Workers criticize Amazon’s response to protests due to its work with law enforcement
Amazon is drawing a new round of reviews of the sale of recognition software to the police.
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Some Amazon employees accuse their company of hypocrisy after the technology giant tweeted an explanation Condemned treatment of blacks in the United States.
Amazon released a statement on Sunday to protest George Floyd’s death in police custody last week. “Together we stand in solidarity with the black community … in the fight against systemic racism and injustice,” said Amazon tweeted statement partially read.
On Tuesday, the Twitter account @WeWontBuildIt, which describes itself as “Amazon employees who demand accountability and transparency in the technology we developed”, questioned the company’s words regarding its measures.
“What police contracts have you cut? How many are left?” the account tweeted.
Amazon has been criticized for licensing Recognition facial recognition software to law enforcement agencies. The criticism came from civil rights groups and Artificial intelligence experts who asked the company to stop selling the software to the police. They fear that the software could be misused and used to target colored people, immigrants, religious minorities and other groups.
The American Civil Liberties Union tweeted a similar response to @ WeWontBuildIt’s: “Cool tweet. Will you commit to discontinue facial recognition surveillance technologies that increase police abuse?”
Amazon and @WeWontBuildIt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The company’s statement came amid nationwide protests against police brutality. Floyd died in Minneapolis on May 25 after police officer Derek Chauvin, now released, had pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. Since Floyd’s death, many companies and organizations have offered support and funding to combat police brutality and racial injustice.
