This move comes amid growing concerns about warrantless surveillance, especially by the FBI. Earlier this week, Amazon removed a feature that allowed law enforcement to request Ring video footage without a warrant. However, the news about the FBI using Rekognition has raised concerns. Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's (CDT) Security and Surveillance Project, said it would be deeply disturbing if Amazon had gone back on its pledge not to sell facial recognition to law enforcement, given there are no federal laws limiting how the FBI and other agencies use this invasive technology.
Key takeaways:
- The FBI plans to use Amazon's Rekognition cloud service to extract information from lawfully acquired images and videos, according to US Justice Department documents.
- The technology will be used to review and identify items containing nudity, weapons, explosives, and other identifying information.
- Amazon previously pledged to indefinitely ban police from using Rekognition, but did not pause selling the service to government agencies or third-parties that may then provide the technology to police departments.
- Concerns about warrantless surveillance are growing, especially when the FBI is involved, and there are currently no federal laws limiting how the FBI and other agencies use this invasive technology.