Amazon said it would suspend police use of its facial recognition software for one year amid growing calls for reforms within law enforcement.
The company said Wednesday it made the decision in hopes that Congress would enact stronger regulations “to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology.”
“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,” Amazon said in a blog post.
Amazon said it would still allow some organizations to use its software to fight human trafficking.
The American Civil Liberties Union said the move was long overdue.
“It took two years for Amazon to get to this point, but we’re glad the company is finally recognizing the dangers face recognition poses to Black and Brown communities and civil rights more broadly,” Nicole Ozer, the ACLU’s technology and civil liberties director, said in a statement.
“This surveillance technology’s threat to our civil rights and civil liberties will not disappear in a year. Amazon must fully commit to a blanket moratorium on law enforcement use of face recognition until the dangers can be fully addressed, and it must press Congress and legislatures across the country to do the same. They should also commit to stop selling surveillance systems like Ring that fuel the over-policing of communities of color,” she said.
Amazon rival IBM took stronger action earlier this week, telling Congress it was leaving the facial recognition business over concerns that it could be used for racial profiling and mass surveillance.
