Clearview AI Inc. v. Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner), 2025 ABKB 287

Summary

Clearview AI sought judicial review of an Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner order requiring it to stop collecting, using and disclosing images and biometric data of Albertans scraped from the internet, and challenged the province's privacy law under the Charter. In May 2025 the Court of King's Bench held that Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act applies to Clearview because it did business in the province, found the Commissioner's reading of the 'publicly available' consent exception reasonable, and upheld the finding that Clearview's purposes were not reasonable. It also held that the exception, by excluding most publicly available internet information, unjustifiably limited freedom of expression, and struck the words limiting 'publication' to magazines, books and newspapers. Clearview appealed; the Commissioner's office lists the appeal as scheduled for October 9, 2026.

Key dates

1. May 2025Filed
2. May 2025Resolved
3. October 16, 2026Checked against sources
4. October 21, 2026Checked against sources

Developments are added when the record is reviewed. Next review: January 15, 2027.

Evidence

Each passage is quoted from its source. The quoted passages are re-checked against the live pages every month.

1. In May 2025, the Court of King's Bench of Alberta released its judgement on the judicial review of a decision of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.

   Supports: Court, decision date (May 2025), nature of proceeding

   Alberta judgment opens the door to the legitimization of data scraping and AI model training Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG) Reporting or analysis

2. Appeal scheduled for October 9, 2026/Order Upheld by King’s Bench

   Supports: Order upheld at King's Bench; appeal scheduled

   Judicial Reviews – P2021-12 (Clearview AI Inc. v Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner)) Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta Primary source