[liberationtech] Microsoft to divest AnyVision stake, end face recognition investing

[Yosem Companys]

Microsoft Corp on Friday said it would sell its stake in AnyVision, an Israeli
facial recognition startup, and said it no longer would make minority
investments in companies that sell the controversial technology.

The decision marks a policy change for the Redmond, Washington-based software
maker, which has aimed to shape how the technology industry approaches facial
recognition. Microsoft has laid out principles to guide its own development of
the technology, saying it should perform without bias and must not impinge on
democratic freedoms.
Civil liberties groups have said police use of facial recognition could lead to
unfair, arbitrary arrests and limit freedom of expression.
Microsoft came under scrutiny last summer for participating in a $74 million
funding round for AnyVision, which critics said contradicted the company’s
principles.
AnyVision, based outside Tel Aviv, came under scrutiny following media reports
that its technology was used to surveil Palestinians who lived in the occupied
West Bank. Microsoft later hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and a
team from Covington & Burling to investigate the claims.
Microsoft to divest AnyVision stake, end face recognition investing Microsoft
Corp on Friday said it would sell its stake in AnyVision, an Israeli facial
recognition startup, and said it no longer would make minority… reuters.com
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