“Last week’s vote confirms that Amazon needs to take aggressive steps to address investor concerns about its facial recognition technology, Rekognition,” said Michael Connor, Executive Director of Open MIC in relation to another proposal asking for a report on customer use of certain technologies that over 34% of shareholders supported. “Amazon’s current moratorium on police use of Rekognition isn’t sufficient. At the very least, Amazon must now broaden the scope of the moratorium to bar the use of Rekognition not only by police but also by ANY government agency or ANY law enforcement... ANYWHERE in the world.”
Significant Social and Governance Risks at Palantir
Michael Connor, Executive Director of Open MIC, a nonprofit that works with shareholders to foster corporate accountability in the tech sector, said, “Palantir boasts in its registration statement about its standards for protecting personal privacy, yet the company provides scant detail on how it intends to enforce ethical standards…The registration statement does not include details on any of its military, intelligence, or law enforcement contracts, a glaring omission considering the potential ethical questions at play. When it comes to privacy, Palantir has left shareholders - and millions of people who might be the subject of Palantir's surveillance technologies – completely in the dark.”
Change the Terms Slams Facebook Executives’ “Colossal Failures”
Michael Connor, executive director of Open MIC, said: “Facebook’s problems can only be fixed by the company’s senior management and its board of directors. Hate speech and disinformation threaten the safety and rights of millions online, especially for people of color. As business leaders in a time of crisis, and with the 2020 elections not far off, Mr. Zuckerberg cannot avoid the inevitable. He needs to address these critical issues now.”