Investors Demand Amazon Halt Police Facial Recognition Sales
A group of Amazon investors representing billions in stock urge the company to stop selling its Rekognition facial recognition software to police due to legal and ethical concerns.
Nineteen investment firms managing $10 billion in Amazon stock join the ACLU in demanding that Amazon stop selling its Rekognition facial recognition software to police departments. These investors worry that law enforcement use of this technology exposes the company to significant legal risks and potential backlash.
Amazon defends Rekognition as a beneficial tool that helps law enforcement locate missing children and abducted individuals. However, privacy advocates point out that recent software updates make it easy to track people's movements in video feeds, a capability that threatens the rights of minorities, immigrants, and protesters.
This investor rebellion highlights a broader trend of tech stakeholders pushing back against government contracts. Similar controversies surround Google over its Pentagon drone analysis project, showing a growing divide between tech companies and both their employees and investors regarding surveillance partnerships.