Amazon pauses police use of its facial recognition software
4 years, 6 months ago

Amazon pauses police use of its facial recognition software

Al Jazeera  

Amid George Floyd protests, US tech giant Amazon issues a one-year pause on police use of its controversial software. Amazon.com Inc said it is implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of its facial recognition software, a reversal of its longtime defence of law enforcement’s use of the technology. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon has been the most public about using Rekognition, but said after Amazon’s announcement Wednesday that it was suspending its use of facial recognition indefinitely. “It is becoming clear that the absence of consistent national rules will delay getting this valuable technology into the hands of law enforcement, slowing down investigations and making communities less safe,” said Daniel Castro, vice president of the industry-backed Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, which has advocated for facial recognition providers. Angel Diaz, an attorney at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, said he welcomed Amazon’s moratorium but said it “should have come sooner given numerous studies showing that the technology is racially biased”.

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History of this topic

How the East got ahead of the West on facial recognition technology
5 months ago

How the East got ahead of the West on facial recognition technology

Live Mint  

In 2020, Microsoft, Amazon and IBM announced they would halt the sale of facial recognition technology to police forces. China has invested heavily in facial recognition technology, with claims of high accuracy rates supported by large-scale data collection and integration with various surveillance and identification systems. Regulatory frameworks in India and China also tend to be less stringent than in …

Policing minister urges forces to double use of facial recognition software
1 year, 2 months ago

Policing minister urges forces to double use of facial recognition software

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Policing minister Chris …

The shocking rise of shoplifting: Map reveals retail theft hotspots across Britain after 365,000 cases in the past year - so is YOUR area on the list?
1 year, 2 months ago

The shocking rise of shoplifting: Map reveals retail theft hotspots across Britain after 365,000 cases in the past year - so is YOUR area on the list?

Daily Mail  

Shoplifting has surged by 25 per cent – in the latest shocking sign of lawlessness in 'Wild West Britain'. Overall, police recorded crime in England and Wales was 4% higher than the previous year with 6.7million crimes recorded compared with 6.5million in the year ending June 2022, according to the Office of National Statistics. Knife possession offences were also up …

‘Game-changing’ facial recognition technology catches prolific shoplifters
1 year, 2 months ago

‘Game-changing’ facial recognition technology catches prolific shoplifters

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Britain’s biggest police force is using “game-changing” facial recognition technology to catch prolific …

Australian retail giants and police using artificial intelligence software Auror to catch repeat shoplifters
1 year, 7 months ago

Australian retail giants and police using artificial intelligence software Auror to catch repeat shoplifters

ABC  

Artificial intelligence is now part of everyday life in the modern world, even if we don't always know when and where. "This information that's being captured by retailers isn't new, but they're just making it much easier to identify the repeat people who are targeting them," Mr Thomson says. ACT Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan says police will be using …

Putative class action suit against Microsoft, Amazon for violating biometric privacy laws dismissed by U.S. court
2 years, 2 months ago

Putative class action suit against Microsoft, Amazon for violating biometric privacy laws dismissed by U.S. court

The Hindu  

Two U.S. residents who claimed that Microsoft and Amazon violated the Biometric Information Privacy Act by using their photos to train facial recognition software, saw their putative class actions dismissed by a Washington federal judge on Monday. Microsoft and Amazon, which dominate the cloud-computing space, used IBM's 'Diversity in Faces' dataset to train their own facial recognition tools. However, Illinois …

Explained | Delhi Police’s use of facial recognition technology
2 years, 4 months ago

Explained | Delhi Police’s use of facial recognition technology

The Hindu  

The story so far: Right to Information responses received by the Internet Freedom Foundation, a New-Delhi based digital rights organisation, reveal that the Delhi Police treats matches of above 80% similarity generated by its facial recognition technology system as positive results. In 2020, the Delhi Police stated in an RTI response that, though they obtained FRT as per the Sadhan …

Police Commission sets new rules for how LAPD uses surveillance technology
2 years, 4 months ago

Police Commission sets new rules for how LAPD uses surveillance technology

LA Times  

LAPD Chief Michel Moore in 2020. This week, Moore voiced support for new rules on how the department can use surveillance technology, saying they would be “valuable in building public trust.” The Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday adopted new rules for how police can use crimefighting technologies, despite opposition from advocacy groups who said they could lead to increased …

Supermarkets using ‘Orwellian’ facial recognition cameras threatened with legal action
2 years, 5 months ago

