Company warns against tech being used for mass surveillance, racial profiling, more
By Elliot Leavy, former editor of the technology and innovation magazine maize and editor of culture magazine BOZO. He has written for numerous publications around the world focussing on technology, belief systems, and culture.
Following the mass anti-police protests sweeping the world, IBM’s CEO has said the company will stop developing and researching facial recognition tech and reconsider selling it to law enforcement.
In a letter to Congress, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna stated that the company will no longer offer general purpose facial recognition analysis software. The company also told the Verge that it would no longer develop nor research such technology.
“IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any [facial recognition] technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms, or any purpose which is not consistent with our values and principles of trust and transparency,” Krishna said in the letter.
