Microsoft advocates regulation for facial recognition
Microsoft calls on the governments to regulate facial recognition to prevent misuse of the technology. Microsoft chief lawyer Brad Smith says Friday that face recognition technology causes problems affecting fundamental human rights, such as privacy and freedom of expression.
According to Smith, the US government is going to regulate the use of the technology. Smith wants the government to investigate what measures it can take against the use of facial recognition to profile people on the basis of race, without affecting the positive aspects of technology. In addition, the government must ask themselves whether investigative services and law enforcement officers are allowed to use the technology just like that, or whether a minimum level of reliability is required. Smith also argues for sufficient transparency and accountability when using facial recognition.
Immigrants
Face recognition was recently discredited during the period when the US immigration service at the border separated parents from children. In the control of immigrants, the American immigration service would have used ICE facial recognition from Microsoft. Earlier Microsoft already renounced the immigration policy of the US. Now Smith states that Microsoft does not provide facial recognition technology to US border surveillance. Internet giant Amazon also develops facial recognition software, which is supplied to American police forces. Both investors and staff would criticize these practices. Critics fear that facial recognition will be used to monitor citizens automatically and continuously. With the technology, for example, a database with suspects can potentially be compared live with images from security cameras. Microsoft chief lawyer Smith states that Microsoft deliberately slows its efforts on the development of facial recognition, because of the possible consequences for human rights.
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Senior Member
Posts: 2525
Joined: 2012-04-16
How typical of corporations to lobby with big brother.
Senior Member
Posts: 5582
Joined: 2012-11-10
I was hoping they'd advocate regulation because facial recognition is stupid and horrendously insecure.
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Posts: 880
Joined: 2002-09-14
"Microsoft and privacy should not be permitted to be put in the same phrase"
Or, in other words, wherever there is m$, no privacy you can find there. LOL, m$'s "lawyer" (devil's advocate) pretending to be concerned with people's privacy...

Like in a Yugoslavian proverb (to mark an obvious deception): a hungry dog would not have swallowed it even if it were covered with fat.
Senior Member
Posts: 130
Joined: 2008-11-03
I logged in for the same. Corporates appearing in white armor and siding with consumers is a myth. there's always a concealed catch or an ulterior motive, always.
Posts: 6097
Joined: 2011-01-02
This should happen, not to make money on it, but to regulate what is OK and NOT OK for companies to mess with.
Amazon already taking a good chunk of money for it. Google is a good guy this time, actually cares about peoples privacy and not providing it.
related media news:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/05/22/amazon-is-selling-facial-recognition-to-law-enforcement-for-a-fistful-of-dollars/?noredirect=on&utm-term=.9f2765c0677e
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/business/dealbook/amazon-facial-recognition.html
Not bashing amazon, I hope their technology aided police to bring justice. This is just a two edged sword, which could use some regulations.