Amazon executive calls for regulation of face recognition technology

Amazon is joining other tech companies in calling for regulations to govern the use of facial recognition technology. Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy spoke in an interview about the risks associated with the use of such technology and called on US federal authorities to develop regulations to limit the misuse of facial recognition technologies. Jassy also spoke about the need for both private actors and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to be held accountable if the technology is misused. Earlier this year, Amazon shareholders voted against a proposal to ban the company from selling its facial recognition technology to LEAs. Jassy reiterated Amazon’s plans to continue selling its technology to governments, noting that ‘if our government doesn’t have access to all of the most modern, sophisticated technology that the private sector has, we’re in trouble’. He mentioned, however, that LEAs should only rely on facial recognition technology in decision-making processes if there is a 99% confidence score.