Thread by @BuzzFeedNews

NEW: Clearview AI's controversial facial recognition tool has been used by thousands of people at agencies across the country to search millions of Americans' faces, everyone from protesters to friends and family (often with little oversight) buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanma…

These groups include hundreds of local and state police departments, ICE, the US Air Force, state attorneys general offices, and even schools.

We built a searchable database for you to see if your local police have used the service. buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanma…

Our reporters contacted every agency listed. Many did not respond. Some said they had found officers using Clearview without approval, leading to bans of the software.

Others denied employees used the software. And some who did so found after further examination that they had.

Clearview, for a time, made it easy for almost any law enforcement officer who wanted a free trial to sign up. In January 2020, we reported its promotional materials told potential customers to "run wild" with the product.

buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanma…

After March 2020, Clearview put a few checks in place on its free trial program, including requiring a superior's approval and appointing an administrator to monitor use.

But from around summer 2019 to about February 2020, none of these checks existed. buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanma…

In a statement, Clearview co-founder and CEO Hoan Ton-That said it was "gratifying to see how quickly Clearview AI has been embraced by US law enforcement."

He declined to answer more than 50 detailed questions about the company's practices and law enforcement relationships.