Clearview Al Inc. – €20,000,000 Fine (Greece, 2022)

€20,000,000Hellenic Data Protection Authority13 July 2022Greece
final
Fine

General GDPR enforcement action

This case relates to broader data protection obligations, not specifically to cookie or consent banner compliance. It is not included in cookie statistics or the Risk Calculator.

Clearview AI was fined €20 million by Greece's data protection authority for unlawfully processing facial images of Greek residents. The company did not inform users about how their data was used and lacked a legal basis for its actions. This case underscores the need for transparency and legal compliance in data processing.

What happened

Clearview AI processed facial images of Greek residents without informing them or having a legal basis.

Who was affected

Greek residents whose facial images were processed by Clearview AI.

What the authority found

The authority ruled that Clearview AI violated GDPR by processing data unlawfully and failing to provide access to personal data.

Why this matters

This ruling highlights the importance of transparency and legal compliance in data processing, even for companies not based in the EU. Businesses should review their data practices to avoid similar penalties.

GDPR Articles Cited

AI-verified

Art. 6 GDPR
Art. 9 GDPR
Art. 12 GDPR
Art. 14 GDPR
Art. 15 GDPR
Art. 27 GDPR
Art. 5(1)(a) GDPR
View original scraped data
Art. 5(1)(a) GDPR
Art. 6 GDPR
Art. 9 GDPR
Art. 12 GDPR
Art. 14 GDPR
Art. 15 GDPR
Art. 27 GDPR

Original data from scraper before AI verification against source document.

Source verified 4 March 2026
articles corrected
Full Legal Summary
Detailed

The Hellenic DPA has imposed a fine of EUR 20,000,000 on Clearview AI Inc. The non-profit organization 'Homos Digitalis' had filed a complaint with the DPA on behalf of the data subject. The company holds a database of more than 20 billion facial images (including those of greek residents and nationals) from around the world. The data is collected online from publicly accessible platforms such as social networks. The company offers a search service that allows individuals be identified based on the biometric data extracted from the images. Individuals' profiles can be enriched with information associated with those images, such as image tags and geolocation. In the course of its investigation the DPA found that the personal data contained in the company's database had been processed unlawfully and without a valid legal basis. Also, the DPA found that the company had not provided the data subject with access to their personal data and thus violating Art. 15 GDPR. Furthermore, Cleaview had violated the principle of transparency by failing to adequately inform users about the processing of their data.

Related Enforcement Actions (0)

No other enforcement actions found for Clearview Al Inc. in GR

This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.

Details

Fine Date

13 July 2022

Authority

Hellenic Data Protection Authority

Fine Amount

€20,000,000

Enforcement Tracker ID

ETid-1268

About this data

Data: CMS GDPR Enforcement Tracker
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
AI-verified and classified

Cite as: Cookie Fines. Clearview Al Inc. - Greece (2022). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu

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