Thursday June 11, 2020
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The online retailer Amazon has long been criticized for the use of its services by judicial authorities. Now the US company wants to block its facial recognition software from the police for a year. There are very specific reasons for this.
The US online retailer no longer wants to make his facial recognition software available to the police authorities for a year. “We hope that this one-year moratorium will give Congress enough time to implement appropriate regulations,” said Amazon. The company, which sells cloud computing technology through its Amazon Web Services division, said it was pushing for greater regulation to ensure ethical use of the software.
Civil rights activists are concerned about the violent death of George Floyd that facial recognition programs could lead to unjustified arrests in demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. An alliance of activist groups launched a petition against Amazon’s “observation empire” earlier this week. The company is asked to cut its ties to the police and immigration authorities.
Amazon must “examine its structural role in the systematic oppression of black people,” said Myaisha Hayes, campaign leader at the Media Justice activists’ association. The observation cameras from Amazon are intended for the protection of private houses. However, the owners in the United States can let the police view the video recordings.
The one-year moratorium should give politicians enough time to issue appropriate rules. Amazon has been heavily criticized for the controversial use of its services by judicial authorities. The technology giant IBM had already announced its withdrawal from the face recognition business.
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