No, The Solution For Criminal Defendants Is Not More Clearview AI

The problems with Clearview AI's facial recognition system, particularly in the hands of police, are myriad and serious. That the technology exists as it does at all raises significant ethical concerns, and how it has been used to feed people into the criminal justice system raises significant due process ones as well. But an article in the New York Times the other day might seem to suggest that it perhaps also has a cuddly side, one that might actually help criminal defendants, instead of just hurting them. But don't be fooled – there is nothing benign about the facial recognition technology pushed by Clearview AI, and even this story ultimately provides no defense for it. It was not the hero here, because the problem it supposedly "solved" was not the problem that actually needed solving.