The Hill: Facial recognition tools under fresh scrutiny amid police protests

| Posted in In the News

While that effort was derailed in recent months — by the coronavirus and some reshuffling of committee members — negotiations have restarted in recent days, Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) told The Hill in an interview Tuesday. There is now “broad consensus” on the committee for some sort of moratorium, he said, and “now we need to find a consensus on the solution.” Full Article

Bloomberg: Lawmaker Questions Amazon Over Facial Recognition Amid Protests

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A House lawmaker is pressing Amazon.com Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos to reveal more details about the company’s plans to pause selling facial-recognition software to law enforcement. Representative Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat, wrote Bezos in a letter dated Tuesday that Amazon should say whether it will stop developing its facial-recognition system during its one-year…

CNBC: Skeptical lawmaker pushes Bezos for answers on Amazon moratorium on facial recognition tech

| Posted in In the News

“While I am encouraged by the direction Amazon appears to be taking on this issue, the ambiguity of the announcement raises more questions than answers,” Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California wrote in a letter sent Monday night and obtained by CNBC. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform, whose members include Gomez, has held hearings on the matter but has yet to introduce a bill…

CNET: Amazon owes answers on facial recognition moratorium, lawmaker says

| Posted in In the News

Amazon's move to stop providing facial recognition to law enforcement until June 2021 has left more questions than answers. The company's announcement, limited to 102 words in a blog post, left out a lot of details on what the moratorium actually means, and a House representative is demanding answers from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. In a letter sent to Bezos and Amazon on Wednesday, Rep.…

Daily Dot: Congressman identified as criminal by Amazon demands answers on facial recognition moratorium

| Posted in In the News

A member of the House of Representatives who was misidentified as a criminal in an experiment using Amazon’s facial recognition software told the company its recent announcement of a one-year moratorium on police use of the technology “raises more questions than answers.”  Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos this week where he raised questions about…

Mashable: Congressman calls out Amazon's 'performative' facial-recognition moratorium

| Posted in In the News

Sometimes, you just have to call BS. That appears to be the thinking of California Congressman Jimmy Gomez, who on June 17 shared a letter addressed to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos demanding specifics on his company's supposed year-long moratorium on providing its facial-recognition tools to police. Because when it comes to Amazon's big June 10 announcement, sadly there is no…

Geek Wire: Congressman slams Amazon’s use of facial recognition technology, calls for new disclosures

| Posted in In the News

Amazon may have halted the sale of its facial recognition software to police, but the move hasn’t eased pressure on the tech giant. In a letter sent to its CEO Jeff Bezos on Tuesday, Democratic Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif) blasted Amazon’s handling of its software, Rekognition, calling on the company to provide detailed info about privacy and bias inherent in the program. Amazon…

Gizmodo: U.S. Lawmaker Calls Out Amazon's 'Performative' Support of Black Lives Matter

| Posted in In the News

Last week, Amazon made a terse announcement that it would institute a “one-year moratorium on police use of Amazon’s facial recognition technology,” known as Rekognition, in response to the wave of global protests against police brutality spurred by the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. At least one lawmaker is unsatisfied by the company’s limp new…

The Hill: House Democrat presses Amazon on facial recognition business

| Posted in In the News

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) sent a letter to Jeff Bezos Wednesday pressing the Amazon CEO for information about the company's one-year moratorium on selling facial recognition technology to law enforcement. The e-commerce giant announced last week that its facial recognition tech, Rekognition, will not be sold directly to police for the next 12 months. The…

Venture Beat: Rep. Gomez demands answers from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on facial recognition

| Posted in In the News

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Tuesday asking questions about exactly how the company plans to implement a one-year moratorium on facial recognition sales to police. Amazon announced the moratorium in a brief blog post one week ago today. Rep. Gomez is vice chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which plans to introduce…