Thu 11 June 2020:
Amazon announced Wednesday that it is pausing police use of its facial recognition software for one year following nationwide pressure on tech companies to address potential bias.
While Amazon did not specify a reason for its decision, racial injustice has been at the forefront of ongoing protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed black man’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
“We’ve advocated that governments should put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology, and in recent days, Congress appears ready to take on this challenge,” Amazon said in a statement posted to the company’s blog website.
Researchers have long criticized the technology for producing inaccurate results for people with darker skin, while other studies have shown technological bias against minorities and young people.
The announcement came after a coalition of racial justice groups this week launched an online petition calling for Amazon to cut all ties with police and US immigration officials.
The petition takes aim at Amazon Web Services cloud computing unit’s “Rekognition” facial recognition technology and Ring surveillance cameras used for home security.
“Amazon needs to examine its structural role in the systemic oppression of black people,” said Media Justice campaign strategies director Myaisha Hayes.
Amazon’s “surveillance empire” could be used by police to target people by race, making the company complicit in such abuse, petition backers argued.
Ring cameras sold by Amazon are used for home security, but people can share access to surveillance video with police if they wish.
Amazon said organizations such as the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children will be able to continue using Rekognition to help rescue human trafficking victims and reunite missing children with their families.
“We’ve advocated that governments should put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology,” Amazon said in the post.
“And in recent days, Congress appears ready to take on this challenge.”
Amazon’s software Rekognition has been used by law enforcement agencies and was reportedly pitched to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to much controversy. Amazon Web Services has previously said the technology is used by organizations that work with law enforcement to advocate for crime victims, and said in the statement that it will continue to allow this use.
On Monday, Democratic lawmakers unveiled a sweeping police reform bill, with calls for mandatory body cameras, an end to police chokeholds, and the creation of a national registry to track officers with a record of misconduct.
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