CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

January 20, 2020 JMG Community, Open Thread

What if a stranger could snap your picture on the sidewalk then use an app to quickly discover your name, address and other details?

A startup called Clearview AI has made that possible, and its app is currently being used by hundreds of law enforcement agencies in the US, including the FBI. The app works by comparing a photo to a database of more than 3 billion pictures that Clearview says it’s scraped off Facebook, Venmo, YouTube and other sites.

It then serves up matches, along with links to the sites where those database photos originally appeared. A name might easily be unearthed, and from there other info could be dug up online.