In what’s been called a “recipe for authoritarianism and disaster,” Amazon has reportedly been selling a facial recognition software called “Rekognition” to law enforcement agencies in the United States since last fall. Civil-rights groups are crying foul while citing concerns about the potential misuse of such a tool, which can be utilized on a police officer’s body camera. Dozens of organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, submitted a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, asking the company
to stop the distribution of their new tool. The statement read: “Rekognition is a powerful surveillance system readily available to violate rights and target communities of color. … With Rekognition, Amazon delivers these dangerous surveillance powers directly to the government.” But Amazon pushed back in an emailed statement about the program, saying that it had “many useful applications in the real world” and that the firm “requires that customers comply with the law and be responsible when they use” its products. READ MORE
