Amazon, Microsoft and IBM Abandoning Face Recognition Is An "Irresponsible PR Stunt" Says AnyVision

*******, ********* *** *** *** *** issues **** ******* ****** *********** *****, following ***** ******* **** **** **** its **** ** **** ** ******** surveil ************, ******* ********* **** ** has **** "**********" **.

** **** ********* ******, **** ********** AnyVision *** **** ****** ** ****** about *********'* ******** ** *** ****'* move, *** ** ******* ******* *** accurate ****** ***********, *********** ** ********* AnyVision ***********, *** ****.

Original ********* ** *********

** **** **, *********'* ** **** sent **** *** ***** ********* ******* Big ****'* **** ** **** *********** with ** *** *********** ** "************* PR *****:"

******, ********* *** *** **** ********* that **** ***** ******* *** **** of ***** ****** *********** ********** ** law *********** ******** ***** ***** ********** for ****** ******.That's ** ************* ** *****. AnyVision provides AI based facial recognition tech to law enforcement agencies, airports, casinos and hospitals around the world including UK.Our stand: Getting out of facial recognition tech is the easy choice. The responsible choice is coping with biases and fighting unethical and irresponsible use. [emphasis added]

*** **********, ** **** ******** ** our***** ** ****** ******************, *** ***** ** **** ****** responded ** *** ****** ***** ******** by ***** *** *********:

• ****** ********** "*** **** **********" ** ***** police *** ** *********** ***** "******** regulations ** ******" *** "******* ***" are ******.
• ********* *** **** *********************** ***** **** ****** ********** *********** on ****** *********** ***** * "******** law" ** ** *****.
• ************** "** ****** ****** ******* *******" facial *********** *** ****** "* ******** dialogue ** ******* *** *** ****** recognition ********** ****** ** ********".

AnyVision: *** ******* *** ** **** *** '**** *** ***** ******** ********'

**** ***** *********'* *** **** ****** to ****** ** *** "************* ** stunt *****"; ****** ****** *** ***'* move ** **********:

* ***** *** ****** '**'** ******* out ** *** ****** *********** ****'is **** *** ***** ****** **'* *** ***** **** ******** *******, and you can quote me on that! It's not their game, and Watson is nothing more than a marketing platform. Watson had some promising results when it came to medical research [...] but that so far is the only meaningful application. When IBM went public with their facial recognition exit, they weren't even in the game. More than any other of the big facial recognition vendors, IBM is doing it for a P.R. halo.

******, ** **** *** ********, *********** ******** *** *********** ***** ********* in *** ********* **** ***** *** *** *****,********** ** * **** ************ **** ***, ** ** **** no ******** **** ******** ******** ****** recognition.

Far **** ******** ** *********, ******

*******, ****** *** *** **** ******** of *** ***** *** **** *****, Amazon *** *********, ****** "* *** understand" ***** ******** ***** ****** *********** is **** * "********" **********:

****** *** ** ***, ** **** platform,I *** ********** ****. Any vendor that provides any form of facial recognition or face analytics that's open-source needs to rethink whether or not this kind of technology should be open. It would be like open sourcing nuclear power. Dangerous may not be the right word, powerful ** *** ***** ****: *********** *********, ** **** ** *** ***** ***. The big concern with the ACLU is that images from social media can be used to identify peaceful protesters. If facial recognition were used to identify people who were peacefully protesting, that's the wrong application of facial recognition technology.

*******, ****** ****, ********* *** ****** "did *** ***** *****":

* ***** ********* *** ******did *** ***** *****. They're all thoughtful companies, they didn't get to where they are by being idiots.

AnyVision ** ********* *******/******** **** ***: ******* ********, ******** *****

*********'* ********* ****** **** *** ***** decision ***'* ******** **** *** *** "coping **** ****** *** ******** ********* and ************* ***". ** ********, ********* touted *** ******* ******** ****:

** ** *** **** ** *** by ******* ** ******** **** ** recommend *** ********* ***. ** ****automated ******* ********, that means when an administrator can choose to blur the faces of everybody on a screen who is not on a watchlist.

********* **** ******** *** ***** ** academia (* ********* ** *****'* ********** in *** **, **** *********,** * **-*******) ** * ****** **'* ***** sensitive ** ****** ** ******** *** ethics:

** ********* ***** ****** ******* ** ****** *** ********. *** founding ******** **** ** *** ** do **** *** *********,with ***** ******** ***** ***** ********* of how it should be applied to protect the privacy of innocent bystanders. We can't say [to end users] "only accept watchlists from credible sources", but we can build in controls to protect the privacy of innocent bystanders.

AnyVision ***** "****** *** **** ******* ********"; **** *********** *******

********* ******** *** *** ****** ** "coping **** ******", ********* **** ** uses "*** ****** *** **** ******* datasets":

** **** ****** **** ***widest *** **** ******* ********. Because of our research origins, we make sure we source the widest, deepest dataset available. I had a conversation with our research team and asked, do we have anything to worry about if MIT were to do a test on our algorithm when it comes to identifying people of color? They said no, we used the widest possible dataset.

*******, ********* ** ******* **** ******* ****** **** ** ****** *********** software, *********'* ********* ********* ********* ** many ** *** ****** ** ******** Eastern ******** ***** ****** **** ******* or **** ***** ****. *** **** graph ***** ***** **** *** *** from ***** *******, *********'* ********* (*********** in *** ** ****) ** ******** with **** ***** ********** (**** ****** systems *** ** *** ***** *****):

** ********* ****** ** **** ** that ********* **** ** *********** *** excels ** **-***-**** **** *********** ***** NIST **** ****** **** ******** ***** on ********, ********/**** ******, ***.

