Amazon Bans Police Officers From Using Its Facial Recognition Technology

After facing pressure after the death of George Floyd, Amazon has announced that they are banning police from using their facial recognition software for a year. In doing this, they hope Congress will pass legislation to regulate the controversial technology.

According to the New York Post, "Amazon's software, Rekognition, has been criticized for years for having a racial and gender bias, with studies showing it misidentifies African American and Asian people more frequently than white subjects."

Amazon addressed their decision, saying, "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."

They also add, "We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested."