The State of Facial Recognition in 2020

Facial recognition is an important topic that affects many facets of modern society. Over the past several years it has influenced the trajectory of policing, government, law, and the broader tech industry in the United States and around the world. The recent protests against racially biased policing in the US, in particular, have shined a spotlight on the role of facial recognition in policing, causing several prominent companies to revise their policies on the development and use of this tech. Both Microsoft and Amazon have pledged not to sell their facial recognition technology to police departments until there are regulations in place and for a year, respectively. IBM, meanwhile, announced that it would be shutting down further development of its facial recognition technology.