• Advertise
  • About us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us
Saturday, July 12, 2025
Australian Times News
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia
No Result
View All Result
Australian Times News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

US tech companies won’t let police use facial-recognition technology

With public opinion turning against American police departments, tech giants want civil rights laws in place before selling to them.

Mike Simpson by Mike Simpson
12-06-2020 16:23
in News
US companies are denying the police face-recognition technology. Credit: Bumble Dee, Stock.Adobe.com

US companies are denying the police face-recognition technology. Credit: Bumble Dee, Stock.Adobe.com

As the public backlash against US police departments grows due to tactics that are perceived as overly aggressive and often brutal, companies doing business with law enforcement agencies are now rushing to distance themselves from them.

In the past week for example, Microsoft, Amazon and IBM have all announced that they will not make their facial recognition technology available to police.

Laws to govern use must be in place

Microsoft is the latest, with its president and chief counsel, Brad Smith, calling on US Congress to first regulate the way the technology is used.

“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 technology,” Smith said.

Other tech giants have the same view

Amazon and IBM have previously made similar comments.

“We’re implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of Amazon’s facial recognition technology,” Amazon stated in a blog post. “We will continue to allow organisations … to use Amazon Rekognition to help rescue human trafficking victims and reunite missing children with their families.”

The statement continued: “We’ve advocated that governments should put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology and, 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.”

How facial recognition technology works

The technology uses biometrics to map facial features from a photograph or video. It compares the information with a database of known faces to find a match. It can be used for access control to a building, for example, or by border control officials on the lookout for known terrorists or drug smugglers. It may also help rescue human trafficking victims and reunite missing children with their families.

But it is in day-to-day policing of civil rights protests, notably in the current Black Lives Matter protest action, that many people are seeing a more sinister use for the technology – particularly as there is no legal framework dictating how it may be used.

AlsoRead...

The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO

The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO

8 July 2025
Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era

Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era

5 June 2025

“We are terrified that so many of the images that are being posted on social media by protesters will be weaponised by police against them,” said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, which is pushing for limits on the technology in New York.

“It’s just deeply chilling to think that engaging in protected activity, exercising your most fundamental rights, could end you up in a police database,” he told US-based CBS News.

Tech less effective with darker skins

Canada’s CTV News reports that facial-recognition systems have also met criticism for incorrectly identifying people with darker skin.

This is backed up by CBS News. “Research shows these errors aren’t aberrations. An MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) study of three commercial gender-recognition systems found they had errors rates of up to 34% for dark-skinned women – a rate nearly 49 times that for white men,” the network said.

Tags: Facial recognition technologyIBMMicrosoftPolice backlashUS police technology
DMCA.com Protection Status

SUBSCRIBE to our NEWSLETTER

[mc4wp_form id=”2384248″]

Don't Miss

The Dating Wealth Gap Is Getting Wider: What You Should Know

by Fazila Olla-Logday
11 July 2025
Source: Pixabay
Lifestyle

The divide between wealth and romance is growing. As income inequality widens, financial status is playing a bigger role in...

Read more

The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO

by Pauline Torongo
8 July 2025
The Broker who says ‘Yes’ when Banks say NO
Business & Finance

When faced with constant loan rejection or last-minute withdrawals of support, Trelos Finance stands out as a solution.

Read more

Common Mistakes When Buying a Telescope — And How to Avoid Them

by Fazila Olla-Logday
1 July 2025
Common Mistakes When Buying a Telescope
Technology

You’ve spent hours scrolling through telescope specs online, dazzled by features and grand promises. The excitement builds—until your newly arrived...

Read more

From Portugal to Bali: Where Aussies Should Go for Your Next Coastal Holiday

by Fazila Olla-Logday
20 June 2025
Source: Flickr
Travel

Aussies, here is a guide to where you should go for your next coastal holiday.

Read more

Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era

by Pauline Torongo
5 June 2025
Leading with Trust: Why Quality still wins in the AI Era
Business & Finance

If you're leading a software team today, you've likely noticed the shift: faster feature rollouts, routine automation, and AI taking...

Read more

How to Save on Airport Parking: Budget Tips Every Traveller Should Know

by Fazila Olla-Logday
3 June 2025
How to Save on Airport Parking
Travel

Saving money on airport parking can be a challenge,but here are some budget friendly tips to help you navigate.

Read more

Why Australian Investors are Betting on the Aviation Maverick Louis Belanger-Martin

by Pauline Torongo
28 May 2025
Why Australian Investors are Betting on the Aviation Maverick Louis Belanger-Martin
Business & Finance

Bélanger-Martin’s ambitions stretch beyond redefining inflight comfort—they’re rooted in resurrecting the romance of supersonic travel with a modern twist.

Read more
Load More

Copyright © Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
australiantimes.co.uk is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Reproduction without permission prohibited. DMCA.com Protection Status

  • About us
  • Write for Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact us
  • T&Cs, Privacy and GDPR
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Weather
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Business & Finance
      • Currency Zone
    • Lotto Results
      • The Lott
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Horoscopes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Expat Life
  • Move to Australia

Copyright © Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
australiantimes.co.uk is a division of Blue Sky Publications Ltd. Reproduction without permission prohibited. DMCA.com Protection Status