Amazon has a facial recognition service called Rekognition, which is capable of identifying up to 100 faces in a single image. This is the company's entry into the security business, which is very much on the rise today. It makes use of artificial intelligence and can track people in real time on public sites. According to the company its use is thought to be common. Although there are certain controversies.
Since the tool is being used to scan images from police cameras. And this is the controversy. Because it seems that Amazon has offered Rekognition to police forces in several cities in the United States. An action that could jeopardize the privacy of users.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has conducted an investigation that reveals how Amazon has helped government organizations use this tool. Several organizations have written to the CEO of the company to ask him to stop using this program and to offer it to the government.
They argue that that authorities in the United States may use Rekognition to attack some communities. In addition, it is a way to automate the identification of people, since instead of ensuring safety, they become surveillance machines that allow controlling what certain people do. If they go to a protest and this information can be used against them.
Facial recognition like Amazon's continues to gain ground in the market. Although the controversy over its use is enormous, and in fact it seems to be increasing. Since this technology is in struggle with the privacy of the users. Since they can monitor faces in group photos or in crowded places like an airport. Something that can cause misuse.
Washington County has made use of this Amazon facial recognition system. In fact, They have a database with more than 300.000 photos to be recognized by the system. They also have an app. But it is precisely this type of situation that causes the problems. What will finally happen to this technology?