Supermarkets using ‘Orwellian’ facial recognition cameras threatened with legal action

The Telegraph  

Supermarkets using facial recognition cameras to scan shoppers to identify thieves face investigation by a watchdog after the first legal complaint against their use. The Information Commissioner has been asked to investigate Southern Co-op’s use of live facial recognition cameras in its supermarkets by Big Brother Watch, which claims their deployment may be unlawful. Big Brother Watch said Southern Co-op …

Editorial: Police body cams shouldn’t be surveillance tools
2 years, 7 months ago

Editorial: Police body cams shouldn’t be surveillance tools

LA Times  

Police body cameras and facial recognition technology serve two completely different purposes and shouldn’t be combined. Body cams record officer interactions with the public and make police less likely to fib about what they did or why, because they know there will be a reviewable recording. It infringes on privacy — with little benefit to public safety, because facial recognition …

Facebook is shutting down its facial recognition software
3 years, 2 months ago

Facebook is shutting down its facial recognition software

CNN  

CNN Business — Facebook said Tuesday it plans to stop using facial-recognition software that could automatically recognize people in photos and videos posted on the social network, marking a massive shift both for the tech industry and for a company known for collecting vast amounts of data about its billions of users. Pesenti wrote that the world’s largest social network …

Investors call for ethical approach to facial recognition technology
3 years, 7 months ago

Investors call for ethical approach to facial recognition technology

The Hindu  

A group of 50 investors managing more than $4.5 trillion in assets is calling on companies involved in the development and use of facial recognition technology, such as Amazon and Facebook, to do so in an ethical way. Human rights advocates say face recognition technology, which can be used to unlock smart phones or verify bank accounts, also has the …

States push back against use of facial recognition by police
3 years, 8 months ago

States push back against use of facial recognition by police

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. have used facial recognition technology to solve homicides and bust human traffickers, but concern about its accuracy and the growing pervasiveness of video surveillance is leading some state lawmakers to hit the pause button. “It’s one of those rare issues that’s seen bipartisan support, in that nobody wants to be tracked …

Virginia lawmakers ban police use of facial recognition
3 years, 9 months ago

Virginia lawmakers ban police use of facial recognition

Associated Press  

RICHMOND, Va. — Last month, Virginia lawmakers quietly passed one of the most restrictive bans in the country on the use of facial recognition technology. The legislation, which won unusually broad bipartisan support, prohibits all local law enforcement agencies and campus police departments from purchasing or using facial recognition technology unless it is expressly authorized by the state legislature. Aird …

The Hidden Hand Of Facial Recognition In The Capitol Insurrection Manhunt
3 years, 9 months ago

The Hidden Hand Of Facial Recognition In The Capitol Insurrection Manhunt

Huff Post  

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/HuffPost At 19, Matthew Jason Beddingfield was charged with first-degree attempted murder for allegedly shooting another teenager in the head in the parking lot of a North Carolina Walmart. Like other law enforcement agencies across the country, the FBI uses facial recognition technology, though it says it follows a set of policies and best practices to ensure “public …

U.S. lawmakers aim to curtail face recognition even as the technology IDs Capitol attackers
3 years, 11 months ago

U.S. lawmakers aim to curtail face recognition even as the technology IDs Capitol attackers

The Hindu  

U.S. lawmakers are moving ahead with efforts to ban facial recognition software even as the technology helps identify supporters of President Donald Trump who ransacked their workplace and forced them to evacuate this month. Sheldon said he provided the FBI possible names of several people in the violent mob thanks to a facial recognition program he purchased. Markey last year …

Face recognition violates human rights, says U.K. court
4 years, 4 months ago

Face recognition violates human rights, says U.K. court

The Hindu  

The use of facial recognition technology by British police has violated human rights and data protection laws, a court said Tuesday, in a decision praised as a victory against invasive practices by the authorities. In a case trumpeted as the first of its kind, Britain’s Court of Appeal ruled Tuesday in the case of civil rights campaigner Ed Bridges, who …

Microsoft president calls for federal regulation of facial recognition technology
4 years, 6 months ago

Microsoft president calls for federal regulation of facial recognition technology

CNN  

New York CNN Business — In addition to Microsoft’s moratorium on selling facial recognition to US police departments, the company currently does not sell the technology to federal law enforcement, Microsoft President Brad Smith said during an interview with Politico Thursday. “We don’t provide facial recognition technology today to any federal law enforcement agency and we certainly won’t provide facial …

