US tech giant IBM gets out of facial recognition business, opposes mass surveillance
International Business Machines Corp will no longer offer general purpose facial recognition or analysis software, new Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna said in a letter to the members of the United States Congress on Monday.
The company will stop offering facial recognition software and oppose any use of such technology for purposes of mass surveillance and racial profiling, Krishna said.
The tech giant's decision to get out of the facial recognition business, employed by multiple companies, comes as the United States grapples with nationwide protests over the death of a black man, George Floyd, under police custody in Minneapolis.
“IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms, or any purpose which is not consistent with our values and Principles of Trust and Transparency,” he was quoted as saying in the letter.
Government officials across the country have proposed reforms to address police brutality and racial injustice aimed
at boosting oversight of law enforcement agencies.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
In the letter sent to prominent US Senators, including Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, Krishna also called on for greater transparency and accountability to policing.
Krishna, the key architect of IBM’s $34 billion Red Hat acquisition last year, took over the chief executive officer role from Ginni Rometty in April.
-
New technologies could threaten Amazon’s empire
It would appear at first glance that the COVID-19 pandemic’s biggest winner in 2020 is the online shopping behemoth Amazon. As lockdowns spread across ... Middle East -
Coronavirus: Apple, Google release technology for pandemic apps
Apple and Google on Wednesday released long-awaited smartphone technology to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the ... Coronavirus -
Saudi Arabia ranks 4th globally in 5G technology, 10th in internet speed
Saudi Arabia is now ranked fourth globally in terms of 5G technology and tenth in terms of internet speed, according to the Kingdom’s Ministry of ... Technology -
US steps up row with Beijing, adds new restrictions on Chinese tech giant Huawei
The US government has imposed new restrictions on Chinese tech giant Huawei’s ability to use American technology, stepping up a conflict with Beijing ... Technology