A growing group of more than 1,500 employees at Google have demanded that the company stop selling its technology to police departments across the country.
“We’re disappointed to know that Google is still selling to police forces, and advertises its connection with police forces as somehow progressive, and seeks more expansive sales rather than severing ties with police and joining the millions who want to defang and defund these institutions,” the group stated.
“Why help the institutions responsible for the knee on George Floyd’s neck to be more effective organizationally? Not only that, but the same Clarkstown police force being advertised by Google as a success story has been sued multiple times for illegal surveillance of Black Lives Matter organizers,” the group added.
Google has long supported the efforts of police departments across the country. The company donates to the Seattle Police Department Foundation and invests in startups working on AI tech for law enforcement.
In response to this most recent effort from employees, the company says is “committed” to combating systemic racism and other forms of oppression.
“On this one, we were the first major company to decide, years ago, to not make facial recognition commercially available and we have very clear AI Principles that prohibit its use or sale for surveillance. We have longstanding terms of use for generally available computing platforms like Gmail, GSuite and Google Cloud Platform, and these products will remain available for Governments and local authorities, including police departments, to use,” a Google spokesperson stated.
Twice in the past, Google employees have successfully petitioned the company to discontinue projects with Pentagon. At the moment, it’s unclear if employees will have the same success.
