Microsoft reportedly tried to sell facial recognition tech to the DEA

Microsoft isn't selling facial recognition tech to local police, but it apparently doesn't have that reservation for federal law enforcement. The ACLU has published emails indicating that Microsoft "aggressively" pitched the Drug Enforcement Administration on facial recognition between at least September 2017 and November 2018 (the emails extend to December 2018). The tech firm went so far as to host DEA staff for numerous demos and training sessions, and there was even a pilot program. The Administration apparently declined to buy the technology in November 2018, in part because of public concerns about the FBI's use of facial recognition data. The ACLU sued the DEA and FBI in October 2019 to obtain records showing how they use facial recognition.