Why Facial Recognition Software by Law Enforcement is Being Questioned by the Tech World

Two of the biggest technology companies have announced big changes in their development of facial recognition software. In early June, both IBM and Amazon announced that they would be making big changes to their development, use and partnering with law enforcement to use facial recognition software. IBM wrote a letter to Congress stating that they no longer offer facial recognition software and do not agree with its use in law enforcement. Similarly, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos announced that they would put a one year ban on the use of their Rekognition software by law enforcement. 

The timing of these two announcements in the same week is not a coincidence. These announcements are the result of growing social pressure on a national level for law enforcement reform after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officers. In their statements, the companies both recognize the concerns that the software has gender and racial bias. Amazon’s one year ban on the software is intended to create time so that Congress can write rules to regulate the ethical and unbiased use of this software. 

As a Greensboro criminal defense attorney, I deal with body worn camera footage from local officers on a daily basis but the local law enforcement agencies have not begun using facial recognition software. However, the North Carolina DMV has been using this technology since 2008 for license fraud. Our firm will continue to watch as this evolves so that we will know how this will affect our clients.