Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) — Clearview AI
The FDPIC stated Clearview's mass acquisition of publicly accessible facial data for automated facial recognition can hardly comply with Swiss data-protection law and violates personality rights, and formally admonished the company after its information/deletion request went unanswered.
Key takeaway — how to prevent this
Biometric data (faces, iris, fingerprints) needs an explicit lawful basis or consent. Scraping or capturing it without one is unlawful across the EU/UK and many US states (e.g. Illinois BIPA) — and draws the largest fines.
Case brief
Read from the authority's press release on 2026-09-19. Every holding carries a short verbatim quote from that text (in DE, the document's language).
- Decided by
- Eidgenössischer Datenschutz- und Öffentlichkeitsbeauftragter (EDÖB)
- Parties
- Eidgenössischer Datenschutz- und Öffentlichkeitsbeauftragter (EDÖB) v. Clearview
- Remedy
- The EDÖB formally admonished Clearview after the company failed to respond to a request for information and deletion.
- Appeal
- Appeal status not stated
Key holdings
The EDÖB stated that collecting facial data without consent infringes upon personal rights.
“hat der EDÖB ausführlich dargelegt, weshalb er die ungefragte Beschaffung von Gesichtsdaten als persönlichkeitsverletzend erachtet.”
Swiss federal law enforcement and security authorities confirmed they do not use and do not intend to use software like Clearview.
“haben uns die Direktionen des Fedpol, der EZV und des NDB bestätigt, dass sie in ihrer Tätigkeit Software wie Clearview weder einsetzen noch einzusetzen beabsichtigen.”
Clearview left the commissioner's information and deletion request unanswered, prompting a formal admonishment.
“Das Auskunfts- und Löschgesuch des Beauftragten vom 24.01.2020 liess Clearview hingegen bis heute unbeantwortet, weshalb er das Unternehmen entsprechend ermahnte.”
In plain English
The Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner issued an update on March 10, 2020, regarding facial recognition company Clearview. Following inquiries sent to Swiss federal authorities, the directions of Fedpol, the Federal Customs Administration, and the Federal Intelligence Service confirmed that federal law enforcement and security authorities do not use and do not intend to use software like Clearview in their operations. The Commissioner previously stated on February 11, 2020, that the unsolicited acquisition of facial data infringes upon personal rights. On January 24, 2020, the Commissioner submitted a request for information and deletion directly to Clearview. However, Clearview failed to respond to the request. As a result, the Commissioner issued a formal admonishment to the company for leaving the request unanswered. This update highlights regulatory scrutiny of private facial recognition providers in Switzerland, clarifying that Swiss federal authorities refrain from using such tools while holding non-compliant facial data collectors accountable under Swiss data protection principles.
Inclusion does not imply wrongdoing or liability. Status reflects the latest information we have — always check the official source for current status.