Amazon bans use of its facial-recognition technology by US Police for one year

As Black Lives Matter movement grows strong in the United States, Amazon on Wednesday announced a one-year ban on use of its facial recognition technology by the US police, calling for strong government regulations for its ethical use. The move comes after repeated calls by critics and racial justice groups for Amazon's cloud computing unit to stop providing police and immigration officials with tools that can be used to unfairly target people based on race.

"We're implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of Amazon's facial recognition technology," the Seattle-based computing and retail titan said in a blog post. "We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested."

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, Media Justice and other petition backers argued.

It was not clear to what degree Rekognition was used by police or immigration agencies. 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 and Marinus Analytics will be able to continue using Amazon Rekognition to help rescue human trafficking victims and reunite missing children with their families, reports AFP.

"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."

Other tech companies like IBM this week said it is no longer selling general purpose facial recognition software and is opposed to using such technology for racial profiling or mass surveillance. The century-old technology firm called for responsible national standards regarding how facial recognition systems should be used by police agencies.

The United States is gripped with nationwide protests against racial discrimination and police brutality against black Americans after 45-year-old African American man was killed in police custody on May 25. The protests come at a time when the country is also facing a pandemic with highest cases of infections and fatalities in the world.

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