Shareholder proposals aimed at stymying the company\u2019s future in facial recognition failed at its annual meeting.<\/p>\n
Amazon can continue to sell its facial recognition technology, Rekognition, to whomever it pleases\u2014government and law enforcement included.<\/p>\n
Two controversial\u00a0proposals made by shareholders at the company’s annual meeting would have seen Amazon barred from selling Rekognition to government agencies without first ensuring the protection of civil liberties and guaranteed an independent study of potential privacy\/human rights issues associated with widespread surveillance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yet\u00a0Amazon\u00a0successfully persuaded shareholders of Rekognition\u2019s \u201cmaterial benefits to both society and organizations.\u201d Google and Microsoft might disagree\u2014they\u2019ve limited the applications of their respective surveillance tech.<\/p>\n Though the proposals failed, their existence shows that Amazon will be defending the use of its Rekognition technology for years to come.<\/p>\n The fact that a vote was even held demonstrates that\u00a0shareholders lack confidence in the idea that company executives properly understand or “are addressing the civil and human rights impacts of their role in facilitating pervasive government surveillance,\u201d said the ACLU\u2019s Shankar Narayan.<\/p>\n