Amazon has banned police from using its facial recognition software for a year. According to the cabinet, the moratorium on the use of Amazon Rekognition is designed to give governments plenty of opportunities to introduce regulations and frameworks to prevent facial recognition from contributing to discrimination in any form. In the meantime, Amazon will continue to allow organizations dedicated to addressing issues like human trafficking and child abduction to use its technology. The announcement follows a similar action by IBM, which has halted all research and development activities associated with the controversial technology due to the risk of misuse.
Amazonian facial recognition
Although facial recognition technology has advanced considerably in recent years and can contribute to legitimate police investigations, its application has always been controversial. Concerns about the possibilities of mass surveillance and social scoring are compounded by the issue of AI-related bias, which could see people discriminated against based on their physical attributes. Methods of auditing data sets underlying AI models (including facial recognition software) for bias remain inconsistent and unregulated, raising the possibility that the technology could further harm minority demographics. . Amazon Rekognition has taken on racial bias itself, with a 2019 paper co-authored by researchers Joy Buolamwini and Deborah Raji claiming that the software doesn't correctly identify people with darker skin, and also confuses women of dark skin with men The study also found that the Amazon system could evaluate images of light-skinned individuals with near-perfect accuracy. The results were then verified by a group of AI researchers, who echoed concerns expressed by Buolamwini that the technology should not be used in a law enforcement context. Amazon appears to have come to the same conclusion, though it has never admitted to allegations that its Rekognition software is racially biased. "We are implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of Amazon's facial recognition technology," said a statement issued by the firm. "We have advocated for governments to establish stricter regulations to regulate the ethical use of facial recognition technology, and in recent days, Congress seems ready to take up this challenge." "We hope this one-year moratorium can buy Congress enough time to implement the appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if asked." It is not known how many law enforcement agencies used Amazon Rekognition before the ban, though this decision marks a sea change in policy since 2018, when AWS CEO Andy Jassy told employees he was satisfied with the value that the service offered to all clients, including the police. Via The Verge