IBM announced on Monday that it was no longer offering general purpose facial recognition or analysis software, in response to concerns over racial profiling in the wake of the George Floyd movement. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna wrote in a letter to senators and members of Congress that the software could infringe on human rights.”IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms, or any purpose which is not consistent with our values and principles of trust and transparency,” wrote CEO Arvind Krishna.The firm urged Congress to use technology that would bring “greater transparency”, such as body cameras on police officers and data analytics.An IBM spokesperson told CNN Business on Tuesday that the company will now limit its visual technology to “visual object detection,” which could, for example, help manage manufacturing plants or assist farmers with crop care.Krishna's letter follows huge anti-racism protests in America and around the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed while in police custody.
IBM to drop facial recognition software in wake of George Floyd death
