Coinbase Tests Controversial Facial Recognition Technology Amid Privacy Concerns

The Tech That Knows You Better Than Your Mother

In a world where your smartphone can track your every move—and let’s not even talk about social media apps—Coinbase, a prominent U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, decided to dip its toes into the murky waters of facial recognition technology. Yes, folks, they tested out Clearview AI. No, you can’t make this stuff up!

Coinbase and Clearview: A Match Made in Data Heaven?

According to a recent report by BuzzFeed News, Coinbase, which boasts a staggering 20 million views per month and over 30 million accounts, confirmed that it experimented with Clearview AI’s services. This controversial tech has been on everyone’s lips (or keyboards) recently, especially after it was revealed that they have over three billion images—quite a few selfies scraped from millions of unsuspecting websites and social media profiles.

But hold on to your hats; Coinbase insists that they did not use any customer data during these tests. It seems like they were just looking to expand their impressive security measures.

Who’s Watching the Watchers?

In this dystopian drama, Clearview AI has faced severe backlash from various entities, including titans like Facebook, Google, and Twitter. These platforms have all threatened legal action due to Clearview’s notorious methods of compiling their image database—often without consent. Oops!

Adding to the plot twist, an anonymous source leaked Clearview’s customer list to BuzzFeed revealing entities from 26 countries, including major retailers like Walmart and banks. Surprise! Seems like the crypto world is not as private as one might think.

Coinbase’s Justification: Security or Privacy Invasion?

So why did Coinbase decide to tango with Clearview AI? A spokesperson noted that the testing was connected to the ‘unique needs around security and compliance.’ They reassured the public that they were only looking to bolster protections against physical threats and assist in fraud investigations. Because who would want to protect their crypto assets, right?