Microsoft will no longer invest in facial recognition technologies

Article by Georgina Torbet.

At a time when many tech companies are pouring money into facial recognition research, Microsoft is selling off its investments into the technology. The company has announced it is divesting its shares in AnyVision, an Israeli facial recognition company alleged to be contributing to mass surveillance in the West Bank.

A recent audit found that AnyVision’s technology was not used in a mass surveillance program, but Microsoft has chosen to pull its investment from the company anyway. “After careful consideration, Microsoft and AnyVision have agreed that it is in the best interest of both enterprises for Microsoft to divest its shareholding in AnyVision,” the companies said in a joint statement. “For Microsoft, the audit process reinforced the challenges of being a minority investor in a company that sells sensitive technology, since such investments do not generally allow for the level of oversight or control that Microsoft exercises over the use of its own technology.” […]

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