We used the default match settings that Amazon sets for Rekognition. Then we searched that database against public photos of every current member of the House and Senate. Using Rekognition, we built a face database and search tool using 25,000 publicly available arrest photos. Tell Amazon to get out of the surveillance business And running the entire test cost us $12.33 - less than a large pizza. To conduct our test, we used the exact same facial recognition system that Amazon offers to the public, which anyone could use to scan for matches between images of faces.
These results demonstrate why Congress should join the ACLU in calling for a moratorium on law enforcement use of face surveillance. The false matches were disproportionately of people of color, including six members of the Congressional Black Caucus, among them civil rights legend Rep. The results included 28 incorrect matches. Our test used Amazon Rekognition to compare images of members of Congress with a database of mugshots. The members of Congress who were falsely matched with the mugshot database we used in the test include Republicans and Democrats, men and women, and legislators of all ages, from all across the country.
Amazon photos privacy software#
In a test the ACLU recently conducted of the facial recognition tool, called “Rekognition,” the software incorrectly matched 28 members of Congress, identifying them as other people who have been arrested for a crime. Amazon’s face surveillance technology is the target of growing opposition nationwide, and today, there are 28 more causes for concern.