Tech companies say they want to see a nationwide facial recognition law
4 years, 6 months ago

Tech companies say they want to see a nationwide facial recognition law

CNN  

CNN — In a matter of days, there was a sea change with one of the most cutting-edge and controversial technologies in Silicon Valley. Three tech giants — Amazon, Microsoft and IBM — all said this week they will not sell facial recognition technology to police. Silicon Valley goes to Washington Tech companies have seized opportunities where they can in …

Amazon implements a one-year moratorium on police use of its facial recognition software
4 years, 6 months ago

Amazon implements a one-year moratorium on police use of its facial recognition software

Firstpost  

Amazon says it has pushed for regulations to ensure the software was used ethically. Amazon.com Inc on Wednesday said it was implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of its facial recognition software, halting a business it long defended as many protested law enforcement brutality against people of color. “We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to …

Microsoft joins Amazon in banning face-recognition technology sales to police
4 years, 6 months ago

Microsoft joins Amazon in banning face-recognition technology sales to police

The Hindu  

Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it would await federal regulation before selling facial recognition technology to police, making it the latest big firm to back away from the business following protests against law enforcement brutality and bias. The announcement came shortly after rival Amazon.com Inc declared it was pausing police use of its “Rekognition" service for a year and International …

Microsoft joins Amazon, IBM in pausing face scans for police
4 years, 6 months ago

Microsoft joins Amazon, IBM in pausing face scans for police

Associated Press  

Microsoft has become the third big tech company this week to say it won’t sell its facial recognition software to police, following similar moves by Amazon and IBM. “We’ve decided we will not sell facial recognition technology to police departments in the United States until we have a national law in place, grounded in human rights, that will govern this …

Amazon bans police use of its face recognition for a year
4 years, 6 months ago

Amazon bans police use of its face recognition for a year

The Hindu  

Amazon.com Inc on Wednesday said it was implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of its facial recognition software, halting a business it long defended as many protested law enforcement brutality against people of colour. “We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested,” Amazon said. One …

Amazon bans police use of its face recognition for a year
4 years, 6 months ago

Amazon bans police use of its face recognition for a year

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Amazon banned police use of its face-recognition technology for a year, making it the latest tech giant to step back from law-enforcement use of systems that have faced criticism for incorrectly identifying people with darker skin. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon has been the most public about using Rekognition, but said after Amazon’s announcement Wednesday …

In wake of George Floyd’s death, IBM gets out of the facial recognition business
4 years, 7 months ago

In wake of George Floyd’s death, IBM gets out of the facial recognition business

LA Times  

IBM is getting out of the facial recognition business, saying it’s concerned about how the technology can be used for mass surveillance and racial profiling. Many U.S. law enforcement agencies rely on facial recognition software built by companies less well known to the public, such as Tokyo-based NEC or the European companies Idemia and Cognitec, according to Clare Garvie, a …

IBM quits facial recognition, joins call for police reforms
4 years, 7 months ago

IBM quits facial recognition, joins call for police reforms

Associated Press  

IBM is getting out of the facial recognition business, saying it’s concerned about how the technology can be used for mass surveillance and racial profiling. Many U.S. law enforcement agencies rely on facial recognition software built by companies less well known to the public, such as Tokyo-based NEC or the European companies Idemia and Cognitec, according to Clare Garvie, a …

IBM will stop offering facial recognition software, will oppose tech's use for mass surveillance, social profiling
4 years, 7 months ago

IBM will stop offering facial recognition software, will oppose tech's use for mass surveillance, social profiling

Firstpost  

IBM’s decision to get out of the facial recognition business comes amid US protests over the death of George Floyd. International Business Machines Corp will no longer offer general-purpose facial recognition or analysis software, new Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna said in a letter to the members of the United States Congress on Monday. The company will stop offering facial …

Amazon is not an ally: The corporation says it stands in solidarity. Its actions say otherwise
4 years, 7 months ago

Amazon is not an ally: The corporation says it stands in solidarity. Its actions say otherwise

Salon  

On Sunday the American Civil Liberties Union called out Amazon for hypocrisy after Amazon posted a corporate show of support. That raises the question: how much "solidarity" can Amazon really have in this case, given the extent to which they have helped contribute to racist police violence in this country? If you understand anything about the world of corporate public …

Washington State signs facial recognition curbs into law; critics demand ban
4 years, 9 months ago

