Whistleblower Claims Amazon Sold Facial Recognition Tech To Russia

A former Amazon employee has accused the company of breaching UK stations by selling facial recognition technology to Russia after it invaded Ukraine, according to a report from The Financial Times.

Charles Forrest alleged that he was dismissed in 2023 after accusing Amazon of wrongdoing on several issues in November 2022 and May 2023, according to the article. His allegations were presented to a London employment tribunal as part of a hearing recently.

Forrest said that the company closed a deal with Russian company VisionLabs to give access to its Rekognition facial recognition tech. It was done "through what appears to be a shell company based in the Netherlands," as per the tribunal filings. The company was also accused of breaking its self-imposed moratorium on police use of facial recognition tech after the murder of George Floyd.

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Amazon Denies Any Wrongdoings After Allegations

Amazon has denied Forrest’s allegations saying, "We believe the claims lack merit and look forward to demonstrating that through the legal process," a spokesperson told the FT. "Based on available evidence and billing records, AWS did not sell Amazon Rekognition services to VisionLabs."

According to the company, Forrest for sacked for "gross misconduct" after he refused to work his contractual hours and failed to respond to emails or attend meetings. The company also denied that Forrest made the sorts of disclosures that would make him eligible for whistleblower protections.

Amazon has denied the contention it provided police with facial recognition tech, and added in a tribunal filing that "a self-imposed moratorium does not amount to a legal obligation."

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Apple Also Challenging EU After Huge Fine

Apple is going against a $1.95 billion fine that was imposed on the company by the European Commission for killing fair competition from music-streaming rivals, including Spotify (via Bloomberg).

The Commission fined the company back in March, claiming Apple abused its dominant position in the market by forbidding music streaming apps to tell users about cheaper subscription prices outside the app.

The EU also mandated the company "remove anti-steering provisions" for music streaming apps in the European Economic Area (EEA). The company also updated its App Store rules to enable music apps in the EEA to inform users of workarounds to purchase digital music content and add website links for buying digital music subscriptions.

Apple has reportedly filed a suit at the EU’s General Court in Luxembourg to challenge the March ruling. The Commission told the media that it will be defending its decision in court against Apple.