Apple Disables Clearview AI's Developer Account After Violating Enterprise Certificate Rules

[MacRumors]

Apple has disabled the developer account of New York City-based facial recognition startup Clearview AI and provided the company with 14 days to respond for violating the rules of its enterprise program, according to BuzzFeed News.

As part of the program, Apple issues enterprise certificates to large organizations to deploy select apps to their employees for internal use only, but the report claims that Clearview AI was distributing its facial recognition app to more than 2,200 public and private entities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, Macy's, Walmart, and the NBA. This scheme allowed customers to download the app outside of the App Store by installing the certificate on their device.

Clearview AI's website says that it "searches the open web" for "publicly available images," helping law enforcement agencies to "identify perpetrators and victims of crimes" and to "exonerate the innocent."

Earlier this week, Clearview AI revealed that an intruder "gained unauthorized access" to its list of clients, according to The Daily Beast. The New York Times profiled the controversial company last month, claiming it has "a database of more than three billion images" scraped from platforms such as Facebook and YouTube.

Apple took similar action against Facebook and Google last year after each company was found to be using enterprise certificates to distribute consumer-facing apps, but the certificates were later restored, presumably after Facebook and Google agreed to use them strictly for internal-use apps only as required.

Article Link: Apple Disables Clearview AI's Developer Account After Violating Enterprise Certificate Rules

 

[1345873]

There we go again, he who do not want to be regulated, regulates. Enforce Apple to use USB-C or revoke saleslicense...

why not? Works in China, Russia.. will somewhere else..

 

[TacoChowder]

There we go again, he who do not want to be regulated, regulates. Enforce Apple to use USB-C or revoke saleslicense...

Well, this is within the rules of their platform, them enforcing those rules is absolutely fine. And also **** facial recognition.

 

[1345873]

Well, this is within the rules of their platform, them enforcing those rules is absolutely fine. And also **** facial recognition.

And it is within the rules of a country to enforce Apple to comply, that’s absolutely fine as well.

 

[jonblatho]

Ban cloud facial recognition and ban apps that use it, full stop.

 

[I7guy]

And it is within the rules of a country to enforce Apple to comply, that’s absolutely fine as well.

Private enterprise regulating private enterprise via let your customers dollars do the talking is good. Government micro-regulating private industry is a recipe for disaster.

 

[justperry]

Private enterprise regulating private enterprise via let your customers dollars do the talking is good. Government micro-regulating private industry is a recipe for disaster.

2 words:

Governments differ.

Ban cloud facial recognition and ban apps that use it, full stop.

Ban all use of private content without ones consent.

 

[mariusignorello]

And it is within the rules of a country to enforce Apple to comply, that’s absolutely fine as well.

A country’s government is asking a technology company to change the charging port on their devices on the grounds that it makes things more universal...how about no. That’s absolutely ridiculous.

Next they’ll ask for all operating system UIs to be the same and all code bases to be the same. Do you see where this is going?

 

[Gasu E.]

There we go again, he who do not want to be regulated, regulates. Enforce Apple to use USB-C or revoke saleslicense...

1. There's no existing law to use USB-C, and 2. What sales license?

 

[kemal]

Any (legal!!) act that could lead to a company like this going away is a good thing.

 

[Gasu E.]

And it is within the rules of a country to enforce Apple to comply, that’s absolutely fine as well.

What rule are you talking about?

 

[1345873]

Private enterprise regulating private enterprise via let your customers dollars do the talking is good. Government micro-regulating private industry is a recipe for disaster.

Look around you, and see regulation everywere, because of this innovation accelerates. Because (the likes of) Apple trying to monopolize and sqeeze competition out it slows down.
Apple nowadays is not about innovation anymore, it’s about controling, locking in, building walls.
Young kids do not want it anymore, it has lost its sexyness..

 

[Zwhaler]

A country’s government is asking a technology company to change the charging port on their devices on the grounds that it makes things more universal...how about no. That’s absolutely ridiculous.