Washington State signs facial recognition curbs into law; critics demand ban

Firstpost  

Facial recognition software can identify individuals in photos and videos based on a database of known subjects. Washington Governor Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed the first US state law that sharply curbs law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology, while civil rights activists said the measure did not go far enough to protect marginalized groups. Washington’s law requires government agencies …

Coming to terms with biometrics in policing
4 years, 9 months ago

Coming to terms with biometrics in policing

The Hindu  

Ever since the police became a formal organisation nearly 150 years ago, there is global consensus that the police charter ought not to be restricted to a mere maintenance of peace in public places. This explains the sharp adverse responses, albeit only by a few groups, to a counter-crime facial recognition technology. Perhaps the stoutest defender of facial recognition technology …

London Cops Will Use Facial Recognition to Hunt Suspects
4 years, 11 months ago

London Cops Will Use Facial Recognition to Hunt Suspects

Wired  

There will soon be a new bobby on the beat in London: artificial intelligence. London’s Metropolitan Police said Friday that it will deploy facial recognition technology to find wanted criminals and missing persons. Seeing a major police force in a Western democracy embrace facial recognition may only embolden more repressive regimes elsewhere in the world, says Silkie Carlo, director of …

Privacy fears as London police to begin using facial recognition technology
4 years, 11 months ago

Privacy fears as London police to begin using facial recognition technology

ABC  

London police say they will start using live facial recognition cameras in operational deployments, in a major advance for the controversial technology. Key points: London already has one of the highest concentrations of CCTV cameras in the world Rights groups say the technology threatens basic civil liberties Police have previously trialled facial recognition in the British capital The Metropolitan Police …

London will use live facial recognition cameras to police the city
4 years, 11 months ago

London will use live facial recognition cameras to police the city

CNN  

London CNN Business — London’s Metropolitan Police has announced controversial plans to use live facial recognition technology to improve officers’ ability to identify suspects and police the British capital. The decision follows an October investigation into live facial recognition technology by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office, which raised serious concerns over privacy and accuracy. In the United States, some California …

Federal study finds race, gender affect face-scanning tech
5 years ago

Federal study finds race, gender affect face-scanning tech

Associated Press  

A study by a U.S. agency has found that facial recognition technology often performs unevenly based on a person’s race, gender or age. The report cautions against “incomplete” previous research alleging biased facial recognition that has alarmed the public, but also confirms similar trends showing higher error rates for women, the youngest and oldest people, and for certain racial groups …

Facial recognition systems show rampant racial bias, government study finds
5 years ago

Facial recognition systems show rampant racial bias, government study finds

CNN  

Washington, DC CNN Business — Federal researchers have found widespread evidence of racial bias in nearly 200 facial recognition algorithms in an extensive government study, highlighting the technology’s shortcomings and potential for misuse. Portland, Oregon could go further: It is currently weighing a complete facial recognition ban not just for local government, but for private companies as well. On the …

Facial recognition: Labour vows to regulate 'lawless' technology if it wins power in next election
5 years, 3 months ago

Facial recognition: Labour vows to regulate 'lawless' technology if it wins power in next election

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Labour Party has pledged …

London King’s Cross estate admits using facial recognition technology
5 years, 4 months ago

London King’s Cross estate admits using facial recognition technology

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Facial recognition technology is reportedly in use at London’s King’s …

Facial recognition software mistook 1 in 5 California lawmakers for criminals, says ACLU
5 years, 4 months ago

Facial recognition software mistook 1 in 5 California lawmakers for criminals, says ACLU

LA Times  

California Assemblyman Phil Ting has never been arrested, but he was recently mistaken for a criminal. Ting, who authored a bill to ban facial recognition software from being used on police body cameras, was one of 26 California legislators who was incorrectly matched with a mug shot in a recent test of a common face-scanning program by the American Civil …

Police facial recognition cameras pose 'one of the greatest threats to freedom' and must be BANNED
5 years, 7 months ago

Police facial recognition cameras pose 'one of the greatest threats to freedom' and must be BANNED

Daily Mail  

Police facial recognition cameras should be banned because they pose 'one of the greatest threats to freedom', a human rights group has claimed. Police facial recognition cameras should be banned as they pose 'one of the greatest threats to freedom', a human rights group has claimed 'I don't think these cameras should ever be used,' Spurrier told The Guardian. A …

California considers ban on facial recognition’s new frontier: police body cameras
5 years, 7 months ago

