Amazon BANS police from using their facial recognition software for a year amid the George Floyd protests
- Amazon has banned police officers from using its facial recognition software, known as Rekognition, for a year
- The online retailer and tech giant says it hopes that the moratorium will give Congress enough time to come up with rules for using the technology
- Amazon announced the ban in a blog on Wednesday amid protests against police brutality after the cop-related slaying of George Floyd on Memorial Day
- Amazon notes in the announcement that it has advocated for governments to have stronger regulations in place for the use of facial recognition technology
Amazon has banned police officers from using its facial recognition software for a year and says it hopes that the moratorium will give Congress enough time to come up with rules for using the technology.
The online retailing and tech giant made the announcement in a blog post on Wednesday as protests against police brutality have continued after the cop-related killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
The only law enforcement agency named as using the software on Amazon's website is the Washington County Sheriff Office in Oregon.
An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment further when DailyMail.com reached out to ask how many agencies use the software and for their names.
Amazon has banned police officers from using its facial recognition software for a year and says it hopes that the moratorium will give Congress enough time to come up with rules for using the technology (pictured)
The online retailing and tech giant made the announcement in a blog post on Wednesday as protests against police brutality have continued after the cop-related killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Picture is an image of how the software reads a person's face
The only law enforcement agency named as using the software on Amazon's website is the Washington County Sheriff Office in Oregon
'We're implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of Amazon's facial recognition technology,' said Amazon in the blog post.
Amazon said it will continue to allow organizations working to help rescue human trafficking victims and reunite missing children with their families to use the technology, known as Amazon Rekognition.
Specifically mentioned were Thorn, the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Marinus Analytics.
Amazon notes in the announcement that it has advocated for governments to have stronger regulations in place for the use of facial recognition technology. It says that 'in recent days, Congress appears ready to take on this challenge.'
'We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested.'
Amazon's decision comes as protests against police brutality have continued since Floyd, a 46-year-old black father of two was killed by police in Minneapolis during an arrest.
He was alleged to have passed a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes when Officer Derek Chauvin pressed down on Floyd's neck with his knee for almost 9 minutes, causing his death.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Ca., who serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform which has held hearings on the use of facial recognition technology, told CNBC that he hopes a bill will be passed before year's end.
'It's a good first step, but it's still not enough,' Gomez says in response Amazon's moratorium on use of Rekognition.
IBM on Monday chose to completely get out of the facial recognition business, saying it's concerned about how the technology can be used for mass surveillance and racial profiling.
Democratic Representative Jimmy Gomez of California, who serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform which has held hearings on the use of facial recognition technology, says he hopes a bill will be passed before year's end. He is pictured on Capitol Hill in April
In a letter to Congress, IBM's chief executive officer, Arvind Krishna, called for new efforts to pursue justice and racial equity. The technology company on Monday said it was getting out of the facial recognition business
The George Floyd protests have called for a closer look at the use of police technology to track demonstrators and monitor American neighborhoods.
IBM is one of several big tech firms that had earlier sought to improve the accuracy of their face-scanning software after research found racial and gender disparities.
The firm now says it will stop offering facial recognition software and opposes any use of such technology for purposes of mass surveillance and racial profiling.
In a letter to Congress, IBM's chief executive officer, Arvind Krishna, called for new efforts to pursue justice and racial equity.
He also urged policy-makers to consider a 'national dialogue' on how law enforcement agencies should ethically be using facial recognition tech.
Also Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Floyd a 'martyr' of police brutality as Democrats kneeled for a moment of silence before unveiling a massive police reform bill.
The legislation includes a ban on police using chokeholds or carotid holds, would eliminate no-knock warrants in drug cases and aims to change 'the standard to evaluate whether law enforcement use of force was justified from whether the force was reasonable to whether the force was necessary.'
The sweeping package would also require nationwide use of body cameras by all police, subject law enforcement officers to civilian review boards and abolish the legal doctrine known as qualified immunity, which protects police from civil litigation, according to congressional sources.
It is unclear if the bill would receive support from Republicans.
Amazon's announcement also came after CEO Jeff Bezos said that he doesn't mind losing customers who are angry about his support for the Black Lives Matter movement after receiving a number of 'sickening' emails.
The world's richest man shared a screenshot on Instagram on Sunday of one of the emails he has received after pledging his support as George Floyd protests continue across the United States.
Bezos has come out in recent days publicly stating his support for the cause and Amazon also currently has a Black Lives Matter banner displayed on its website.
The email addressed to Bezos and shared on his Instagram was from a customer called Dave who vowed never to shop with Amazon again.
Bezos shared a screenshot on Instagram Sunday (pictured) of one of the emails he has received after publicly stating his support for Black Lives Matter
Bezos responded to the email's writer that he's happy to lose him as a customer
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June 11, 2020 at 02:25PM
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Amazon bans use of facial recognition by cops for a year to give Congress time to come up with rules - Daily Mail
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