Tech Company Claims AI Can Predict Crimes Through Social Media Policing Amidst Legal Battle with Meta

Tech company Voyager Labs, known for its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to predict crime, is facing a privacy lawsuit from Meta (formerly Facebook), which is seeking to ban Voyager Labs from its social media platform. The New York City and Los Angeles police departments, among others, have contracted with Voyager Labs to use its AI technology. In 2018, the New York Police Department signed a nearly $9 million deal with the company. Voyager Labs claims that its AI-based analytics investigations can analyze vast amounts of data from sources such as social media and the dark web to provide insights, uncover potential risks, and predict future crimes.

However, Meta alleges in its federal lawsuit that Voyager Labs created over 55,000 fake accounts on Facebook and Instagram to collect personal data and build a comprehensive presence on their targets. Meta states that Voyager Labs used these accounts to retrace individuals’ social media history and potentially predict their next movements. The lawsuit claims that Voyager Labs collected data from more than 600,000 Facebook users between July and September 2022, including timeline information, photos and videos, lists of friends, posts, education and employment details, and self-disclosed location information.

The lawsuit raises concerns about privacy and the potential misuse of personal data. Privacy advocacy nonprofit Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) describes Voyager Labs’ tactics as a new form of digital stop-and-frisk, targeting Black and Latino individuals in New York. STOP argues that these practices are invasive, alarming, and potentially illegal, circumventing constitutional protections against warrantless searches.

Voyager Labs denies Meta’s allegations and defends its software’s use in law enforcement to address critical challenges such as human trafficking, internet crimes against children, gang violence, homicide, narcotics trafficking, and terrorism. The company asserts that its software analyzes only publicly available data or data obtained through a warrant or other legal process, emphasizing that it does not infringe on civil liberties. Voyager Labs argues that AI-based analytical software should be embraced and encouraged as a tool to combat malicious actors on social media platforms.

The privacy lawsuit between Voyager Labs and Meta is ongoing. Voyager Labs has filed a motion to dismiss the case, which was denied by a judge. The two sides had a pre-settlement conference in August, and potential conference dates are scheduled for September to November. The outcome of the lawsuit will have significant implications for the use of AI in law enforcement and the protection of individuals’ privacy rights.

Original Story at www.foxnews.com – 2023-09-12 06:00:00