Microsoft has reportedly removed a facial recognition database, called MS Celeb, containing more than 10 million images of around 100,000 people.

According to Cnet, Microsoft gathered the images from search engines and published them in 2016 to MS Celeb. The company said that the site was intended for academic purposes but now the data has been removed.

The database was reportedly used to train facial recognition systems around the world, including those used by the military, researchers, and Chinese firms such as SenseTime and Megvii. It had been earlier linked to China's crackdown on ethnic Muslims.