Clarifai has deleted 3 million photos from OkCupid after being notified by the FTC in 2019. The company admits to having used this data for training its facial recognition AI in 2014, despite OkCupid’s privacy policies prohibiting such use.

The incident came to light when a New York Times article brought attention to Clarifai's AI tool that could estimate age, sex and race from faces. Although the company has deleted the data, it has not commented on its past actions or the impact of this revelation on its future practices.

This case raises questions about how companies handle user data in the name of technological advancement. While Clarifai’s deletion is a step towards rectifying past wrongs, it also highlights the challenges faced by tech giants in maintaining ethical standards as they develop increasingly sophisticated AI tools.

The FTC has settled with OkCupid and Match Group, preventing them from misrepresenting their data collection practices. However, this doesn’t address the broader issue of how such companies use user data without explicit consent or knowledge.