The Seattle-based company did not say why it took action now. Ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd have focused attention on racial injustice in the US and how police use technology to track people. Floyd died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed black man's neck for several minutes even after Floyd stopped moving and pleading for air.Law enforcement agencies use facial recognition to identify suspects, but critics say it can be misused.
It's not clear if the ban on police use includes federal law enforcement agencies. amazon didn't respond to questions about its announcement.Civil rights groups and Amazon's own employees have pushed the company to stop selling its technology, called Rekognition, to government agencies, saying that it could be used to invade privacy and target people of colour. In a blog post wednesday, amazon said that it hoped congress would put in place stronger regulations for facial recognition.
“Amazon's decision is an important symbolic step, but this doesn't really change the face recognition landscape in the united states since it's not a major player,” said Clare Garvie, a researcher at Georgetown University's Center on Privacy and Technology. Her public records research found only two US agencies using or testing Rekognition. The Orlando police department tested it, but chose not to implement it, she said. 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.
