Posted on 06/12/2020 6:31:31 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Microsoft announced Thursday that it will not sell its facial-recognition technology to police departments in the United States until a federal law exists that regulates its use.
"We will not sell facial-recognition technology to police departments in the United States until we have a national law in place, grounded in human rights, that will govern this technology," Microsoft President Brad Smith said.
Smith said Microsoft has not sold its facial-recognition technology to police departments. And the company has backed legislation in California that would allow police use of the technology with some restrictions.
The company plans to put in place “review factors” that Smith said would “go even beyond what we already have” to determine the use of the technology beyond law enforcement.
“The bottom line for us is to protect the human rights of people as this technology is deployed,” Smith said. (WaPo)
The move follows similar decisions IBM and Amazon made in the wake of nationwide protests against police brutality and racial profiling. IBM said they would no longer be in the business of facial-recognition technology over its potential to be used for mass surveillance and racial profiling. Amazon, meanwhile, said it would ban police departments from its facial-recognition technology for at least a year, which would give Congress “enough time to implement appropriate rules.”
Conservatives pushed back on Microsoft’s announcement, with former acting DNI director Richard Grenell saying there should be consequences.
“They should now be barred from federal government contracts - there should be consequences for not selling technology to police departments. @realDonaldTrump," he tweeted.
They should now be barred from federal government contracts - there should be consequences for not selling technology to police departments. @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/dsOVPVfufI— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) June 12, 2020
When they sell it to the police, I’ll start wearing my mask in public.
Microsoft builds RACIST Software!
RE: Microsoft builds RACIST Software!
Unfortunately I can’t dump their stocks that I own, it’s in the mutual funds that I have in my 401K :(
the software will only recognize White and Asian faces ...
How quickly can the entire Federal Government be ported over to Linux?
Seems to me helping the police identify the individuals who are guilty is a great way to prevent the police from profiling individuals who are innocent. But what do I know...Im just somebody who likes to use thier brain, which must make me a racist.
No problem selling it to China to suppress Hong Kong
The NSA hacks can’t do that?
Just what the world needs, more surveillance. And the technology is 100 percent reliable, of course.
Outfits like Microsoft and Google are near monopolies whose managers are ideologically all in bed with each other. They need to be regulated, not as to price and service, but to ensure that conservatives can tell their side of the issues without being fired or banned from commerce. Our libertarian friends won’t like this, but these companies are using liberty to destroy liberty.
Hmmmm. I’m a fan of Grenell’s kicking the deep state and those associated with it. But what would be those consequences?
Begs the question: “Who will they sell it to?”
China?
Russia?
Syria?
Libya?
China will be their biggest customers if Microsoft can prove the superiority of their technology.
Also, in a double standard typical of tech companies when it comes to making money in the world’s most populous country, Microsoft will NOT even bother to ask about any ethical implications when selling to China.
MSFT + Google etc. will continue to sell their facial recognition technology to China and other authoritarian regimes.
If Christians have to bake a cake, MS should have to sell any and all of its technology to police.
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