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Praxikon

Enforcement

Clearview AI: 30.5 million euro fine and penalty orders for illegal facial database

Date
Status
final
Body
Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
Reference
Besluit tot opleggen boetes en lasten onder dwangsom Clearview AI Inc., AP, 16 mei 2024 (kenmerk niet gepubliceerd; bekendgemaakt 3 september 2024)
Amount
€30,500,000

What it is about

Clearview scrapes more than 30 billion face photos from the internet, including of Dutch people, and converts them into biometric codes for intelligence and law enforcement clients. The Dutch DPA imposed two fines. The first, 20 million euros, covers processing without a legal basis (Article 5(1)(a) with Article 6(1)), processing biometric data (Article 9(1)) and failing to inform data subjects (Article 12(1) with Article 14). The second, 10.5 million euros, covers ignoring access requests and not facilitating the right of access (Article 12(2) and (3) with Article 15). Four penalty orders, including one for having no EU representative (Article 27), add up to a maximum of 5.1 million euros. Clearview did not object, so the decision is final. The DPA warns that using Clearview's services is also prohibited.

What this means in practice

Harvesting biometric data from public sources is prohibited even when the photos are public; the internet is not a free source. According to the DPA, Dutch organisations that use Clearview can expect substantial fines. A non EU company processing data of people in the EU falls under the GDPR and must appoint a representative. The DPA is examining whether directors can be held personally liable.

The GDPR articles concerned

Source: Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, besluit boete en lasten onder dwangsom Clearview AIchecked on 15 September 2026

Summary and practical reading by Praxikon. Not legal advice; the source prevails.

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Case law8 of 17

Guidelines8 of 14

Enforcement and fines8 of 13

Legislation in motion6 of 9