Microsoft, Google, Amazon face lawsuit
2020-07-16Google LLC, Microsoft Corporation, Amazon.com and FaceFirst, Inc. were hit this week with substantially similar proposed class actions alleging the tech heavyweights have violated a novel Illinois privacy law amid an “arms race” to improve error rates for their respective facial recognition technologies.
Several leading technology companies in the United States are facing lawsuits filed by two Illinois residents on allegations of violating a state law governing biometric privacy.
Amazon Inc, Alphabet Inc's subsidiary Google and Microsoft Corporation used photos of individuals to train their facial recognition technologies without taking prior consent, Steven Vance and Tim Janecyk have alleged, as reported.
The photos were included in the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation's Diversity in Faces database, a collection of more than 1 million images designed to improve fairness and accuracy in facial recognition technology, according to the lawsuits.
Vance and Janecyk allege that their photos were included in the IBM database without permission even though they clearly identified themselves as Illinois residents, where collection, storage, and use of biometric information isn't allowed without written consent under the Biometric Information Privacy Act of 2008.
The lawsuits, which seek class-action status, have been filed in California and Washington states and demand monetary damages and a restraint on the defendants' use of the IBM database, as per reports.
Facial recognition technology suffers from low accuracy rates in identifying women and minorities and has the potential to turn into an omnipresent form of surveillance.
IBM has already discontinued offering general-purpose facial recognition or analysis software citing inconsistency with its values.
Microsoft said last month that it would not offer facial recognition software to police departments, and Amazon stopped selling such technology to police last year.
Amazon shares traded 0.3% higher at $3,093.60 in the pre-market session Wednesday. Microsoft shares were up nearly 0.5% at $209.38, and Alphabet Class A shares traded slightly lower at $1,520.
See What’s Next in Tech With the Fast Forward Newsletter
Tweets From @varindiamag
Nothing to see here - yet
When they Tweet, their Tweets will show up here.