Next they’ll ask for all operating system UIs to be the same and all code bases to be the same. Do you see where this is going?

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic. Making USB-C standardized is... absolutely ridiculous? If you said "overstepping" then I'd know you were serious. But your comment reads like a sarcastic one

 

[mariusignorello]

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic. Making USB-C standardized is... absolutely ridiculous? If you said "overstepping" then I'd know you were serious. But your comment reads like a sarcastic one

Yes, overstepping is the better word.

 

[coolfactor]

These comments are getting off topic. This has nothing to do with Apple abusing their position.

Clearview AI knowingly violated their developer agreement, and Apple has taken action to enforce the rules. Perfectly valid response.

 

[D.T.]

There we go again, he who do not want to be regulated, regulates. Enforce Apple to use USB-C or revoke saleslicense...

Part of their violation isn't a regulatory issue, it's a contractual violation, i.e., the use of Enterprise Certs in the manner they were used [by Clearview AI]. Most of my iOS development happens to be in that capacity, and having dealt with the legal / language / specifics of use, that's not even up for debate.

 

[1345873]

Private enterprise regulating private enterprise via let your customers dollars do the talking is good. Government micro-regulating private industry is a recipe for disaster.

- private enterprises do it for profit/shareholders
- governments do it to help/protect it’s citizens from them.

just find out where it benefits you

Why do you think there are rules preventing private enterprises becoming too big? Who makes those rules?

 

[citysnaps]

A country’s government is asking a technology company to change the charging port on their devices on the grounds that it makes things more universal...how about no. That’s absolutely ridiculous.

Next they’ll ask for all operating system UIs to be the same and all code bases to be the same. Do you see where this is going?

And requiring phones meeting certain size minimums and maximums. Specs for thickness and grip-ability, charging speed, charging port location, requirements for GPS location technology to aid in finding lost phones, and on and on.

Nope.

 

[Swift]

You want our data, you do so with our consent, and you pay us interest on the money you make on our data. It's got to be, or the Internet is hell.

 

[Mdracer]

Eye see all.

 

[480951]

Clearview has previously repeatedly stated that it’s services are only for use by law enforcement. Thanks to the journalists at Buzzfeed news, it turns out they were lying and companies like Walmart and Macy’s were also using it too.

Clearview’s Facial Recognition App Has Been Used By The Justice Department, ICE, Macy’s, Walmart, And The NBA

A BuzzFeed News review of Clearview AI documents has revealed the company is working with more than 2,200 law enforcement agencies, companies, and individuals around the world.

www.buzzfeednews.com

 

[PickUrPoison]

There we go again, he who do not want to be regulated, regulates. Enforce Apple to use USB-C or revoke saleslicense...

Apple allows developers to use enterprise certificates only to distribute apps to employees.

Using those certs to bypass the App Store is not allowed under the terms of the developer license. They will, and should be, revoked.

This article has nothing to do with USB-C.

 

[Swift]

There we go again, he who do not want to be regulated, regulates. Enforce Apple to use USB-C or revoke saleslicense...

I won't talk about the right to regulation, but what does this rule have to do with anything? It's for chargers. You have to have a USB on your charger. Apple gives away chargers with each iPhone, and you look at the chargers, you plug in a USB-A to it. The other end for Apple is a Lightning. What concern is that for the EU? It is a USB cable. Get another cable, a USB-A cable with a USB-C cable, about $5.00, presto! You can use it for Android! Although, it won't have Samsung's "Fast Charge." Is the EU demanding that Apple uses USB-C on the phone side? Why? What if Apple brings in a phone with some new wireless method of charging? There are also many different flavors of USB-C. What if Apple makes a compatible Lightning 2.0 cable that does everything that USB-C does, and more? Whose ox is being gored? Don't like the cable in the box? Go to Amazon.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Clearview will now just use Android devices I’m sure.

 

[johnalan]

Ban cloud facial recognition and ban apps that use it, full stop.

I’m a privacy advocate. Still, you need to realise that some facial recognition has value.