IBM Returns To the Facial Recognition Market

IBM is under fire for signing a $69.8m contract with the UK government to develop a national biometrics platform, including facial recognition technology for immigration and law enforcement use. This, despite the company claiming to have ceased offering “general purpose” facial recognition in 2020 due to concerns over human rights violations. IBM insists the software will be used for matching suspects against a database and not for mass surveillance, a claim met with skepticism by human rights campaigners.