Amazon forbids use of its face recognition technology in the US police


06/11/2020

Amazon said that police departments in the United States will not be able to use the company’s face recognition software within the year. According to Amazon, this is a Rekognition application.



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Amazon recalled that it has always advocated for the government to tighten rules governing the ethical use of face recognition technology. According to the company’s representatives, lawmakers in the US Congress are ready to take such measures, and the moratorium will give Congress "enough time to introduce the relevant rules."

It is noted that Amazon allows using Rekognition in organizations that are involved in tracing children, rescuing victims of human trafficking and family reunification. In 2019, experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported that the application has no sufficient accuracy when recognizing African American faces.

Earlier, the US White House said that US President Donald Trump could take steps to reform the police after the death of African American George Floyd from the actions of a policeman during detention.

source: theguardian.com