INTERPOL recently launched a new app “ID-Art”. (Google Play/Apple Store) This AI-driven app aims to assist police and customs services in the fight against art theft. INTERPOL also seeks to help professionals in the art and antiques trade to comply with their due diligence obligation.
INTERPOL Database
The app provides access to INTERPOL’s database of information on more than 52,000 stolen and missing cultural assets. This information consists of photos of stolen goods, as well as information such as the name of the maker and the artwork, the date or period, the medium/technique, material, dimensions, weight, country of origin, etc.
4 Functions
The app has four basic functions on which it is based:
- the search function;
- search history;
- inventory & Object ID standard form;
- report to INTERPOL.
1. The search function
The central function of the app is the search function that allows you to search for stolen works of art in the INTERPOL database. Specifically, you have the option between a “manual search” and a “visual search”.
The manual search is nothing revolutionary in itself. This allows you to enter data about the good you are looking for and filter based on the characteristics.
The visual search, on the other hand, should become a game changer . This option allows you to take a picture of a property and check it against the database. An AI will compare your photo with the photos in the INTERPOL database. You can also help the AI on its way by specifying the type of good, medium/technique and material.
2. Search History
The search history gives you an overview of the previous searches. INTERPOL notes that the intention is to periodically redo previous searches. The reason for this is that the database is constantly expanding. A lot of stolen goods may have been added since the previous search, making a new search necessary.
3. inventory & Object ID
The Inventory allows you to create your own inventory of cultural goods. The app also allows you to export the data in the Object ID standard form. This is a form that describes the good in a standardized way, on which the “Data Dictionary” standard form for the import of cultural goods into the EU is also based.
This allows the user to quickly create a completed form with which the user can report the theft of his cultural goods to the police services. In other words, those who keep their inventory properly in this way will not experience any problems with the declaration.
4. report to INTERPOL
Finally, the app allows you to report information directly to INTERPOL. Please note that when you notify INTERPOL of the theft of your goods, this is not a police report! In other words, you will have to report the theft separately to the police.
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A tool, no more and no less
The ID-Art app aims to provide an additional tool for police and customs services when checking goods. It also aims to be a useful tool for carrying out due diligence by professionals in the art and antiques trade. (see also our blogs on anti-money laundering legislation in the art trade and your concrete obligations)
However, INTERPOL does not give any guarantees in this regard. For example, the inclusion of a property in the inventory does not entail a presumption of ownership. Nor is the use of the app sufficient to meet the due diligence obligations of professionals.
For example, a photo of a stolen item will not automatically bring a match. For example, the AI may fail to match the property with a photo in the database. The AI can also indicate a false positive. It is also possible that there is no photo of the stolen property in the database. Finally, not all stolen goods are in the database.
Data other than photos can also be missing or it is always possible that due to an error there is wrong data in the database.
In short, the user of the app is responsible for consulting the relevant registers, collecting certificates and verifying provenance, as well as authenticity. Anyone who trades in stolen goods cannot avoid liability by saying that the app did not indicate a positive match.
Conclusion
The ID-art app is a useful tool for police and customs services, as well as for professionals in the sector. It allows you to do a quick check and can therefore save costs. If the AI gives a match, you still have to check for yourself whether the good is actually the stolen good that is in the database. However, this methodology will lead to the identification of stolen goods faster than the manual method.
However, detecting and combating art theft via AI is still in its infancy. The databases are not complete and the AI is also insufficiently perfect. Yet this seems to be the way of the future. Anyone who uses the app today will have to do a lot of research themselves in the event of a negative match, but who knows, maybe ID-art will become reliable enough to provide sufficient information about the status of cultural goods one day.
Would you like to know more about the ID-art application or your due diligence obligations as an art and antiques dealer? Do not hesitate to contact us or discover here what IFORI can do for you!
Don’t hesitate to read IFORI’s latest book “Practical Guide to the trade in art and antiques in Belgium” for all your questions about the trade in art and antiques.
