IBM opposes facial recognition tech in racial justice reform push

The protests over perceived racist-policing has caused IBM to do an about-face on facial recognition technology.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told Capitol Hill lawmakers that the company can no longer support facial recognition technology or any other tech that can be used for mass surveillance, racial profiling and immoral police tactics.

“IBM no longer offers general purpose IBM facial recognition or analysis software,” Mr. Krishna wrote to lawmakers this week. “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 added: “We believe now is the time to begin a national dialogue on whether and how facial recognition technology should be employed by domestic law enforcement agencies.”

Mr. Krishna cited the recent killings of George Floyd in Minnesota, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia as reminders that, “the fight against racism is as urgent as ever.”

Mr. Krishna said that technology company wants to advance racial equality in three policy areas: police reform, responsible use of technology, and broadening educational opportunities.

He wrote that he wants Congress to adopt the legislation sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican, to force states receiving federal funds to report more details on the use of deadly force to the Department of Justice.

“Congress should bring more police misconduct cases under federal court purview and should make modifications to the qualified immunity doctrine that prevents individuals from seeking damages when police violate their constitutional rights,” Mr. Krishna wrote.

Mr. Krishna also urged Congress to expand eligibility for Pell Grants for non-college skills training and to create equitable pathways for minority communities to enter the technology workforce on which IBM relies.

The IBM CEO’s advocacy won praise from some privacy-focused advocates. Ray Walsh, ProPrivacy digital privacy advocate, said Big Tech as a whole needs to stand with IBM against discrimination.

“IBM’s decision to take a stand against the use of facial recognition for the purposes of policing the streets is a win for digital privacy and racial equality,” Mr. Walsh said.

Julian Castro, a Housing and Urban Development Department secretary in the Obama administration, also celebrated IBM’s action and called on Amazon to follow its lead.

“Using facial recognition software as mass-surveillance for law enforcement is a dangerous violation of human rights that could further racial bias,” Mr. Castro tweeted. “This is positive news from @IBM.”

Legislation surrounding facial-recognition technology has seen new action in 2020.

Earlier this year, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed new restrictions on such technology into law, which drew praise from Microsoft and criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Washington state’s law requires the state and its local governments to get a warrant before using the technology in many instances and provides more public reporting on how the facial recognition tech is used.