Clarifai Deletes 3M OkCupid Photos: Scandal Uncovered

⚡

Key Takeaways

1Clarifai has removed 3 million photos obtained from OkCupid to train its AI, according to Reuters.

2In 2014, OkCupid shared photos and data with Clarifai, despite strict privacy policies.

3The FTC investigated in 2019 after an article revealed Clarifai's use of the data.

💡Why it matters — This case highlights the risks of sharing personal data without explicit user consent.

Clarifai Deletes Millions of OkCupid Photos

The artificial intelligence company Clarifai has recently decided to delete 3 million photos it obtained from the dating platform OkCupid. These images had been used to train a facial recognition system. This information was reported by Reuters, which also noted that Clarifai has erased all AI models developed from this data.

Controversial Data Sharing Between OkCupid and Clarifai

The issue dates back to 2014, when Clarifai sought data from OkCupid. At the time, some OkCupid executives had invested in Clarifai, which facilitated the sharing of these photos, as well as other demographic and location information about users. This data sharing was in violation of OkCupid's privacy policies, which stated that such practices were prohibited.

In an email revealed by court documents, Matthew Zeiler, founder and CEO of Clarifai, wrote to Maxwell Krohn, co-founder of OkCupid, expressing his interest in the vast amounts of data available on the dating platform.

FTC Investigation and Late Revelations

Although this data exchange occurred 12 years ago, it was not until 2019 that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opened an investigation. This action was triggered by a New York Times article that highlighted Clarifai's use of OkCupid images to develop an AI tool capable of estimating a person's age, gender, and race from their face.

Resolution of the Conflict and Implications for Companies

Last month, the FTC settled the dispute with OkCupid and its parent company, Match Group. Although the latter did not admit to deceiving users or violating their privacy policies, Clarifai's deletion of the data confirms access to the photos. The FTC also accused Match Group and OkCupid of intentionally hiding these practices since 2014 and obstructing the investigation.

Reactions and Consequences

Neither OkCupid nor Clarifai immediately responded to TechCrunch's requests for comments regarding this matter. Although the FTC cannot impose fines for a first offense of this type, it has prohibited OkCupid and Match Group from deceiving users or facilitating such deceptions in the future. This ban reinforces the rules already in place by the FTC to protect user data.