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 facial recognition legislation.
“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. Gomez said in the letter. “After two years of formal congressional inquiries — including bicameral letters, House Oversight Committee hearings, and in-person meetings — Amazon has yet to adequately address questions about the dangers its facial recognition technology can pose to privacy and civil rights, the accuracy of the technology, and its disproportionate impact on communities of color.”