A Decade-Old Data Deal Haunts AI Firm and Dating App

Clarifai, an artificial intelligence company, has removed three million user photos from its systems. The images, according to a Reuters report, originated from the dating platform OkCupid and were used to develop facial recognition technology. Clarifai also deleted AI models trained on that dataset.

The arrangement began in 2014. Court documents indicate Clarifai's founder, Matthew Zeiler, emailed an OkCupid co-founder noting the dating app's "HUGE amount of awesome data." OkCupid, whose executives had invested in Clarifai, then provided the photos alongside demographic information. This transfer violated OkCupid's own privacy policy at the time.

The Federal Trade Commission's investigation, prompted by a 2019 New York Times report, led to a settlement last month. OkCupid and its parent company, Match Group, did not admit to allegations they deceived users. However, Clarifai's confirmation of the data deletion substantiates the core claim. The FTC further accused Match and OkCupid of concealing the activity and impeding the probe.

While no financial penalty was issued, the settlement permanently bars OkCupid and Match from misrepresenting their data practices. Neither company responded to immediate requests for comment. The case underscores how legacy data partnerships, formed before modern scrutiny, can resurface to challenge both AI developers and the firms that supply their training data.

Source: TechCrunch