[ad_1]
In the midst of an outcry increasingly urged by civil liberties groups, officials in Orlando, Florida said Monday that the city's police department was ending a pilot program use of Amazon Rekognition facial technology.
About two years ago, Amazon launched an online service that could help identify faces and other objects in images. The retail giant soon introduced this technology to law enforcement agencies, saying the program could facilitate criminal investigations by recognizing suspects in photos and videos. The Orlando Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon were among the first to try the program.
The program has propelled Amazon into the center of a heated debate over the role of facial recognition in law enforcement. Proponents of technology consider it a powerful weapon to catch criminals, while critics view it as a mass surveillance tool.
In recent weeks, various civil rights organizations have pushed Amazon and law enforcement agencies not to use the image recognition system. They have expressed concern that it could be used to track protesters or other people that the authorities consider suspicious, rather than limiting themselves to individuals who commit crimes.
In a joint statement, the city and the police department said the pilot program ended last week when the contract with Amazon expired.
The move was reported earlier by the Florida Politics website. Amazon did not immediately respond to an e-mail requesting a comment.
Still, Orlando has left the door open to continue the pilot program at a later date.
"The city of Orlando is always looking for new solutions to strengthen our ability to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors," said the joint statement. "Partnering with innovative companies to test new technologies – while respecting privacy laws and in no way violating the rights of others – is essential for us as we work to keep our community safe.
In Washington County, Oregon, the technology is fully operational and has been in use for about a year and a half, said Jeff Talbot, an assistant officer and public information officer for the sheriff's office.
In an email, he said the technology was used to identify criminal suspects against prison photos, which are part of the public record.
"The sheriff's office is not, and will not use this technology for mass or real-time monitoring," Talbot said. "This use is prohibited by both the state of Oregon law and our own policy."
Source link
