The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine stared using the Clearview AI facial recognition system – in this way, an American startup helps the Ukrainian military to identify Russian opponents, fight disinformation and identify the dead.
Reuters reports about it.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Clearview itself offered Kiev free access to its technology.
According to the company, they have 2 billion images from the Russian social network VKontakte. In total, their database contains 10 billion photos.
This database will make it easier to identify the dead than just matching fingerprints, and works even if the person has a facial injury. The technology could also be used to reunite refugees separated from their families, identify Russian operatives, and help the government debunk fakes on social media.
The company notes that Clearview should not be used as the sole source of identification, as it violates the Geneva Convention, which sets standards for humanitarian law in time of war. Critics of the startup say that system errors can lead to the death of civilians. Similar cases were in the US, where Clearview AI has been used by law enforcement agencies for several years.
However, several countries, including the UK and Australia, have made its practice illegal.
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has not yet commented on this cooperation. Ministry of Digital Transformation officials have previously said they are considering proposals from U.S. AI companies such as Clearview. Many Western companies have pledged to help Ukraine by providing internet equipment, cybersecurity tools and other support.
Let me remind you that we wrote that Facebook Ditches Facial Recognition and Will Delete Billion Users’ Data, and also that Ukrainian cyberpolice exposed hacker group distributing Emotet malware.
