VOA慢速英语2020 IBM终止面部识别并质疑警方的技术使用（在线收听）

America's IBM has ended its facial recognition business and raised concerns about how police forces might be using the technology.

美国IBM公司终止了其面部识别业务，并对警方可能使用这项技术的方式表示担忧。

IBM and other major technology companies have been developing facial recognition systems using machine learning methods and artificial intelligence, or AI.

IBM和其他主要科技公司一直在开发应用机器学习方法和人工智能（简称AI）的面部识别系统。

Facial recognition systems are designed to identify individuals in photo databases or from video surveillance.

面部识别系统用来识别照片数据库或视频监控中的个人。

Facial recognition accuracy has greatly improved in recent years. The technology is used by police in several major cities and by some U.S. government agencies. Privacy groups and civil rights activists have criticized such use of the technology.

近年来，面部识别的准确度大幅提高。这项技术被多座主要城市和部分美国政府机构采用。隐私权利组织和民权活动人士对该技术的这类应用进行了批评。

Several studies have shown the technology can have difficulties correctly guessing a person's race or sex. Critics say such failures could violate a person's civil rights. Activists have also warned that facial recognition systems could be used for mass surveillance of citizens.

多项研究表明，这种技术难以准确识别人们的种族或性别。批评人士表示，这种失败可能侵犯人们的公民权利。活动人士也警告称，面部识别系统可能被用于大规模公民监视。

IBM's CEO, Arvind Krishna, announced his company's decision on Monday in a letter to U.S. lawmakers. He said IBM would stop offering facial recognition software and end all research and development of the technology.

周一，IBM首席执行官阿尔文德·克里什纳在致美国议员的信中宣布了其公司的决定。他表示，IBM将停止提供面部识别软件，并终止这项技术的所有研发。

Krishna said IBM strongly opposes the use of any facial recognition technology to be used for "mass surveillance, racial profiling" or "violations of basic human rights and freedoms."

克里什纳表示，IBM强烈反对将任何面部识别技术用于“大规模监视、种族形象定性”或“侵犯基本人权和自由的行为”。

Krishna wrote that responsible use of the technology "can increase transparency and help police protect communities." But he added, it "must not promote discrimination or racial injustice."

克里什纳写道，负责地使用这项技术“可以增加透明度并帮助警察保护社区”。但他补充说，这“绝不能助长歧视或不公平”。

Ongoing protests across the United States have raised new questions about racial injustice and the use of technology by police to carry out surveillance on demonstrators and American neighborhoods.

全美各地持续不断的抗议活动对种族不公平以及警方利用技术监视示威者和美国社区等行为提出了新的质疑。

The protests, which started after the death of George Floyd, have centered on police violence and racial inequality in America.

这些抗议活动因乔治·弗洛伊德之死而引发，主要聚焦美国的警察暴力和种族不平等。

Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on May 25 after a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, kneeled on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. The incident was caught on video.

46岁的黑人男子弗洛伊德于5月25日死亡，此前明尼苏达州明尼阿波利斯市一名白人警察跪压在弗洛伊德颈部近9分钟。这起事件被拍了下来。

Krishna wrote this week, "We believe now is the time to begin a national dialogue on whether and how facial recognition technology should be employed by domestic law enforcement agencies."

克里什纳本周写道：“我们认为，现在是就国内执法机构是否以及应如何使用面部识别技术展开全国对话的时候了。”

In the past, IBM had tested its facial recognition software with the New York Police Department.

过去，IBM曾与纽约警察局合作，对其面部识别软件进行测试。

Krishna sent his letter to a group of Democratic congressmen who have been working on police reform legislation fueled by the mass protests over Floyd's death. The reform bill could include restrictions on police use of facial recognition technology.

克里什纳致信一个民主党国会议员小组，该小组一直在为警察改革立法而努力，该立法由弗洛伊德之死引发的大规模抗议所推动。改革法案可能包括限制警方使用面部识别技术。

Microsoft and Amazon have also developed facial recognition systems. However, Microsoft has joined critics in calling for restrictions on the use of the technology by government agencies.

微软和亚马逊也开发了面部识别系统。不过，微软加入了批评人士的行列，呼吁限制政府机构使用这项技术。

In March, Microsoft president Brad Smith praised Washington state for passing a law to regulate the technology. The law requires testing and transparency measures and provides safeguards aimed at upholding civil liberties, Smith said.

今年3月，微软总裁布拉德·史密斯对华盛顿州通过了规范该技术的法律进行赞扬。史密斯表示，这项法律要求检测和透明措施，并提供旨在维护公民自由的保障措施。

Clare Garvie is a researcher at Georgetown University's Center on Privacy and Technology in Washington, D.C. She told The Associated Press that many U.S. law enforcement agencies use facial recognition software built by lesser-known companies. These include Japan-based NEC and European companies Idemia and Cognitec.

克莱尔·加维是华盛顿特区乔治城大学隐私与技术中心的研究员。她对美联社表示，许多美国执法机构采用知名度较低公司开发的面部识别软件。这些公司包括日本电气股份有限公司（简称NEC）以及欧洲公司Idemia和Cognitec。

A smaller number of law enforcement agencies have partnered with Amazon, which has received strong criticism from privacy activists since it introduced its Rekognition software in 2016.

少数执法机构与亚马逊公司建立了合作关系，自2016年推出Rekognition软件以来，亚马逊遭到了隐私保护人士的强烈批评。

I'm Bryan Lynn.

布莱恩·林恩报道。

Words in This Story

artificial intelligence – n. the power of a machine to copy intelligent human behavior

surveillance – n. the activity of watching people carefully, often secretly, especially by an army or police force

accuracy – n. how correct or exact something is

racial profiling – n. to form an opinion about a person based on their skin color or ethnic background

transparency – n. openness

kneel – v. to put one or both knees on the ground

dialogue– n. a formal discussion

domestic – adj. inside one country and not international

regulate – v. to make rules or laws that control something