permission.

The latest change of personnel may be geared to helping the company capitalize on opportunities for national security and public safety contracts with the Trump administration: Lambert is an active Republican supporter who reportedly served on the President's inauguration committee, while Schwartz was an advisor to NYC Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Lambert told Forbes in a recent interview that Clearview is in discussions with federal agencies including the Pentagon and Homeland Security.

The company generated $16m in annual recurring revenue last year, most of it from contracts with local law enforcement agencies - but has struggled with multiple lawsuits and fines in Europe, Australia and the US, and despite refusals to pay these (and in at least once case having the fine overturned), remains unprofitable at present.

Web site: www.clearview.ai .