IBM Takes a Knee On Facial Recognition Software Claiming Fears of Possible Racial Profiling

IBM sent a letter to members of Congress that they have decided it will no longer provide facial recognition software and it rejects using the technology for racial profiling or mass surveillance.

Is that IBM’s way of admitting that they did use the software for racial profiling?

The technology is controversial because of the possible human rights violations it poses and evidence that exhibits it is much less accurate in recognizing people of color (POC).

“IBM no longer offers general purpose IBM facial recognition or analysis software,” CEO Arvind Krishna said in the letter. “IBM firmly opposes and will not condone uses of any technology, including facial recognition technology offered by other vendors, for mass surveillance, racial profiling, violations of basic human rights and freedoms, or any purpose which is not consistent with our values and Principles of Trust and Transparency.”

The letter additionally offered ideas for potential legislation to assist with how the responsible use of such technology might help police reform. Synthetic intelligence, IBM mentioned, may assist in policing however ought to be examined to make sure it does not have a racial bias.

So, now software is racist.  This is going just a tad bit too far.

The race hustlers have convinced guilt-ridden white liberals that because they were born white they are inherently racist, that they act racist all the time, even if they don’t know they are acting racist, and their workplace and organizations of which they belong are full of institutional racism that is used to blame any failure experienced by a black American, when an actual racist can’t be found who caused the failure, and all the hard work they put in to build the life they wanted to live never really happened because everything they achieved in life was the product of white privilege.  This is insanity.

IBM also called for stronger federal laws on police misconduct, which has everything to do with facial recognition software, am I right?  Forget the fact that the federal government has no jurisdiction over local police to make policies.  It’s called federalism.  The federal government is only supposed to assist states in issues of nationhood.  IBM would do well to read Madison’s Federalist 45.

“Congress should bring more police misconduct cases under federal court purview and should make modifications to the qualified immunity doctrine that prevents individuals from seeking damages when police violate their constitutional rights,” Krishna said.

This is called “beating the mob to the punch.”  IBM became terrified that the race mob would accuse Big Blue of being racist for providing facial recognition software.   Two weeks ago we would have thought that an absurd notion, but knowing that the Left never allows a good crisis go to waste, the company decided to get out in front of such an absurd accusation.  It may work, it may not.  It just depends on how many other products IBM makes that the race mob can twist into something racially sinister.

Krishna added: “Congress should also establish a federal registry of police misconduct and adopt measures to encourage or compel states and localities to review and update use-of-force policies.”

Here’s the thing.  Nobody wants police brutality.  Nobody!  Nobody sided with the cops in Minneapolis who killed George Floyd.  Nobody!  The Left had the entire country with them.  They could have pushed for great things to be done.

Most people thought those cops should be buried under the prison.  But there are race hustlers out there who are taking legitimate concerns in the black community to push a political agenda that is threatening America.  When you use what happened to Floyd to argue that police departments must be defunded and dismantled, and when you demand that white people, who did nothing wrong, must kneel before black people, it’s gone too far.

As usual, progressives took this too far, and they are damaging the goodwill the entire country felt for Floyd’s family and community.

I was in Walmart yesterday when an announcement came on over the loudspeakers, and it was a message to their black associates and customers.  It was a sincere message relating that Walmart sympathizes with black America, and that the company understands how they feel, and that the company is going to work hard to make things better.

I was stunned.  It made me really uncomfortable, not for me, but for black customers who were also hearing it.  It was like the company was treating them like children.  I immediately wondered what Walmart did to its black workers and customers that I never realized?  Did they treat them as anything but employees and customers simply because they are black?

It seems like everyone is trying to outrun a coming boogeyman where you have to either acquiesce to the demands of the mob or be taken down as a pure racist.

If we as a nation are going to stamp out racism in policing then everyone has to be involved, otherwise, we fix nothing.

I do believe the nation needs to heal, but I don’t think the current trends we’re watching are the way to do it.

Rich Welsh

Rich is a conservative syndicated opinion writer and runs Maga-Chat.com. He writes about politics, culture, liberty, and faith.

Fight tech tyranny. Join Rich on MAGA-Chat.com where free speech is still free. JOIN the revolution!

maga-chat.com