Rekognition Is Watching You

Amazon has reportedly been selling a facial recognition software called "Rekognition" to law enforcement agencies in the United States since last fall. It's not clear how many law enforcement agencies have purchased the tool, called Rekognition, since its launch.

Dozens of organizations, including the ACLU, submitted a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, asking the company to stop the distribution of their new tool.

The statement read: "Rekognition is a powerful surveillance system readily available to violate rights, adding, "With Rekognition, Amazon delivers these dangerous surveillance powers directly to the government."

Rekognition software is already being utilized by law enforcement in the U.S. through pilot programs. The director of Rekognition of Orlando, Florida, Ranju Das, said "They have cameras all over the city. We analyze the video in real time and search against the collection of faces they have."

But Talbot says their office has caught a number of people using Rekognition by identifying suspects using photos and video footage supplied by victims.

Meanwhile, the civil rights coalition wrote: "People should be free to walk down the street without being watched by the government."

Read more:
The Blaze http://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/05/22/coming-to-a-street-near-you-facial-recognition-by-the-police-via-amazon

ABC news:
https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/aclu-amazon-sell-face-recognition-tech-police-55351083