"The patent filing was made in August — three months after the company said in a federal court that it would take voluntary actions to “avoid transacting with non-governmental customers anywhere.” The patent application, however, describes ways to apply its facial recognition software to the private sector as well as to law enforcement and social work, where it says it could be used to possibly identify people who use drugs or people experiencing homelessness.

"In many instances, it may be desirable for an individual to know more about a person that they meet, such as through business, dating, or other relationship,” the application reads, outlining a means of running a rapid background check based on an image of a person’s face. “A strong need exists for an improved method and system to obtain information about a person.”

The document also describes several other possible uses for Clearview AI, such as to “grant or deny access for a person, a facility, a venue, or a device,” or for a public agency to accurately dispense social benefits and reduce fraud. It also says users could deploy Clearview to identify “a sex offender” or “homeless people,” or to determine whether someone has a “mental issue or handicap,” which could influence the way police respond to a situation.

Clearview AI’s application largely describes technology that the company has had since 2019 and provided to more than 2,200 law enforcement agencies, companies, and individuals around the world. While companies typically file patents for technology they hope to invent in the future or to prevent competition, they can also be useful to describe larger questions and “problems the company is trying to solve,” according to Slate."