Cloud photo storage company Everalbum used its users' photographs to train its facial recognition system without informing them or letting them turn the system off. 

According to an NBC investigation, the photos people shared with the app were used to train Everalbum Inc's facial recognition system, with the system then offered to private companies, law enforcement and the military customers under different names, including “Ever AI” and now “Paravision.” 

The company had initially used publicly available technology for basic facial recognition features but later developed its own algorithms using user images as training data.

Everalbum also stored user data indefinitely, despite telling users that their photos and videos would be deleted if their accounts were deactivated.

The finding sparked multiple privacy and civil rights organisations to accuse Everalbum and its brands of egregious privacy abuse and opaque and misleading marketing, and to a wave of complaints by its users.