Ukraine is using Clearview AI’s face recognition tech for war efforts

Ukraine's military is allegedly using Clearview AI’s facial recognition technology to uncover Russian assailants, combat misinformation and identify the dead. The US-based startup is reportedly providing free access to its powerful search engine to allow Ukraine authorities to screen for people of interest at checkpoints and safeguard their borders.

Though Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has not confirmed the use of technology yet, earlier, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation said the government was considering offers from US-based AI companies like Clearview to step up their resistance against Russian invasion. Many companies from the West have come forward to help Ukraine by providing cybersecurity tools and other tech support. 

Clearview’s technology could be used for purposes like reuniting refugees separated from their families, identifying Russian operatives and helping the government debunk false social media posts related to the war, said CEO & co-founder Hoan Ton-That.

Clearview, a primary vendor to US law enforcement, is fighting lawsuits in the United States over privacy violations. Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project in New York, said while identifying the deceased is probably the least dangerous way to deploy face recognition technology in war, once such systems are introduced, it will be difficult to control its use or misuse.