Amazon curbs police use of facial recognition software for one year
The pause is intended to give Congress time to regulate the tech's use by government
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos confronts an angry customer's cry against his address of the Black Lives Matter movement by posting the email on Instagram.
Amazon will halt police use of its facial recognition technology, Amazon Rekognition, for one year, it announced in a blog post Wednesday.
"We’ve advocated that governments should put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology, and in recent days, Congress appears ready to take on this challenge," the company said. "We hope this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested."
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 214.10 | +5.15 | +2.46% |
The company added that it will continue to allow organizations that specialize in rescuing human trafficking victims and reuniting missing children with their families to continue using the technology.
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The news comes just days after IBM announced it would drop the use of its facial recognition technology after CEO Arvind Krishna's call for reforms to combat racial injustice.
Amazon stock closed at $2,647.45 per share, up nearly 2 percent at the end of Wednesday's trading session.