S.T.O.P. Warns Amazon Facial Recognition Moratorium ‘Falls Short’

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View this email in your browser For Immediate Release S.T.O.P. Warns Amazon Facial Recognition Moratorium ‘Falls Short’ (New York, NY, 5/18/21) - Today, the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.), a New York-based privacy group, warned that Amazon’s extension of its moratorium on police use of facial recognition falls short of the permanent ban that is needed. S.T.O.P. called on the tech giant to go further and permanently stop law enforcement use of the company’s Rekognition facial recognition system. SEE: Reuters – Exclusive: Amazon extends moratorium on police use of facial recognition software https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-amazon-extends-moratorium-police-use-facial-recognition-software-2021-05-18/   “While I’m pleased Amazon didn’t let its partial moratorium lapse, an extension is not enough,” said Surveillance Technology Oversight Project Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn. “We don’t just need a longer moratorium, we need a permanent ban. Amazon shouldn’t be profiting off of biased and invasive surveillance tech. Facial recognition cannot be “fixed” or regulated. As long as this software is subjecting the public to a perpetual lineup, it will be putting BIPOC communities at risk of false arrest, wrongful conviction, and police violence.” Amazon passed the moratorium in June 2020 at the height of global protests against anti-Black police violence and urged Congress to ban police facial recognition. At the time, the civil rights group said that Amazon’s one year, partial ban was “too little, too late.” SEE: CNN Business - A false facial recognition match sent this innocent Black man to jail https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/29/tech/nijeer-parks-facial-recognition-police-arrest/index.html   Press Release - S.T.O.P. Condemns Amazon Police Facial Recognition Moratorium As ‘too little, too late’ https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2020/6/10/stop-condemns-amazon-police-facial-recognition-moratorium-as-too-little-too-late?rq=amazon   The Surveillance Technology Oversight Project is a non-profit advocacy organization and legal services provider hosted by the Urban Justice Center. S.T.O.P. litigates and advocates for privacy, fighting excessive local and state-level surveillance. Our work highlights the discriminatory impact of surveillance on Muslim Americans, immigrants, and communities of color.   -- END -- CONTACT: S.T.O.P. Executive Director Albert Fox Cahn   Copyright © 2019 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.