SEATTLE, Wash. — The ACLU and privacy advocates are raising concerns over Amazon’s decision to market a powerful face recognition tool to police claiming it will lead to a dystopian future where officers can track people in real-time.
Agencies in Oregon and Seattle have used Rekognition to compare photos of unidentified suspects to mugshots, while others have used it to find abducted people or missing children.
Some police departments, like Seattle, bar the use of real-time facial recognition in body camera videos.
The ACLU says the technology could have dire consequences for minorities, political protesters or illegal immigrants.