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Facial Recognition

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

John Oliver takes a look at facial recognition technology, how it’s used by private companies and law enforcement, and why it can be dangerous.

Hoan Ton-That's app, Clearview AI, has sparked a national debate about the ethics of facial recognition software. In this half hour interview with CNN Business’ Donie O’Sullivan, Ton-That talks legality, privacy, and bias in the era of facial recognition. 

This interview with Hoan Ton-That was shot on February 5, 2020.

Clearview AI’s app uses a database of billions of images that the company scraped off the Internet without user consent. Hoan Ton-That defends this. He claims he has a First Amendment right to use publicly available images. Tech companies, though, don’t agree. Twitter, Google, and other tech giants have sent cease and desist letters to Clearview AI. Apple has even banned the app from its App Store. Lawmakers, too, have concerns about Clearview AI. Ton-That tells CNN Business, he believes regulation is needed.

Still, in the face of controversy, Hoan Ton-That says he’s happy to be the face defending the use of facial recognition by law enforcement.