New ZealandPublic sector2020New Zealand Police
Clearview AI facial-recognition trial
New Zealand Police abandoned a Clearview trial that produced little investigative value
Problem
Police wanted to test whether facial recognition could identify unknown people associated with crimes from photographs and video images.
Approach
A police team tested Clearview AI between February and March 2020 using images of staff and suspects. Police said the database offered limited value in New Zealand and decided against further use. An oversight review found that an internal governance group had approved the trial, but the Police Executive had not, and the privacy commissioner and government chief data steward had not been consulted. Police subsequently established central governance and a new policy for emerging-technology trials.
Results
Takeaway
The team tested operational usefulness before completing executive approval and external consultation. The trial also exposed a gap between the supplier's database and the people New Zealand police needed to identify.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Public sector
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Computer vision
- Adoption
- Vendor solution
- Evidence
- Regulator, audit or court
Sources
Source summaries
The authority endorsed a police review that found Clearview operationally unviable and identified approval and consultation gaps. It recorded the establishment of central governance and a new trial policy.
Police said the trial produced one successful match, involving someone already pictured in the media, and would not continue. A senior officer acknowledged that approval should have been sought earlier.
The official response dated the assessment from February 19 to March 19, 2020. Police said Clearview offered limited value for identifying unknown people associated with crimes in New Zealand.
Full details are in the original sources.
