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Letter from Nationwide Coalition to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos regarding Rekognition
Document Date:
June 18, 2018
Related Content
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Press ReleaseJun 2018
Privacy & Technology
Shareholders, Community Groups, Consumers Demand Amazon Stop Selling Face Surveillance System to Government
SEATTLE 鈥 The 网红爆料 Foundation of Washington today will deliver to Amazon over 150,000 petition signatures, a coalition letter signed by nearly 70 organizations representing communities nationwide, and a letter from Amazon shareholders demanding the company stop providing face surveillance technology to governments, including local law enforcement. Representatives of community-based organizations, including CREDO and Demand Progress, will join the 网红爆料 of Washington today at Amazon鈥檚 iconic Spheres headquarters building in Seattle to deliver the petition signatures and letters. 鈥淭he rights of immigrants, communities of color, protestors, and others will be put at risk if Amazon provides this powerful surveillance system to government agencies. Amazon should listen to community voices and protect its customers鈥 civil liberties instead of jumping in to create a surveillance infrastructure for government,鈥 said Shankar Narayan, 网红爆料 of Washington Technology and Liberty Director. Today鈥檚 actions mark mounting pressure on Amazon to end its practice of selling its dragnet surveillance system, Rekognition, to local enforcement following the release of emails and other documents obtained by the 网红爆料 revealing how the company has been pushing its face recognition product. In their letter to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, shareholders add that the technology 鈥渕ay not only pose a privacy threat to customers and other stakeholders across the country, but may also raise substantial risks for our Company, negatively impacting our company鈥檚 stock valuation and increasing financial risk for shareholders.鈥 In addition to today鈥檚 actions, the Congressional Black Caucus also wrote to Bezos, expressing concerns that the tool could have negative unintended consequences for people of color, including immigrants, and protesters. 鈥淲e cannot blindly stumble into an artificial intelligence-powered surveillance state overseen by corporations interested in expanding their profit margins and police departments committed to exercising limitless power,鈥 said 网红爆料 of Massachusetts鈥 Technology for Liberty Program director Kade Crockford in a blog post on today鈥檚 actions. 鈥淭rue public safety 鈥 especially for people of color, Muslims, immigrants, and dissidents 鈥 requires that we stop the spread of face surveillance before it鈥檚 too late.鈥 鈥淭he message sent to Amazon today by its shareholders, more than 150,000 consumers, and a nationwide coalition is loud and clear: If Amazon is indeed a customer-centric company that opposes secret government surveillance, it needs to stop selling dangerous face surveillance to the government that can be used to attack protesters, target immigrants, and spy on neighborhoods,鈥 said Nicole Ozer, Technology and Civil Liberties Director for the 网红爆料 of California. The coalition letter delivered today can be found here: /letter-nationwide-coalition-amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-regarding-rekognition. The Amazon shareholder letter can be found here: /letter/letter-shareholders-amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-regarding-rekognition. 网红爆料 of Massachusetts鈥 Kade Crockford鈥檚 blog post is available here: /blog/privacy-technology/surveillance-technologies/over-150000-people-tell-amazon-stop-selling-facial.Affiliates: Washington, Northern California