NASA bought access to Clearview AI, a powerful and controversial surveillance tool that uses billions of images scraped from social media to perform facial recognition, according to U.S. government procurement data reviewed by 404 Media.
The news shows that Clearview AI is spreading beyond federal law enforcement agencies and into other parts of the U.S. government. It also raises questions about what exactly NASA is using the tool for. The part of NASA that will use the Clearview AI license is its oversight body, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which has special agents who sometimes carry concealed firearms, perform undercover operations, and develop cases for criminal or civil prosecution.
“Clearview AI license,” the procurement record reads. The contract was for $16,000 and was signed in August, it adds.