Skip to content
Article reader Listen + reading controls
LISTEN + READ YOUR WAY

Article reader

Preparing the reader…

0:00 0:00
Reading settings
Text size
100%

Justice Department Reveals FBI’s Association with Amazon Rekognition Tool

Justice Department Reveals FBI’s Association with Amazon Rekognition Tool

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has unveiled that the FBI is exploring the use of Amazon’s Rekognition, an image and video analysis software.

Rekognition Tool and Its Controversy

The software has been subject to controversy due to its facial recognition capabilities. Interestingly, this revelation arrives after Amazon’s 2020 announcement about a moratorium on police use of the Rekognition tool.

The Ambiguity of the Project

The agency has a project termed “Amazon Rekognition – AWS – Project Tyr.” The project description does not include “facial recognition,” instead mentioning that the agency intends to use the tool to identify items containing nudity, weapons, explosives, and other identifying information.

The Future of the Project

The inventory states that further aspects of the project are yet to be set down. The agency plans to decide the origin of the training data and specifics regarding the AI techniques used in collaboration with Amazon Web Services.

Conclusion

The DOJ’s disclosure of the FBI’s usage of Amazon’s Rekognition tool indicates an increasing interest in AI capabilities within law enforcement agencies. The resulting implications for privacy, civil liberties, and law enforcement methodologies are yet to be fully understood and require ongoing discussion and review. To explore more about this development, visit the original FedScoop article .

READER-NEUTRAL SUBSCRIPTION

Follow Field Notes via RSS.

Copy this address into the RSS reader you already use. New notes will appear there automatically—no account, email address, or tracking required.