The debate is not new, but it took a new turn this week, following protests against racism and police violence in the United States. Suddenly, three large technology companies Microsoft, Amazon and IBM have had to explain their position on the issue and are calling for a legislative framework for this technology.
Latest to speak: Microsoft will deny access to its technology to the US police. " Until there is strong federal human rights-based legislation, we will not sell this technology to law enforcement, " said Brad Smith, president and chief legal officer of Microsoft. Beyond law enforcement, the company, a long-time supporter of legislation in this area, plans to " strengthen the process of examining requests from our customers who wish to use this technology on a large scale ".
One-year moratorium on Amazon Rekognition software
Eagerly awaited on the subject, Amazon decided on Wednesday to prohibit the police from using its facial recognition software, called Rekognition, for a year. This moratorium should give Congress time to " put in place appropriate rules ". " We are pushing for tighter government regulations on the ethical use of facial recognition technologies, and Congress appears ready to take up the challenge, " the online commerce giant said in a statement on Wednesday. Amazon had so far resisted pressure from the powerful American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other organizations that have been calling on it for two years to stop providing Rekognition to police, due to the protection stakes. privacy and biased algorithm issues. Pressure that has intensified this week with the call of associations to fight racial inequalities urging him to stop all technological collaboration with the American police. Amazon had recognized in October that, " like all technologies ", facial recognition could be misused. The company said nothing about its surveillance cameras (Ring), widely used by local police, which are also in the crosshairs of these associations.
Read also: Amazon's facial recognition technology used by American police
Earlier this week, IBM had revived the public debate by announcing to withdraw from the facial recognition market, in a letter sent to Congress. " If all the responsible companies in the country cede this market to those who are not ready to take a stand, we will not necessarily serve the national interests or the life of the black and African-American people of this nation " declared its new CEO Arvind Krishna . However, this market does not represent much in IBM's revenues.
In January, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, one of the biggest players in this field, had called in Brussels the European Union to adopt a "judicious regulation" for artificial intelligence by adapting the regulation to each sector. He explained in Brussels that the group would not provide a turnkey facial recognition service until rules and safeguards were put in place by the authorities.
