Facial recognition company says it did not provide proof that antifa stormed the Capitol

2025-04-27 02:38:20admin

After a mob of Trump supporters forced their way intothe U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, the right wing has been working overtime to spread baseless conspiracy theories about who actually stormed Congress.

Many Republicans have settled on their usual scapegoat: antifa.

Their proof? Evidence reportedly from a facial recognition company called XRVision that was supplied to the conservative outlet, the Washington Times.

SEE ALSO: No, antifa did not invade the Capitol today, despite what Trump supporters say

The conspiracy to blame antifa was quickly debunked, but that didn't stop Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, from citingthe article and the company's name on the House floor last night in an attempt to shift the blame from Trump supporters to left-wing agitators.

However, in a statement to BuzzFeed News on Thursday, XRVision claims that the Washington Timesstory is a lie.

“Our attorney is in contact with the Washington Timesand has instructed them to ‘Cease and Desist’ from any claims regarding sourcing of XRVision analytics, to retract the current claims, and publish an apology,” the facial recognition company said.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

The Washington Times appears to have removed their article from their site on Thursday.

While they disputed the fact that the Washington Timesreceived their "analytics," they did acknowledge doing an analysis: "Shortly after the rioting started, XRVision performed an analysis on the video footage and identified several individuals. This information was shared with Federal LEA." Though they state they did not identify any of the individuals as members of antifa.

It should be noted that XRVision is a shady entity and there is very little evidence that they produce functional facial recognition software.

XRVision's CTO, Yaacov Apelbaumhas a lengthy history online connecting him to right-wing conspiracy theories. Apelbaum runs a blog that has been shared by far right-wing outlets like The Gateway Pundit and by Q, of QAnon fame. The company’s LinkedIn page also shares these conspiracies, including a claim that they helped right-wing provocateur James O’Keefe of Project Veritas on a since-debunkedhit piece on Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

On Friday, FBI Assistant Director Steven D'Antuono confirmed that there is no evidence that antifa was involved in the attack on the Capitol.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The Washington Timesreported in it's now-deleted story that the information from the facial recognition company was provided to them by a “retired military official.” The conservative outlet did not publish the photographic evidence it claimed to have been supplied with.

This is developing story...