Interior Department Plans Clearview AI Deal for Missing Indigenous Cases

The U.S. Department of the Interior is moving forward with plans to contract Clearview AI's facial recognition platform for investigations into missing and murdered Indigenous persons, according to contracting documents published Friday.

The department intends to award a firm-fixed-price contract for six user accounts that would enable investigators to "rapidly identify and locate missing persons, crime victims, and suspects nationwide." The technology would support the Missing and Murdered Unit, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Office of Justice Services in handling MMIP cases, human trafficking investigations, and Internet Crimes Against Children cases.

Why it matters

The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates approximately 4,200 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people remain unsolved, with American Indian and Alaska Native individuals facing disproportionate risk of violence and disappearance. The contract signals Interior's determination to deploy advanced identification tools for these cases, even as facial recognition technology faces sustained criticism over accuracy concerns and civil liberties implications for marginalized communities.

Clearview AI's federal footprint

Interior would join multiple federal agencies already using Clearview AI's services. A 2021 Government Accountability Office report documented use by the departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, and Interior, as well as the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Agents have deployed the platform to identify criminal suspects, locate previously arrested individuals, and screen people attempting to re-enter the United States at borders, according to the GAO findings. The Department of Defense reported plans to enhance its facial image searches by accessing Clearview AI's repository of images collected from open sources.

Interior's U.S. Park Police conducted a pilot test of Clearview AI in April 2020 but discontinued use two months later, the GAO report noted.

Congressional opposition persists

A group of Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Ayanna Pressley, sent a 2022 letter urging the department to halt all facial recognition technology use. They argued the tools pose "unique threats to marginalized communities" beyond accuracy problems, noting that "communities of color are systematically subjected to over-policing" and biometric surveillance disproportionately infringes on privacy in Black, Brown, and immigrant communities.

"Facial recognition tools pose a serious threat to the public's civil liberties and privacy rights, and Clearview AI's product is particularly dangerous," the lawmakers wrote.

Next steps

While the documents do not constitute a formal solicitation, the department is conducting market research and accepting capability statements and pricing information from potential vendors through Tuesday at noon. The contracting language indicates Interior views Clearview AI's platform as "critical" to the Missing and Murdered Unit's mission for "sensitive and urgent investigations."

These details were first reported by FedScoop.