According to documents from the US Justice Department, the FBI plans to utilize Amazon’s controversial Rekognition sky service for gathering insights from publicly available images and videos.
Referred to as Project Tyr, the task is categorized under the “initiation cycle” for the FBI. The agency aims to tailor and deploy the system to analyze and identify items such as nudity, weapons, explosives, and other specific details within its AI Use Cases inventory.
The Department of Justice report indicates that the Federal authorities will employ a pre-built Rekognition-based system procured from external sources. While Amazon committed to providing a statement to The Register, the FBI chose not to comment on the matter.
Amazon’s Rekognition tool enables users to search for objects in images and videos and detect inappropriate or offensive content. Despite previous pledges to restrict law enforcement from using Rekognition, Amazon continued to offer the service to government entities and third parties who might subsequently provide it to police departments.
Project Tyr aligns with Amazon’s prior commitments, although it comes at a time of escalating concerns regarding public safety and surveillance, particularly given the FBI’s investigative activities.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced restrictions on law enforcement’s access to Ring video footage without proper authorization. Additionally, the Neighbors app’s Request for Assistance feature, which allowed law enforcement to request Ring users’ video data, was discontinued. Officials are now required to follow a formal request process.
Privacy advocates and civil liberties groups lauded these measures. However, the revelation of the FBI’s use of Rekognition elicited a different reaction.
Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s Security and Surveillance Project, emphasized the importance of scrutinizing both the FBI and Amazon’s practices in this domain. Laperruque raised concerns about the FBI’s potential misuse of facial recognition technology and its lack of transparency in such operations.
Following the publication of the article, Amazon responded, clarifying that the FBI’s utilization of Rekognition does not violate its prohibition on law enforcement employing the face-comparison features of the API.
Amazon’s spokesperson, Duncan Neasham, emphasized the need for responsible and lawful use of technologies by corporations and government agencies. Amazon reiterated its commitment to assisting governments in establishing regulations for the ethical deployment of facial recognition technology.
Furthermore, Amazon highlighted its Acceptable Use Policy and Responsible AI Policy, which includes guidelines on the proper and ethical use of Rekognition, particularly for law enforcement purposes. Amazon’s Service Terms outline restrictions on the use of Rekognition’s face comparison feature by police departments in criminal investigations, with exceptions for aiding in the identification or location of missing persons.