** ******** ** *** **** *****, Devine **** ** ******'* ********** ***** to *** ******, *** **** ********* has "********* *** ******" ** ***:

* ***'* ***** ** ****, *'* not * ********* ***. * **** what ** ******** **** ***** **, and ** **** ***** ** **** we've ********* *** ****** *** ******* [AI] ********* ** **** **** **'* optimized *** *** *****.

AnyVision **** "**********" **** ******* ** *********** **** ************ *******

************** ***** ************** ********* ************** **** ********* *** ****** * project ****** "*****" ***** ******** ********* Palestinians ** *** **** ****. *********'* investment ** ********* *** *********** ********* in *** *** *******:

**** ***** ********* *** ** ***** be ******* *** ******* *********** ***** this. ********* **** ** *** **** "exonerated" ** *** ***** ******* ** an ***** *** ** ****** ** attorney ******* **** ******, ********** ****"********* ******** ************ **** *********'* ********** has *** ********** *** **** *** currently ***** * **** ************ ******* that *** **** ******* ** ***** reports":

[**** ****'* ************ "*****" ** ** cannot ********* ** ***** ** ******* AnyVision *** ******** ** ***.]

********* **** *** ******** ***** ******* were ** ***** ****** ***** ** "suppositions ****" *** ** *** ********** as ** ******* ****. *******, * former **** ** *** ****** ** on *********'* ***** ** ******** ***** the ****'* ********* *** ******** ** the ******* ********’* ******** ********** **** 2007 ** ****.

**** **** ************, **'** ********* ** Israeli *******, *** [***** ******] **** out ** *** ******... ******* **'** an ******* **** *******, ******* ** the [******-*********] ********,there **** ************ ****.

AnyVision ** ********* **********: "***** ***** ** **", ***** **** "****** ********** ***********"

******* *** ********* *****, ************** *********** ***** **** ********* **** ****. (AnyVision ****** *** ***** ****, ****** told ****.) **** *** * **** pushed *** ** **** ***** ****** activists, **** ** *** #*********************:

****** **** **** **** *********'* ********** "was *** ***** ***** ** **" and **** *** ******* ***** ****** "a ****** ********** ************" **** *********:

**'* * ******** ****** *******, **** must ** ********* ** *** ********* risk ** ***** *****, ** * understand **** ******* *** ** *** investment,it's **** *** ***** ***** ** **. We still havea ****** ********** ************ **** *********, we're still working with them on Azure. It's all good. They did the right thing and it was fine for us.

******, *********'* ******* *********** *********** *********'* ***** ***********:

AnyVision **** "**'** **** ********** *** ** **** **", ******* ********/**** **** ********

*********'* *** ***** *********** **** ************ *** **** **** ***** ** democracies:

** **** **** ******* ** ********** countries **** ****** ***********

*******,********* ****** *********** ** ****** ************ (*** *** ********) ** Israeli *********** ** *** **** ****, which ***** * *********. **** **** ***** ******** ********* has ********** ** ********, ***** ************* ***** ***** ******** *******. **** ****, ********* ************ ** two ******* ***********:****** ******** ****************** ****************** ************ ******* ******* ******** ** *******.

**** ***** ****** ***** ***** *** cases, ***** ***** ** **** ** undermining *** ****** ** "******** *********" usage. ****** **** ** "**'** **** thoughtful ** *** ** **** **" but "**'** ***** * *******":

* ***'* ***** ** ****. ** understanding ** ****we've **** ********** ** *** ** **** **. We're still a startup, we're by no means a big public company with pages and pages of rules, we're trying to figure it out.

"We **** **** **********" *** ** ******** "************" ** ******* *****

**** ***** ********* ** ** *** clear ******** ****** ********* ** ******* to ******* *********/************. ****** **** "** have **** **********" ********* *** *** anything "******* ****" ** ****.

We **** **** ********** and it's a discussion but there ***'* ******** ****'* **** ******* ****. There's an AI ethics paper which we have which is very powerful, but there isn't anything like 'here's our constitution'. It may be the right thing [to do] [...] Now is the time to have these difficult conversations

*********'* ************** ** ** ****** ************** **** "*** ********* *** ********** from ***** *** ********** *** *************, improper ** ******** ********". ***** *** no ********* ** **** **** ** deployments/countries *** "*************".

Commercial **********

****** *** ******** *****, ********* ***** commercial ********** ***** **** *************. ***** *** ******* ************ **** headcount ** **** *** ****, **** have ************* *** **** ** ****, as **** ******** ***** *****:

******, ******'* *** ********** ***** ** ****** recognition ******, ***** ********* ** ********** ******* among ***********, *********** *** ************** *** interested ** ******* ****** *********** *** to ******* *** ********* ****** ** well ** **** ** ******.

**********

********* ** ** * ***** ****. It ********** ********* *** ********* ********** *** ****** of **** ******* ********* (* **** position ***** **** *********** *********):

*** ***** ****, *** ****'* **** cautious ****** ** **** ***********, ***** with *********'* *** *************, **** **** this ******** **** ********* ** *******.

*********'* **** ******* *** ******** **********, however, **** ** **** ****** ** important ****** *********** ****** ****** *** company ** ********** ** **** *** growing ********* ** *****.