Microsoft for regulating face recognition

US technology giant Microsoft has raised alarm over facial recognition and asked the US government to regulate use of the increasingly sought-after technology.

Microsoft is calling on the US Congress to regulate the use of facial recognition technology to protect people's privacy and freedom of expression.

It is the first big tech company to raise serious alarms about an increasingly sought-after technology for recognising a person's face from a photo or through a camera.

Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a blog post that the US government should form a bi-partisan expert commission.

Smith says Microsoft, which supplies face recognition to some businesses, has already rejected some customers' requests to deploy the technology in situations involving "human rights risks."

A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to provide more details about what opportunities the company has passed over because of ethical concerns.

Smith defended the company's contract with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying it doesn't involve face recognition.


Share
1 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world