If you’ve been paying attention, it should come as no surprise that the latest in facial recognition technology is already being weaponized by governments and corporations. Most recently, AnyVision, an Israeli facial recognition tech company funded by Microsoft, has been wielding its software to help enforce Israel’s military occupation, using the occupied West Bank to field-test technology it plans to export around the world.
As soon as Microsoft announced its funding for AnyVision in June, the decision was met with scrutiny by journalists and activists alike. It was a shockingly unethical decision by a company attempting to establish itself as a “moral leader” in the tech industry.