Microsoft president and chief counsel, Brad Smith, introduced the choice and referred to as on Congress to manage the expertise throughout a Washington Publish video occasion on Thursday
Microsoft has change into the third huge tech firm this week to say it will not promote its facial recognition software program to police, following related strikes by Amazon and IBM.
Microsoft’s president and chief counsel, Brad Smith, introduced the choice and referred to as on Congress to manage the expertise throughout a Washington Publish video occasion on Thursday. We have determined we is not going to promote facial recognition expertise to police departments in the US till we now have a nationwide legislation in place, grounded in human rights, that may govern this expertise, Smith mentioned.
The trio of tech giants is stepping again from law-enforcement use of programs which have confronted criticism for incorrectly figuring out folks with darker pores and skin. Ongoing protests following the demise of George Floyd have targeted consideration on racial injustice within the U.S. and the way police use expertise to trace folks.
However whereas all three corporations are recognized for his or her work in creating synthetic intelligence, together with face recognition software program, none is a serious participant in promoting such expertise to police. Smith mentioned Thursday that Microsoft presently does not promote its face recognition software program to any U.S. police departments. He did not say if that features federal legislation enforcement companies or police forces outdoors the U.S.
A number of different corporations which can be much less well-known dominate the marketplace for authorities facial recognition contracts within the U.S., together with Tokyo-based NEC and the European corporations Idemia and Gemalto. Microsoft, Amazon and IBM are calling on Congress to set nationwide guidelines over how police use facial recognition one thing that is now being thought-about as a part of a police reform package deal sparked by the protests following Floyd’s demise.
If the entire accountable corporations within the nation cede this market to those who are usually not ready to take a stand, we can’t essentially serve the nationwide curiosity or the lives of the black and African American folks of this nation effectively,” Smith mentioned. “We want Congress to behave, not simply tech corporations alone.
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