Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) on Thursday said it will no longer sell its facial recognition technology to police departments in the United States until a law regulating its use is enacted at the federal level, the Washington Post reported.What Happened "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," Microsoft President Brad Smith said, according to the Post.The technology veteran company will also put further checks on the use of the controversial technology, Smith added.The Microsoft president didn't say whether the company will continue selling to other government departments, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the post noted.Why It Matters Facial recognition is used by companies for wide uses, including letting users unlock their phones or other electronic devices and automatically tagging friends in social media photos.The technology's use by government officials has been controversial due to its inaccuracy, especially when it comes to people of color, the MIT Technology Review reported in December.Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) on Thursday said it will stop selling its facial recognition technology to police departments for a year.International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) earlier noted that it was abandoning its similar technology for all use for the time being.Microsoft Price Action Microsoft shares closed nearly 5.4% lower at $186.27 on Thursday. The shares were up 1.2% in the after-hours session at $188.43.See more from Benzinga * Big Tech Reaches New Record Heights At The Stock Market * Bill Gates-Backed Food Waste Prevention Startup Apeel Raises 0M From Oprah, Katy Perry, Singapore Government * Facebook Plans To Resume Work In Office In July At 25% Capacity And Safety Measures In Place(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Read More...
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Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:
MSFT) on Thursday said it will no longer sell its facial recognition technology to police departments in the United States until a law regulating its use is enacted at the federal level, the Washington Post
reported.” data-reactid=”19″>
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:
MSFT) on Thursday said it will no longer sell its facial recognition technology to police departments in the United States until a law regulating its use is enacted at the federal level, the Washington Post
reported.
What Happened
“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,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said, according to the Post.
The technology veteran company will also put further checks on the use of the controversial technology, Smith added.
The Microsoft president didn’t say whether the company will continue selling to other government departments, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the post noted.
Why It Matters
Facial recognition is used by companies for wide uses, including letting users unlock their phones or other electronic devices and automatically tagging friends in social media photos.
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="The technology's use by government officials has been controversial due to its inaccuracy, especially when it comes to people of color, the MIT Technology Review reported in December.” data-reactid=”26″>The technology’s use by government officials has been controversial due to its inaccuracy, especially when it comes to people of color, the MIT Technology Review reported in December.
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) on Thursday said it will stop selling its facial recognition technology to police departments for a year.” data-reactid=”27″>Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) on Thursday said it will stop selling its facial recognition technology to police departments for a year.
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) earlier noted that it was abandoning its similar technology for all use for the time being.” data-reactid=”28″>International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) earlier noted that it was abandoning its similar technology for all use for the time being.
Microsoft Price Action
Microsoft shares closed nearly 5.4% lower at $186.27 on Thursday. The shares were up 1.2% in the after-hours session at $188.43.
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="See more from Benzinga” data-reactid=”31″>See more from Benzinga
<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="© 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.” data-reactid=”36″>© 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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