Microsoft says it won't sell facial recognition tech to police, either

Microsoft President Brad Smith announced in a livestreamed conversation with the Washington Post Thursday that the company does not, and would not, sell facial recognition technology to police departments.  There is, of course, a qualification: Microsoft will not sell facial recognition tech to police until Congress passes regulations around use of the technology to protect human rights. “We will not sell facial-recognition technology to police departments in the United States until we have a national law in place, grounded in human rights, that will govern this technology,” Smith said. Microsoft's announcement follows similar statements from Amazon and IBM. Amazon said it would put a one-year moratorium on selling its Rekognition software to police departments, in order to allow Congress time to pass legislation governing the use of its tech. However, the announcement was light on specifics. The company did not provide information on what's happening with its existing partnerships with police departments, which it has vehemently defended as just and responsible in the past. Read more...More about Microsoft, Police, Facial Recognition, Tech, and Activism