Q: What is InquiryIQ and how does it work? A: InquiryIQ is a Clearview AI prototype that, after a face match, automatically searches the open web and images to assemble a “Candidate Graph” linking possible identities, addresses, social profiles, employers, arrest records, and associates. WIRED found interface files describing these features but did not access server-side systems to verify full implementation. Q: How was InquiryIQ discovered by journalists? A: Reporters found files that Clearview AI sent to the browser before login; these client-side files contained interface code, instructions, warnings, and feature descriptions that revealed InquiryIQ’s interface. WIRED did not access InquiryIQ’s server-side, so it could not independently verify the prototype’s full capabilities. Q: Is InquiryIQ currently used by law enforcement or available to clients? A: Clearview AI says the prototype has never been used by law enforcement, has not been offered to clients, and is not planned for release in its current form. By contrast, the company claims its broader facial-recognition database holds over 70 billion images and that more than 2,000 U.S. law enforcement agencies use its technology. Q: What are the main privacy risks posed by InquiryIQ? A: The main Clearview InquiryIQ privacy risks include false matches and demographic bias, rapid mass linking of social posts and personal data that enables stalking or doxxing, and the spread of errors when mistaken links are reused. Automation also lowers the cost and scale of surveillance, and human oversight can degrade into mere rubber-stamping of automated conclusions. Q: What practical steps can individuals take to reduce exposure to InquiryIQ? A: Set social profiles to private, turn off facial-recognition and auto-tagging, ask friends not to tag you, delete or hide old public photos, strip EXIF data before sharing, opt out of people-search sites, and enable separate emails and two-factor authentication. These steps can reduce Clearview InquiryIQ privacy risks by limiting the public clues that automated linking tools rely on. Q: What should I do if InquiryIQ or a similar tool misidentifies me? A: Ask the agency or company to explain the match and request correction or deletion of wrong records while saving screenshots and keeping a timeline of contacts. Use GDPR rights in the EU or state privacy laws in the U.S. to access, object to, or erase data, and consider legal advice if the error harms your job, travel, or safety. Q: What policy safeguards should organizations build before deploying face-search tools like InquiryIQ? A: Organizations should adopt written policies that limit use to serious, lawful needs, require documented case-by-case approvals, ban demographic filters for profiling, set strict accuracy thresholds, and require independent verification. They should also log queries, model choices, and action sequences for audits, delete non-hits quickly, cap retention for hits, test for bias, and include vendor duties for auditing and redress. Q: What still remains unknown about InquiryIQ’s accuracy and effects on privacy? A: Key unknowns include how accurate the prototype is, how the demographic options change search results, and whether the full system works as described because WIRED reviewed only client-side interface files and did not access server-side code. Those gaps make it harder to fully assess the scale and severity of Clearview InquiryIQ privacy risks.