Clearview AI, one of the shadiest outfits in a sketchy business, is to be fined by Dutch privacy regulators over making and maintaining a database of nationals' faces without their knowledge or consent.
The Netherlands' Data Protection Agency, or DPA, also warned Dutch companies that using Clearview's services is also banned.
The data agency said that New York-based Clearview "has not objected to this decision and is therefore unable to appeal against the fine."
But in a statement emailed to The Associated Press, Clearview's chief legal officer, Jack Mulcaire, said that the decision is "unlawful, devoid of due process and is unenforceable."
Clearview's position is simple: it doesn't have any legal presence in the EU, won't pay the fine, and has no plans to subject itself to the GDPR or other local rules. It has, however, been brought to heel in the U.S.
In June, Clearview reached a settlement in an Illinois lawsuit alleging its massive photographic collection of faces violated the subjects' privacy rights, a deal that attorneys estimate could be worth more than $50 million US. Clearview didn't admit any liability as part of the settlement agreement.
If there's any consolation, it's that the tech is more useful for grifting law enforcement agencies than for actually surveilling anyone.
