Facial recognition software if stopped from selling to government agencies is cruelty on humanity, says Microsoft President Brad Smith. Microsoft’s top associate shot down calls for the move, so as not to prevent its use to diagnose rare diseases.
Earlier, last month, more than 85 human rights groups reached out to tech giants such as Microsoft and Google. The plea demanded companies to stop selling facial recognition technology to governments. These human rights groups showed apprehension of its use by governments for surveillance.
In response to this, the Microsoft associate put forth a question for companies. This is to know why companies need to stop selling facial recognition technology to government agencies for whatsoever purpose. The sweeping ban on governments to use facial recognition software brings with it pitfalls beyond measure. Not only this, it poses a risk of cruelty to humanitarian welfare goals.
Exercise to Restrain Use of Technology need of the Times
As a measure against misuse, governments worldwide need to adopt laws to regulate the use of facial recognition technology, added the Microsoft associate. If the action delayed, the risk lies to wake up to find facial recognition software spread its wings to exacerbate societal issues.
Today, it calls for the industry to exercise restraint while employing facial recognition software.
Recently, facial recognition technology proved its capability in a real-life mission of the New Delhi police to find missing children. It involved identifying almost 3,000 missing children in only four days.
Furthermore, speaking of the use of facial recognition technology among historians, the technology finds use to match portraits of unknown soldiers from their Civil War photographs of 1860s.
