Facial-recognition technology has emerged as a key battleground for tech giants vying for business from customers eager to use the latest tools of artificial intelligence. The technology can help identify people and is critical for such services as unlocking smartphones and tagging friends in photos on social media. But it has also taken on a new and controversial life in law enforcement and other areas, which has raised privacy and bias concerns.

Amazon announced Wednesday that it is pausing police use of its facial recognition software for one year following nationwide pressure on tech companies to address potential bias. While Amazon did not specify a reason for its decision, racial injustice has been at the forefront of ongoing protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into the handcuffed black man's neck for nearly nine minutes. "We've advocated that governments should put in place stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology, and in recent days, Congress appears ready to take on this challenge," Amazon said in a statement posted to the company's blog website. Researchers have long criticized the technology for producing inaccurate results for people with darker skin, while other studies have shown technological bias against minorities and young people. Nicole Ozer, technology and civil liberties director with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, said in a statement that the organization was "glad the company is finally recognizing the dangers face recognition poses to Black and Brown communities and civil rights more broadly," but that it was not enough to combat the threat to "our civil rights and civil liberties."

"Amazon's decision is an important symbolic step, but this doesn't really change the face recognition landscape in the United States since it's not a major player," said Clare Garvie, a researcher at Georgetown University's Center on Privacy and Technology. Her public records research found only two U.S. agencies using or testing Rekognition. The Washington County Sheriff's Office in Oregon has been the most public about using it. The Orlando police department tested it, but chose not to implement it, she said.