IBM, Microsoft and even Amazon paused their facial recognition programs because this technology is often biased along the lines of age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Even more concerning, evidence suggests that even when facial recognition works as expected, it's often used to surveil people of color. Bottom line: facial recognition and law enforcement just don't mix.
The story doesn't end there, though. Amazon's Ring doorbell cameras pose similar risks, because Ring shares its footage with law enforcement through its Neighbors Law Enforcement Portal, which has been called the "perfect storm of privacy threats."
If Amazon is serious about its new police policies, it must extend its moratorium to include Ring.
Sign the petition to ask Amazon Ring to immediately press pause on its partnerships with law enforcement.
By immediately halting Ring's police collaborations, Amazon will be honoring its own statement that it "stand[s] in solidarity with the Black community — [its] employees, customers, and partners — in the fight against systemic racism and injustice."
The protests surrounding the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have highlighted the disproportionate levels of police surveillance used on Black people. Right now, Amazon is collaborating with over 1300 police departments in the United States alone. Ring cameras have already been documented to facilitate racial profiling, and activists have been organizing to protect communities of color from Amazon's law enforcement collaboration.
We are calling on Amazon to make good on its pledge to fight systemic racism by:
- Issuing a moratorium on Ring police partnerships, including with federal authorities.
- Not deploying facial recognition in Ring.
- Ensuring that these actions apply globally, not just in the United States.
Amazon has made the right move with its Rekognition moratorium, and now we’re hopeful it continues to do the right thing.
Will you join us and ask Amazon Ring to immediately press pause on its partnerships with law enforcement?