WebWire: Planned Parenthood Applauds introduction of Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women's Health Care Act of 2019

| Posted in In the News

Planned Parenthood Federation of America applauded today’s introduction of the “Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women’s Health Care Act of 2019,” which would increase access to life-saving cancer screenings. Sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), the bill will expand funding for preventive services with a focus on breast and gynecological cancer…

In US, Cancer Screening Saves Lives

| Posted in In the News

Today, California Congressman Jimmy Gomez and Washington Senator Patty Murray will introduce the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women’s Health Act of 2019. Named after Jeannette Acosta, a former congressional employee who passed away after treatment for cervical cancer in 2017, the bill would create new grants to provide increased access to preventative and life-saving screenings for cancers…

Spectrum News: Schools and Companies implement Facial Recognition, Congress Opposes

| Posted in In the News

A growing debate over facial recognition continues this week as Congress holds it’s second hearing Tuesday and as some New York schools plan to implement the technology to improve safety. California has been an adamant opponent against the technology, and now a Los Angeles congressman is leading the fight against it. “First, facial recognition is something that’s been around for a number…

Shadow Proof: House Oversight hearing on facial recognition technology: FBI still can't vouch for accuracy of systems

| Posted in In the News

In July 2018, the ACLU tested Amazon’s Rekognition software and found “the software incorrectly matched 28 members of Congress, identifying them as other people who have been arrested for a crime.” One of the members mismatched was Representative Jimmy Gomez, a member of the committee. He asked Del Greco about biases in the technology, and she said FBI personnel are not trained on…

The Nation: Amazon easily defeated facial ID revolt

| Posted in In the News

LONDON- An attempted shareholder revolt over Amazon’s sale of facial recognition technology to the police mustered less than 3% of votes cast at the firm’s annual general meeting. The tally was revealed in a corporate filing.The tech firm had said it was aware of civil rights concerns but had not received any reports of law enforcement clients misusing its Rekognition tool. Even so, the…

Congressman Jimmy Gomez Introduces Resolution Honoring Korean, Korean American Vietnam War Veterans

| Posted in In the News

In response to the introduction of H.Res 404 – commemorating the service of Korean and Korean-American veterans of the Vietnam War – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) issued the following statement: “Too often, the commitment of Korean and Korean American Vietnam War veterans has gone unnoticed. Neglecting the important role these servicemembers played is not only an affront to their…

BBC: Amazon defeated Rekognition revolt by a large margin

| Posted in In the News

An attempted shareholder revolt over Amazon's sale of facial recognition technology to the police mustered less than 3% of votes cast at the firm's annual general meeting. The tally was revealed in a corporate filing. The tech firm had said it was aware of civil rights concerns but had not received any reports of law enforcement clients misusing its Rekognition tool. Even so,…

Venture Beat: How Amazon's facial recognition ambition could stunt Alexa's development

| Posted in In the News

At the same time, facial recognition software is currently the subject of intense national scrutiny. Facial recognition regulation received bipartisan support in a Congressional hearing Wednesday, achieving the rare feat of uniting progressives like Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and a number of conservative Republicans, who agreed that a national moratorium on the use of facial…

Washington Post: Power Up: Pelosi tamps down rising Democratic cries for Trump Impeachment inquiry

| Posted in In the News

Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) who has been spearheading the conversation on regulating facial recognition technology on Capitol Hill, told Power Up that Amazon is “avoiding responsibility” when it comes to answering crucial questions of the surveillance technology. (Amazon owner Jeff Bezos also owns The Washington Post.) “We don't even know if Amazon is exporting the use of facial…