California considers ban on facial recognition’s new frontier: police body cameras

LA Times  

Facial recognition’s first blanket ban arrived in May, when San Francisco became the only city in the nation to bar police and other agencies from using the technology. State lawmakers are considering regulation barring all California law enforcement officers from running facial recognition programs on body cameras. — Matt Cagle, attorney, American Civil Liberties Union The state measure, Assembly Bill …

CNN Business
5 years, 7 months ago

CNN Business

CNN  

San Francisco CNN Business — Hundreds of Amazon employees, groups of investors, and dozens of civil rights groups and academic researchers are upset that the online retailer is selling facial-recognition software to governments. The resolution requested Amazon’s board stop selling its Rekognition software to governments unless a third-party evaluation determines the tool “does not cause or contribute to actual or …

Amazon considers AI-powered doorbell cameras to stop package theft
5 years, 8 months ago

Amazon considers AI-powered doorbell cameras to stop package theft

CNN  

Washington, DC CNN Business — Amazon appears increasingly serious about stopping crime in your neighborhood. An Amazon patent application published online Thursdaydetails how doorbell cameras might be usedto identify when packages are stolen from doorsteps, and quickly alert neighbors and the police. The application is the latest example of interest from Amazon, and its home security brand Ring, to thwart …

Microsoft turned down facial-recognition sales on human rights concerns
5 years, 8 months ago

Microsoft turned down facial-recognition sales on human rights concerns

Firstpost  

AI has more cases of mistaken identity with women and minorities, according to research. Microsoft Corp recently rejected a California law enforcement agency’s request to install facial recognition technology in officers’ cars and body cameras due to human rights concerns, company President Brad Smith said on Tuesday. After thinking through the uneven impact, “we said this technology is not your …

Amazon must let shareholders vote on limiting facial recognition sales, SEC says
5 years, 9 months ago

Amazon must let shareholders vote on limiting facial recognition sales, SEC says

CNN  

San Francisco CNN Business — Amazon must allow shareholders to vote on a resolution that asks the online retailer to stop selling its facial-recognition software tool to government agencies, the Security and Exchange Commission said this week. One proposal asks Amazon’s board to stop selling the company’s Rekognition software to governments unless a third-party evaluation determines the tool “does not …

Face recognition researcher fights Amazon over biased AI
5 years, 9 months ago

Face recognition researcher fights Amazon over biased AI

Associated Press  

— Facial recognition technology was already seeping into everyday life — from your photos on Facebook to police scans of mugshots — when Joy Buolamwini noticed a serious glitch: Some of the software couldn’t detect dark-skinned faces like hers. On Wednesday, a group of AI scholars, including a winner of computer science’s top prize, launched a spirited defense of her …

Before facial recognition tech can be used, it needs to be limited
5 years, 10 months ago

Before facial recognition tech can be used, it needs to be limited

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Our new research into the legal challenges posed by police use of facial recognition technology …

Amazon defends its facial-recognition technology, supports calls for legislation
5 years, 11 months ago

Amazon defends its facial-recognition technology, supports calls for legislation

CNN  

San Francisco CNN Business — Despite concerns from investors, civil rights groups and others, Amazon thinks its facial-recognition technology can be helpful for law enforcement. He said that in the more than two years that Rekognition has been available, Amazon hasn’t gotten “a single report of misuse by law enforcement.” The post comes after numerous groups — from investors to …

Researchers say Amazon face-detection technology shows bias
5 years, 11 months ago

Researchers say Amazon face-detection technology shows bias

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Facial-detection technology that Amazon is marketing to law enforcement often misidentifies women, particularly those with darker skin, according to researchers from MIT and the University of Toronto. Matt Wood, general manager of artificial intelligence with Amazon’s cloud-computing unit, said the study uses a “facial analysis” and not “facial recognition” technology. Wood said facial analysis “can spot faces …

User data harvest to fears of smartphone addiction, 2018 highlighted tech dystopia
6 years ago

User data harvest to fears of smartphone addiction, 2018 highlighted tech dystopia

Firstpost  

2018’s tech scandals have been enough to exhaust even the most imaginative sci-fi visionaries. “A dark, goofy ’90s retro-future.” More awaits us in 2019, as surveillance and data-collection efforts ramp up and artificial intelligence systems start sounding more human, reading facial expressions and generating fake video images so realistic that it will be harder to detect malicious distortions of the …

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