Amazon halts use of facial-recognition software by police amid concern over racial bias

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Amazon halts use of facial-recognition software by police amid concern over racial bias

Emily Beeken | U. Pittsburgh School of Law, US

June 12, 2020 11:42:19 am

Amazon halted police use of facial-recognition software system “Rekognition” on Wednesday over concerns of potential racial bias.

In the blog post announcing the moratorium, Amazon claimed they hoped Congress would use that time to implement stronger regulations. Further, Amazon said that Congress seems to be moving toward stronger regulations in recent days.

Amazon will continue to offer the use of Rekognition to organizations like Thorn, the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Marinus Analytics.

This comes days after IBM stopped offering its facial recognition software. In a letter to Congress, IBM recommended prioritizing police reform, responsible technology practices and expanding opportunity.

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